Highway motorists will soon have one fewer exit ramp to choose from along Interstate 76/77 in Akron.
The Ohio Department of Transportation is closing the eastbound ramp to Wolf Ledges Parkway permanently at 6 a.m. Wednesday.
More than 120,000 vehicles a day use the highway in that area, but the state agency couldn’t say how many motorists use that particular ramp.
The closure is part of the ongoing, $84 million project to reconfigure the I-76/77 interchange with South Main Street and South Broadway. The goal is to improve safety along what’s considered the most dangerous stretch of highway in Summit County because of tightly bunched on- and off-ramps .
Motorists who used to exit at Wolf Ledges are being encouraged to use the South Main exit in the future.
Meanwhile, the westbound exit ramp to Wolf Ledges will remain open into next year, but that ramp also eventually will be closed, ODOT spokesman Brent Kovacs said.
The entire interchange project is scheduled to be completed by July 2020.
Highway motorists are encountering a plethora of construction and detours in and around Akron this year. In addition to the interchange project, ODOT also is rebuilding bridges just west of the Central Interchange, and rebuilding and reconfiguring interchanges along I-76 through Barberton and Norton.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ .