ODOT highlights 2025 accomplishments

A diverging diamond interchange (DDI) opened at U.S. 20A and Interstate 475, Maumee, Lucas County, in August. The interchange was constructed as part of the $102 million project that reconstructed and expanded I-475 from U.S. 24 to Airport Highway (State Route 2).

The reconstructed interchange at County Road 99 and Interstate 75, Findlay, Hancock County, opened to traffic following a public ribbon cutting in November. The interchange was reconstructed as a diverging diamond interchange (DDI). It was the second DDI to open in northwest Ohio in 2025.

Construction of a new interchange at U.S. 24 and County Road 17D in Henry County began in 2025. Bridge beams were placed in December, marking a significant milestone for the project. The interchange is expected to open in late 2026. An adjacent project, which constructed an overpass on Independence Road over U.S. 24 in Defiance County, opened to traffic in fall 2025.

Both are part of a collection of projects to improve the safety of the U.S. 24 corridor. See the project website for the U.S. 24 corridor improvements in Defiance and Henry counties.

Governor Mike DeWine held several public events, including one in Van Wert County, to celebrate the completion of remodeled rest areas throughout the state in 2025. In northwest Ohio, remodeled rest areas were opened in Van Wert County on U.S. 30, and in Wyandot County on U.S. 23. The northwest Ohio rest areas are among 36 statewide that have been or will be reconstructed.

Construction of a new Putnam County ODOT garage in the village of Ottawa began in May 2025. The garage will replace the current facility built in 1979. The hope is that ODOT crews will manage the winter of 2026 from the new facility. Mark Thomas, Putnam County's longest-serving employee, shares here what the new facility means to him.

Water was eroding the embankment along the I-280 northbound exit ramp to Greenbelt Parkway just north of the Maumee River in Lucas County. A crew with the Northwood ODOT outpost and additional ODOT units worked with a contractor to excavate the area, remove the guardrail, backfill, place concrete, and seed the area to secure the embankment.

A roundabout on State Route 81 at Thayer Road, Allen County, was completed in 2025. The intersection needed improved as a high number of crashes were occurring there when compared to intersections with similar terrain and traffic volume. The project also replaced a bridge on State Route 81 just east of the intersection.

The Van Wert County maintenance garage, with assistance from neighboring district garage personnel, chip sealed 24 lane miles of U.S. 30. The operation used 2,265 tons of stone, 61,642 gallons of tar, and 30,200 gallons of fog seal. It is the second time the garage has used the proven pavement treatment method to maintain U.S. 30.

An overpass on County Road 193 over State Route 15, Hancock County, was completed in the fall of 2025.

The project is part of an overall effort by ODOT District 1 to improve the safety of four-lane, divided highways in the region. The ultimate goal is to eliminate at-grade intersections through a combination of short-term projects, such as removing medians and installing cul-de-sacs or restricted crossing U-turns (RCUTs); and long-term projects, such as constructing overpasses and interchanges.

The Wood County ODOT garage improved the edge of pavement and removed a sight obstruction along State Route 64 just north of the village of Haskins. Crews with the Wood County garage, district striping crew, and district roadway services paving crew milled out the existing edge of pavement, and replaced it with five feet of asphalt to provide a wider shoulder for more recovery area. A large tree that was in the line of sight at the intersection of State Route 64/State Route 65 and Reitz Road was removed with the project.

The new roundabout at U.S. 23 and State Route 105, located in both Wood and Sandusky counties which opened to traffic in fall 2025, was constructed using digital, 3D plans rather than the typical multi-page paper set. It was the first project in state history constructed under the method, referred to as progressive design-build or BIM (building information modeling).

In November, ODOT partnered with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Traffic Safety Office, and Lucas County Safe Communities for the Home Safe for the Holidays safety blitz. The northwest Ohio event was held at the Lucas County ODOT garage and highlighted Ohio's three-consecutive years of reduced traffic deaths with the goal of achieving a fourth. The goal was reached as fatalities in 2025 dropped approximately 3% from 2024.