New Springfield stop light to alleviate congestion at I-70, Ohio 72

A new traffic light built to alleviate congestion at a busy I-70 interchange in Springfield is set to activate this week.

The $300,000 project was funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation. Clark County-Springfield Transportation Coordinating Committee Director Scott Schmid said in December the traffic signals, built at the westbound entrance and exit ramps of the I-70/Ohio 72 exchange, will help alleviate traffic backups in the area.

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The interchange can get congested during rush hour when cars coming off the freeway are turning to reach businesses on East Leffel Lane, he said.

“It’s primarily due to Assurant Group and Clark State, especially in the morning there getting off of the interstate,” Schmid said.

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In 2005, about 22,000 cars moved through the interchange a day.

The project has been in the works for a while, Schmid said. It will be a standard traffic signal that will clear the ramps during the peak periods of congestion when there is back up on the ramp and on South Limestone Street.

The new signals will be linked to the city’s system to move traffic effectively between the different signals in the area, he said.

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