CLEVELAND — A safety corridor implemented on a stretch of Interstate 90 in Cuyahoga County is showing promising results, with a significant drop in crashes compared to last year.
The initiative, announced by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in July, focuses on the eight-mile stretch of highway from East 55th Street to East 260th Street.
RELATED: Gov. DeWine announces new safety corridor on I-90
The corridor, designed to reduce speed-related accidents and unbelted crashes, includes new signage and an increased police presence.
Authorities are closely monitoring its impact.
As of this week, the Ohio State Highway Patrol reports 311 crashes in the corridor this year, down from 406 at the same point in 2023—nearly 100 fewer incidents.
“This area has long been known for speed-related crashes and motorists not wearing seatbelts,” said OSHP Sgt. Bridget Matt.
“We’re seeing a decrease in accidents, which means fewer injuries and fatalities. More families will be able to spend the holidays with their loved ones because people are making safer decisions on the road.”
The patrols are a partnership between OSHP and local law enforcement agencies, including the Cleveland, Euclid, and Bratenahl police departments.
The main focus of the effort is to enforce speed limits and seatbelt usage. Since 2021, 62% of fatal crashes statewide have involved unbelted motorists.
While officers are issuing more tickets, Matt emphasized that enforcement is not the primary goal.
“We don’t want to write more tickets, but we do want to make it clear that speeding and not wearing a seatbelt will not be tolerated in this corridor,” Matt said. “Hopefully, motorists are modifying their behavior as a result.”
The safety corridor will remain in effect for a full year, and officials hope the downward trend in crashes will continue.
This isn’t the first time Ohio has used safety corridors to reduce accidents. A similar project near Youngstown ran for two years and resulted in a 30% reduction in serious crashes.
