Car-mageddon officially begins Tuesday morning — just in time for rush hour.
The Ohio Department of Transportation will close several ramps and lanes starting at 6 a.m. at the central interchange — the confluence of state Route 8 and interstates 76 and 77 in Akron.
The closures are expected to remain in place into late November, affecting more than 100,000 highway motorists who will be forced onto detours or stuck in traffic jams.
The state agency had planned to start the much-anticipated highway project more than a week ago, but delayed it at the last minute, saying there wasn’t enough signage in place.
That problem has been taken care of so the closures are moving forward as quickly as possible, ODOT spokesman Justin Chesnic said Monday.
Here’s a rundown of the closures starting Tuesday:
• I-76 between Grant Street and Inman Street will be reduced to two lanes in each direction.
• The ramp from I-77 northbound to I-76 westbound will be closed.
• The ramp from Route 8 southbound to I-77 northbound/I-76 westbound will be closed.
Then on Wednesday, ODOT will close the ramp from I-76 eastbound to I-77 southbound for a bridge removal project.
The state agency will urge motorists to use Interstate 277/U.S. Route 224 as a detour.
The work is part of a $15.6 million project to remove three bridges on I-76/I-77 over Johnston Street.
The entire project is scheduled to be completed by late July 2017.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ.