The Ohio Department of Transportation said it is installing 30 wrong-way driver detection cameras on highway ramps around the Columbus area as a part of a years-long effort that began in other cities around the state.
ODOT has been using wrong-way traffic cameras since at least 2016, when it deployed a test camera on the Interstate 670 westbound ramp to Neil Avenue. ODOT installed its first corridor of cameras in Cincinnati in 2019. Since then, it has installed cameras in Dayton and Cleveland.
Now, ODOT is bringing Columbus’ cameras online, ODOT spokesperson Matt Bruning said. ODOT has recently installed wrong-way cameras in the following locations:
The estimated total cost of all the cameras is $3.4 million. The cameras are funded through ODOT’s traffic operations funds, and all 30 of the cameras are expected to be online in the next several months, Bruning said.
The wrong-way cameras are stationary, and their view is divided into three boxes through which drivers going the correct direction pass in a specific order. If a driver crosses these boxes in an incorrect order, the camera sends a wrong-way driver alert to ODOT’s traffic management center, which is always staffed. An ODOT employee then reviews the camera’s footage of the driver and contacts law enforcement, Bruning said.
Without the cameras, wrong-way driver detection is up to passing motorists to call 911, and those drivers might not know exactly where they are, Bruning said. By the time their call gets placed with the correct dispatcher and they figure out where they are, the wrong-way driver has likely continued far down the roadway, he said.
“In that case, you’re dealing with miles and minutes. We’re able to reduce that to feet and seconds before we make the notification [with the cameras],” Bruning said.
Wrong-way drivers caused one fatal crash each in Columbus in April and May, according to police. Wrong-way crashes are very rare – they made up just 0.3% of all crashes in Ohio in 2025 – but are 40 times more likely to be deadly. ODOT’s wrong way camera project was already scheduled and was not implemented because of these crashes, Bruning said.
Spike strips that puncture the tires of cars going the wrong way on a ramp are not a viable solution, according to Bruning. Directional spike strips are designed for low-volume, low-speed locations like rental car garages, not highway ramps. In addition, debris builds up easily in the strips, which is a maintenance issue.
“There’s just a lot of reasons why it just doesn’t make sense to try to do something like that,” Bruning said.
Reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com, @NathanRHart on X and nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: ODOT installing wrong-way driver detection cameras in Columbus area
Reporting by Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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