Car-maggedon has arrived in Akron.
Maybe that should be No-maggedon, based on rush hour this morning even as traffic volumes build up.
As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, traffic was flowing fairly smoothly, based on cameras monitoring city roadways.
The Ohio Department of Transportation, or ODOT, has been reporting primarily temporary minor speed alerts and slowdowns here and there on the major highways in and around Akron even as car and truck traffic increases.
There was one traffic incident reported after 8 a.m. on state Route 8 near Perkins Street that slowed traffic. An ODOT camera showed a car off the side of the southbound lane of the Route 8 bridge, with backed-up traffic able to move around. The disabled vehicle temporarily closed the right lane. As of 8:45 a.m. the scene was clear and traffic was flowing smoothly.
Starting early this morning, several ramps and lanes were closed at the highly traveled central interchange — the confluence of state Route 8 and interstates 76 and 77 in Akron.
The closures will force about 100,000 motorists who regularly use the interchange to take detours. The closures should remain in place into late November.
ODOT originally planned to start the highway project more than a week ago. But work was delayed at the last minute, with ODOT saying there wasn’t enough signage in place.
Here’s a rundown of the closures:
• I-76 between Grant Street and Inman Street is reduced to two lanes in each direction.
• The ramp from I-77 northbound to I-76 westbound is closed.
• The ramp from Route 8 southbound to I-77 northbound/I-76 westbound is closed.
On Wednesday, ODOT will close the ramp from I-76 eastbound to I-77 southbound for a bridge removal project.
The state agency is urging 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.