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ODOT Changing Out All Signs For First Time In Decades

One of the first signs to be completely replaced with Gov. Mike DeWine's name went up over the weekend on U.S. 23 near Toledo.
ODOT
One of the first signs to be completely replaced with Gov. Mike DeWine's name went up over the weekend on U.S. 23 near Toledo.

The state department of transportation has a bigger job than usual in changing the 36 road signs at Ohio’s borders that feature the new governor’s name. 

The signs are meant to last at least 20 years, so ODOT usually just replaces the names of the governor and lieutenant governor.

But ODOT spokesman Matt Bruning said because the state’s tourism logo changed in 2015, all the signs were set to be replaced.

“We decided that it just made more sense if we’re going to change the signs to kind of hold off and wait until the administration change," Bruning said.

There are nine signs that still have the “Heart of It All” slogan from the 80s. Four signs were replaced recently with the “Ohio: Find It Here” logo - including the largest ones, the 40-foot long signs over I-70 at Indiana.

It will take a few weeks and $100,000 to replace the remaining 32 signs, with half of that paid by the tourism department.

(Correction: ODOT has now advised that there are 36 road signs, not 38.)

Copyright 2020 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.
Karen Kasler
Contact Karen at 614/578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.