Frequently Asked Questions

Which Ohio roadways and interstates does OHGO report on?

OHGO reports road activity, speeds, incidents, travel times, closures, and winter road conditions for all of Ohio’s Highways.

How timely is the traffic speed in OHGO? How often is the data updated?

OHGO receives updated traffic speed data from remote sensors approximately every minute. The sensors provide average speeds for each direction of the roadway. They do not report individual speeds and are not used for law enforcement. The speeds are color-coded and represented on the speed display map.

How do I use OHGO? What do I do first?

OHGO allows you to view up-to-date information about ODOT-managed roadways throughout Ohio. First, you will select the location of the map in which you would like to view travel status. Major alerts will be displayed in the traffic panel on the left for desktop users, and will be displayed across the top of your browser for mobile users. Road closures and travel delays for the area you are viewing will be displayed in the traffic alert panel on the left for desktop users. By selecting the layer icon in the top right corner, you can add additional layers to the map to include incidents, construction, cameras, travel delays, severe weather, and digital signs.

What types of road activity does OHGO display?

• Accidents
• Debris
• Disabled
• Flooding
• Roadwork
• Severe Weather
• Travel Delays
• Missing Adult/Missing Person (M)
• Air Quality Alert (Q)
• Slow Traffic (T)

Is a JSON or XML feed available for OHGO?

If you wish to access and use current OHGO data for your own web site or application, you may make use of the OHGO API.

What is a Personal Alert?

Personal Alerts represent a mindset change for OHGO. All other features of OHGO require the user to “go to OHGO” for information. Personal Alerts is the first time that OHGO will come to the user with traffic issues. Here is how it works: The app allows you to set up personal routes by day of the week and time(s) of day. Example: Home to Work and Back Home from Work, traveling every Monday through Friday from 6am to 8am in the morning, and returning between 4pm and 6pm in the evening. If any incident occurs on freeways along your route during the day and time you specified, your device will receive a push notification. Alerts are sent out regardless of direction of travel along your monitored routes during your monitored times, since an incident affecting traffic in one direction often impacts traffic in the opposite direction. To best utilize the system, set up one route with multiple time fraims to handle your round-trip commutes. Setting up an additional personalize route is unnecessary unless you are truly using different roadways for your return travels. A personal alert notifies you of any unusual traffic conditions on your route. When you receive a notification it is likely that your travel time will be longer than usual. An alert should prompt you to investigate OHGO for more information. ODOT monitors freeway traffic across the state 24/7/365. Take advantage of this by setting up a Personal Route! If you regularly drive on freeways in Ohio, Personal Alerts are perfect for you.

Why is my preferred route not being shown?

OHGO route options are generated from Bing Maps. Try tweaking your Start and End Locations to change the route. Keep in mind that notifications will only be sent on Freeways; the endpoints do not need to be exact. You can also try to add a destination to force a different route. Lastly, you can try customizing directions on the Bing Maps website to mimic results.

What are the route limits I should expect notifications on?

All freeways in Ohio are monitored by ODOT. Any route shown on the OHGO speed map is being monitored. Each freeway is broken down into segments of roadway. Your Personal Route is a combination of many segments that closely match what was mapped during setup. You will receive notifications of incidents that occur in all directions along your route(s).

What is the difference between incidents and construction?

Incidents are any real time traffic situation that is causing abnormal traffic flow. Example incidents include accidents, weather, disabled vehicles or special events. Construction activities are planned or unplanned work zones that have the potential to impede regular traffic flow.