'Unacceptable amount of carnage': Local highway redesign cuts fatal crashes by 100%

UNION TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WKRC) - A major adjustment to a local highway configuration is showing promising results years after its introduction. Former Union Township Fire Chief Stan Deimling drew attention to a problem of high volume of violent car crashes at the State Route 32 and Interstate 275 interchange, noting that crews responded to 130 crashes there over a two-year period. "In a two-year period, us responding out in that same intersection 130 times is just an unacceptable amount of carnage out on State Route 32," said Deimling. At the time, traffic from I-275 had to merge onto State Route 32, causing numerous crashes. In response, the Ohio Department of Transportation converted the intersection into a "green T" configuration. This allows westbound State Route 32 traffic to bypass the signal while staying separate from I-275 traffic turning onto I-275. ODOT said the redesign has made the intersection significantly safer. Between 2015 and 2018, the area averaged 29 crashes a year, including one fatality and four serious injuries. Between 2019 and 2025, the average number of crashes dropped to 10 annually, with no fatalities or serious injuries. According to ODOT, that is a 65% reduction in crashes and a 100% reduction in fatal and serious-injury crashes.