COLUMBUS — With AAA predicting a record 49 million people, including 2.1 million Ohioans, traveling for the July 4th holiday, roadways across Ohio will be more crowded than usual.

To accommodate this extra traffic, the Ohio Department of Transportation will work with contractors to open as many lanes as possible through active work zones.

“From cookouts to fireworks, Ohioans will find plenty of ways to celebrate our great country over the Independence Day holiday. We’ll do our part to make sure their travels are as smooth as possible,” said ODOT Director Dr. Jack Marchbanks.

Projects that could impact travelers are on I-75 in Cincinnati, Findlay, and Toledo, I-271 near Cleveland, I-76 in the Akron area, and I-71/I-70 in Columbus.

ODOT is working on more than 1,000 projects across the state this year, an investment of more than $2 billion. Ninety percent of that work is targeted toward repairing or replacing existing roads and bridges.

“Ohio is a popular destination for tourists looking to explore Ohio’s natural beauty or visit our exciting attractions. We’re working to provide safe and reliable transportation as they travel through our state,” Marchbanks said. “To do that requires adequate funding and we’re thankful for the additional resources provided in the transportation budget to help us fulfill this mission.”

Operators in ODOT’s new state-of-the-art traffic management center will be keeping their eye on more than 700 traffic cameras to ensure traffic is moving as smoothly as possible. They will also be posting traffic alerts to OHGO.com and over 130 digital highway message boards.