At-grade intersection on the Ohio Turnpike?

[Ellie]

Was driving the turnpike yesterday and noticed this: https://goo.gl/maps/GEZbGrcK7s8zoYfT9 an intersection with another road, with the other road having actual road markings and nothing to indicate you can't drive onto it. There's one on the other side of the freeway, too. Any ideas why these are a thing?

[1995hoo]

Notice the gate off to the right and the salt dome across the highway to the left. It's service vehicle access. Salt trucks/plows can use those ramps to cross the overpass to and from the salt dome. The ramp on the side where the salt dome is has a gate as well that you can see if you move the Street View image to the road that crosses the overpass.

[Ellie]

Notice the gate off to the right and the salt dome across the highway to the left. It's service vehicle access. Salt trucks/plows can use those ramps to cross the overpass to and from the salt dome. The ramp on the side where the salt dome is has a gate as well that you can see if you move the Street View image to the road that crosses the overpass.

Ah, that makes sense. Couldn't read what the gates said.

Still a bit surprised there wasn't any signage for them on the freeway itself.

[NWI_Irish96]

Notice the gate off to the right and the salt dome across the highway to the left. It's service vehicle access. Salt trucks/plows can use those ramps to cross the overpass to and from the salt dome. The ramp on the side where the salt dome is has a gate as well that you can see if you move the Street View image to the road that crosses the overpass.

Indiana Toll Road has the same thing, though they have "Official Vehicles Only" signs posted and don't rely solely on the gates to stop thru traffic.

[peterj920]

Notice the gate off to the right and the salt dome across the highway to the left. It's service vehicle access. Salt trucks/plows can use those ramps to cross the overpass to and from the salt dome. The ramp on the side where the salt dome is has a gate as well that you can see if you move the Street View image to the road that crosses the overpass.

Ah, that makes sense. Couldn't read what the gates said.

Still a bit surprised there wasn't any signage for them on the freeway itself.

There's signage on the turnpike. It has a truck.

https://goo.gl/maps/YcGhpFPN2XaeNeB66

[thenetwork]

Notice the gate off to the right and the salt dome across the highway to the left. It's service vehicle access. Salt trucks/plows can use those ramps to cross the overpass to and from the salt dome. The ramp on the side where the salt dome is has a gate as well that you can see if you move the Street View image to the road that crosses the overpass.

Ah, that makes sense. Couldn't read what the gates said.

Still a bit surprised there wasn't any signage for them on the freeway itself.

Somewhere on the western end of the PA Turnpike, there was a "well-signed" exit that said it was NOT an exit -- only for authorized vehicles.   I don't know if that one is still around.

[Stephane Dumas]

There's also some of these "intersections" on Hwy-401 in Southern Ontario who used by emergency vehicules or for emergency detour like this one.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1990759,-80.6316022,3a,75y,64.8h,82.18t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svzBtTD85IfBz81vAW3pIMw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[Hobart]

Interstate 80 has a pair of these at an interchange near Seneca, Illinois, but they're for emergency vehicles rather than snowplows.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.3760946,-88.6137573,3a,47.6y,142.31h,86.49t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s8Pfq9NvGm2nzbydr_g6KNA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3D8Pfq9NvGm2nzbydr_g6KNA%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D86.83049%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

[abqtraveler]

Notice the gate off to the right and the salt dome across the highway to the left. It's service vehicle access. Salt trucks/plows can use those ramps to cross the overpass to and from the salt dome. The ramp on the side where the salt dome is has a gate as well that you can see if you move the Street View image to the road that crosses the overpass.

Looking at the maintenance access roads from the Shannon Road overpass, it looks like there are gantries at each gate. From the looks of it, I would surmise that turnpike maintenance vehicles would be equipped with some kind of transponder that the overhead gantry detects, and then opens the gate.

[Buck87]

I think the State Highway Patrol can use theses access points as well