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First responders adjust to downtown Toledo construction

If downtown construction is slowing you down, can you imagine navigating an ambulance or fire truck through street after street, filled with orange barrels?
(Source: WTOL)

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - If you're headed in or out of downtown Toledo, you know by now to add at least ten minutes to your trip.

"It's been very, very rough for me. Especially trying to get in and out of some of my favorite restaurants," said Toledo driver, Mary Jones about the construction.

"It's busy. It's kinda hard," Toledo driver Anna Kynard added.

"It's been really rough. There's a lot of traffic. It's kinda slowing people down," said Toledo driver Robert Juhasz.

If it's slowing you down, can you imagine navigating an ambulance or fire truck through street after street, filled with orange barrels?

Toledo Fire said it's something it's used to. Crews get daily reports of all the long and short term closures in the city.

"The crews are aware of that and they'll work around them if they can, like Monroe Street that is under heavy construction right now. They may use a parallel street to get around that," said Private Sterling Rahe with Toledo Fire.

So while you may add an extra ten minutes or so to your trip, the Fire Department isn't seeing a spike in response times.

What would you do if you're stopped in a construction zone with no shoulder and you see flashing lights in your rear view mirror?

"That'd be a rough one. I'd just say, there's nothing you really can do besides wait it out," said Juhasz.

The fire department says first, turn on your hazard lights so crews know you can see them.

"Get to the right, if you can. Try not to go left, because it's typically the area we're going to pass you from. It's tough, some of these areas are down to one lane, both directions," said Rahe.

The fire department says if you are stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, make sure you don't block the intersection.

"The fire department and police officers coming through going to an emergency, that's gonna slow them down. It's really not gonna save you any time. It's almost better to wait that light out to the next one, let that traffic flow move up," added  Rahe.

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