Recent highway ramp closures will make navigating Interstate 75 through downtown Dayton in the busy holiday season more challenging, Ohio Department of Transportation officials warned.

On Monday, on-ramps from Third and Second streets closed. Off ramps to First and Third streets closed Oct. 15.

If motorists are traveling from the south into downtown, the suggested exit ramp is Edwin C. Moses or U.S. 35 to Jefferson Street. If you’re coming from the north, the Main Street exit is likely the best.

It’ll be 2017 before the project finishes. Get ready for more changes, too.

In the first or second week of December, southbound traffic will switch to the northbound side as part of the reconstruction, said ODOT spokeswoman Mandi Abner.

Motorists need to be especially careful during the holiday season when traveling in construction zones, Abner said.

“This is one of the busiest travel times of the year, and we want to remind everyone to slow down and stay alert and focus on the highway and driving,” she said.

On major roads off the highways, Abner said the holiday shopping season is notorious for more intersection crashes, especially around busy shopping corridors.

According to ODOT records, in 2011, holiday crashes from Thanksgiving to New Year’s jumped 24 percent, injuries 18 percent and serious injuries 12 percent when compared with the monthly average for intersection crashes throughout the rest of the year.

“It takes constant vigilance and awareness of what’s going on around you to prevent crashes, injuries and fatalities during the holiday shopping season,” ODOT Director Jerry Wray said. “Motorists need to park their phones and other electronic devices and pay attention to the road.”

ODOT said 410 intersection crashes resulted in serious injuries during the 2011 holiday period – an 18 percent increase over the 348 the prior year.

While intersection crashes were up, total crashes for the holiday period declined nearly 5 percent from 14,624 in 2010 to 13,938 last year.

Many intersection crashes can be attributed to drivers making left-hand turns at intersections and driveways. Drivers often misjudge the speed and distance of on-coming traffic or become impatient while waiting to turn, leading them to take greater risks, ODOT said.