Working in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Public Safety, the Ohio Department of Transportation will be taking action to remove a potential hazard on the state-owned right-of-way in Lawrence County.

In the coming weeks, officials from the ODOT Lawrence County Highway Maintenance Facility will have vehicles parked illegally on the state's right of way removed. According to Lawrence County Transportation Manager Cecil Townsend, these vehicles will be ticketed by law enforcement officials from the Ohio State Highway Patrol prior to being towed to a local impound lot. No notice, though, will be given to the owners of the vehicles prior to removal from the right of way.

"In addition to violating the law, this is a matter of public safety as those vehicles could create a driving hazard for motorists," Townsend said. "While we have asked for the cooperation and assistance of owners to remove their vehicles, the problem persists.

"Therefore, it has become necessary for the department to take these measures as we must eliminate or reduce the risk of potential hazards on our roadways whenever possible."