Portions of I-270, I-71 to be widened
Work will begin in April to widen congested Interstate 270 in western Franklin County between Route 33 and Trabue Road, and in August to widen I-71 between Route 315 and Stringtown Road south of Columbus, two of the $390 million in projects that the Ohio Department of Transportation will do this year in central Ohio, including projects already in the works.
Work also will begin on the first of five projects to improve I-70 /71 through Downtown. This year, the Grant Avenue bridge over the freeway will be replaced, and retaining walls will be built. That will begin in July and be completed in June 2018.
The projects were discussed at a news conference Thursday at Dodge Park in Franklinton, kicking off the 2017 construction season.
Over the next seven years, one lane will be added in each direction on I-70 and I-71 through Downtown.
In addition, a ramp will be built from I-70 east to Parsons Avenue, replacing the exit at South 18th Street. That will give a new way for motorists to get to Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Near East and South sides. Okey Eneli, the hospital’s vice-president of engineering services, said the hospital now has 11,000 employees, so easier access is important.
Construction also will begin this summer on improvements to Mound and Fulton streets, which
parallel I-70/I-71 Downtown. Mound will be rebuilt between Washington and Short streets, with three oneway westbound lanes and a bike lane. Fulton will become one-way eastbound, with three lanes between Front Street and Grant Avenue. The Mound and Fulton work will begin in July and is scheduled for completion in June 2018.
The work on I-270 in western Franklin County and I-71 south of Downtown also will include new pavement for existing lanes. Other than occasional resurfacing, the pavement on I-270 hasn’t been replaced since the early 1990s, said Tom Slack, an ODOT administrator and engineer. Traffic on this stretch of I-270 is expected to increase by 30,000 vehicles a day in 20 years. That section of I-270 now handles between 107,000 and 114,000 vehicles a day, numbers that have remained relatively flat since 2006.
Work on I-270 will begin in April and is scheduled for completion in September 2018. The I-71 widening will begin in August and be completed in October 2019.
Nick Gill, assistant director of transportation and funding at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, said these projects have been in planning stages for a while. So though traffic counts haven’t surged in the past decade, the road surface itself still needs to be replaced, he said.
The projects will enlarge capacity and improve safety, said Jack Marchbanks, ODOT’s deputy director for central Ohio.
“Orange barrels are not perennials,” Marchbanks joked. But ODOT will be working on 29 separate projects in Franklin County alone.
Other major projects in the area beginning this year will include:
Adding lanes and improving the I-270/I-670 interchange near John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
Completing the $69 million I-270 “mega-fix” in northern Franklin County between Route 315 and North High Street by November.
Resurfacing the southbound ramp lanes on I-270 from East Main Street to just south of I-70 on the East Side.