COLUMBUS – Continuing work on a massive project to improve the I-70/I-71 split in downtown Columbus and the first phase of work on the East Side freeway corridor are among the highlights of nearly $800 million in highway construction planned in the central Ohio area this year.
The Ohio Department of Transportation plans more than 130 projects in the area, including the latest phase of the Downtown Ramp Up “megaproject,” which will target the I-70/71 and SR 315 interchange and create new access to and from downtown via Fulton and Mound Streets.
Work also begins on the first phase of the $433 million Far East Freeway project, which will address the growing volume of regional travel in the I-70 corridor between U.S. Route 33 to state Route 256 in Pickerington.
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This year, ODOT officials say work will get underway at the I-70/270 interchange and Brice Road. The entire project (see map, above) could take until 2037 to complete.
Additional high-impact projects in central Ohio include interchange improvements at U.S. 33/SR 161/Post Rd., which will reconfigure ramps to and from U.S. 33, and continuing work to widen I-71 to three lanes in each direction from SR 665 to the Franklin County Line, which is expected to be complete this fall
The initial phase of the Far East Freeway project will replace the existing loop ramp from I-270 southbound to eastbound I-70 east with a flyover ramp to reduce weaving and merging at the interchange. It will also add an eastbound lane between I-270 and Brice Road and reconfigure ramps from I-270 north to I-70 east and Brice Road to address congestion and improve safety,