I-70/I-71 Interchange

 Plans to address the I-70/I-71 interchange have been released and are currently under reivew. Construction on this large-scale project is set to begin in late 2011.
 

For a short stretch of highway, the I-70/I-71 Interchange Split sure creates some big problems.  Its 1.5 miles of pavement host fifteen ramps that funnel 30,000 vehicles every day. It’s no surprise that the stretch sees 800 accidents every year. 

And when traffic backs up on the rest of the highways, chances are good that it stems from another crash on the Split.

The time for change has come. The interchange needs fewer ramps and more lanes.

Plans were recently released to do exactly that and give this stretch of freeway a drastic and much-needed improvement. Frantic lane-changes will be a thing of the past with the installation of direct lanes.  It will be smoother. It will be safer.

The highway change will bring good news for foot-traffic too. The number of City street crossings along the I-70/I-71 overlap section will be reduced and designed for the comfort and safety of pedestrians.

Currently, the project is under review by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to ensure there are no significant negative impacts to the environment. After that process, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) will go forward with the acquisition of Phase I of the project – the I-71/I-670 North Interchange. The current timeline has construction starting on Phase I in late 2011. Phase II of the project includes the I-70/I-71 East Interchange and is slated to begin in 2013.

This monumental project in total could take as much as ten years to complete and will cost more than $1.5 billion.

For more information on this project, please visit www.dot.state.oh.us/projects/7071study.