I-70/I-71 Interchange

Work is beginning on the construction of the I-71/I-670 interchange, the first step of the Columbus Crossroads project. 

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.

Construction has just started 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 project includes two urban avenues and gateways into downtown. The City of Columbus and Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) are partnering to create a 220-foot cap on the Long Street Bridge that will include landscaping, green space, decorative lighting, sidewalks and a unique cultural wall that will be designed with community input. The Spring Street Bridge will also include similar design elements. 

Phase I of the project – the I-71/I-670 North Interchange began in September 2011 and is scheduled for completion in 2014. 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 http://www.dot.state.oh.us/projects/7071/.