Important highway construction update

Student News | Monday, October 7, 2019

Starting this weekend, if you use I-70 east or west, or I-71 north to drive to the Columbus Campus, there will be a change in the traffic pattern on those routes downtown.

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has announced that beginning on Saturday, October 12, the eastbound lanes of I-70 downtown will be closed for construction. (I-71 northbound coming from the Grove City area also uses those same lanes where it connects with I-70 for a short distance.)

With those lanes closing, all eastbound traffic will be diverted into the westbound lanes of I-70. In other words, both eastbound and westbound traffic will be together on one side of the interstate with a cement median separating them. This is part of a larger multi-year ODOT project reconfiguring the two interstates where they meet.

How this will impact you
If you take I-70 westbound, or I-71 northbound to the Broad Street exit to get to the Columbus Campus, you currently use the two left lanes to merge onto I-71. That will change this weekend with the traffic switch. Drivers will then begin using the two right lanes to merge onto I-71 northbound. New signs will direct you once the switch takes place. Expect some delays and confusion as drivers get used to this new pattern.

If you take I-70 westbound to the Broad Street exit on I-71, your traffic pattern won’t be altered. However, if you’re driving straight through town, you’ll share the highway with eastbound traffic. 

You can read the official ODOT announcement at this link.

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