COLUMBUS, Ohio — Spring is here, and so is construction season with orange barrels galore across central Ohio. Where will your commute be affected? There are five areas to look out for this year and beyond.
DUBLIN: US-33 and SR-161 at Post Road
ODOT will start working on reconfiguring the SR-161 Post Road interchange in May 2022. At one point during this roadwork, both directions of traffic on SR-161 and Post Road will be shifted to one side. Then, that will flip.
People driving through the area will mostly see short-duration traffic impacts, like off-peak, overnight or weekend restrictions and closures.
FAR EAST COLUMBUS: Far East Freeway I-70 from US-33 to SR-256
ODOT will start working on the stretches of I-70 on the East side of Columbus from I-270 to Brice Road in July 2022. They plan on replacing the existing loop ramp from I-270 Southbound and I-270 Eastbound with a flyover ramp. ODOT says that will reduce weaving and merging on I-270 as drivers approach the ramp.
Construction will also involve adding an eastbound lane on I-70 between I-270 and Brice Road. ODOT says that work will untangle weaving traffic on interchanges between I-270 and Brice Road. Luckily for drivers, the new ramp will be built offsite, meaning there will not be a major impact to traffic. ODOT says they will try and keep construction on weekends and the overnight hours.
Drivers should expect narrower lanes on I-70 and a reduced speed limit, so ODOT recommends leaving with a bit more time in your commute through the east side.
ODOT says drivers should consider this work over the summer as a “beginning point” to this entire project that will eventually span to I-70 at SR-256. The work will be happening on that corridor for “many years to come.”
GROVE CITY: I-71 & US-62
ODOT says this area in Grove City is in its final year of construction. Construction is continuing there to widen I-71 from SR-665 to the Franklin County line. The ramp from US-62 to I-71 Northbound has been closed since last fall and will stay closed until late in 2022. ODOT says they are planning to wrap up construction in November.
Traffic is crossed over to one side of I-71 while the other side is being improved. ODOT says the best thing drivers can do is leave with plenty of time in their commute.
DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS: Downtown Ramp Up
When it came to their Downtown Ramp Up project, ODOT got a head start on their Spring 2022 construction season. This June, even more work will continue with the ramp from I-70 Eastbound to Front Street shutting down permanently.
ODOT says this work is happening while their crews build a new ramp from I-70 Eastbound to Fulton Street. That work is expected to last two years. In the meantime, they advise drivers to take I-70 Eastbound to Livingston Avenue instead.
The Front Street bridge will also temporarily close in June until 2024.
DELAWARE COUNTY: Delaware and Orange, Genoa and Brown Township
The Worthington & Africa Road Intersection – Orange, Genoa Townships
This is a $6 million project that started in October 2020 but will affect traffic in new ways starting in May 2022. According to Rob Riley, the Chief Engineer at the Delaware County Engineer’s Office, crews are working to widen Worthington Road to five lanes through Africa Road.
They are also working on adding new right turn lanes on Africa Road. Riley says the widening extends north on Worthington Road to Highland Lakes Avenue as a three-lane section.
Drivers will see short term closures of Africa Road starting in May 2022. Then southbound traffic on Worthington Road between Highland Lakes Avenue and Africa Road will close. The engineer’s office says northbound traffic will be maintained.
Byxbe Parkway, Phase 1 – Delaware and Brown Township
The Delaware County Engineers Office says this $4.5 million project is funded by their County Road and Bridge funds and will start construction in May 2022. Crews will build a new four-lane roadway from US-36 at Glenn Road to State Route 521 through the former Delaware County Career Center North Campus.
State Route 521 will be closed for 45 days to build a new roundabout. This entire project, however, is not scheduled to end until August 2023.