Travelers approaching Columbus from the east on I-70 will have a new way of entering Downtown starting on November 8th. The Mound Street Connector, which includes a large “fly-over” exit ramp that takes cars over Parsons Avenue and I-71, opens for business on the 8th. The current 4th Street exit from I-70 west will close permanently at 8pm on the 7th.
The project, which is part of the multi-year Interstate 70-71 split fix, also includes an extensive redesign of Mound Street from the base of the ramp at the eastern edge of Downtown to Fourth Street. The new street will be one-way and feature on-street parking, two lanes of car traffic, and a bike lane on the north side of the street.
Nancy Burton of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) said that all landscaping work, including granite curbs and crosswalks, has been completed.
Burton also said that the new 18th Street bridge — also a part of this phase of the larger split project — is on track to open to traffic in December, weather permitting.
The next phase, currently scheduled for 2017, will will include further work on Mound Street (west of 4th Street), as well as new exit ramps to Parsons Avenue and new bridges at Main, Grant and 4th Streets. Also included in that phase will be Fulton Street, which would undergo a similar transformation as Mound Street and serve as the east-bound collector road for Downtown.
Even farther down the road is the reconstruction of I-70 south of Downtown, with new capped bridges planned for Front, High, Third and Fourth Streets.
More information on the 70/71 Split is available at www.dot.state.oh.us/projects/7071/.
For more discussion on the Mound Street Connector, CLICK HERE to visit our messageboard.