Recommendations for fixing downtown split

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ODOT TO SHARE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FIXING DOWNTOWN SPLIT

The Ohio Department of Transportation will hold public meetings in June to share its recommendations for narrowing the two options for rebuilding the Interstate 70/71 Split along the south side of downtown Columbus.

ODOT considers the highway one of the most congested, high-crash freeway locations in the state. It was built more than 40 years ago, and carries about 175,000 vehicles a day, about 50,000 more than the highway was designed to handle. As a result, the highway experiences about two crashes each day or 800 a year.

For the past six months, the Department has been comparing two alternatives — Mound/Fulton and Livingston/Fulton — to determine which option does a better job of improving safety and travel with fewer negative impacts to the public.

Both alternatives untangle the I-70/71 overlap, consolidate ramps to improve safety, and add lanes to accommodate traffic growth. However, the alternatives differ in how they tie the freeway into the city street network.

On the south side of the freeway, ODOT has proposed reconstructing one-way city streets parallel to the freeway along either Mound/Fulton or Livingston/Fulton to serve east and west traffic into and out of downtown. On the east side along I-71, one-way city streets would be built parallel to the freeway using portions of Parsons and Lester.

WHO:

ODOT representatives, as well as consultants working with the Department to develop solutions, will be on hand to answer questions and record public comments.

WHEN & WHERE:

June 11 and 13

Open House from 5 to 7 p.m.

Columbus Health Department Auditorium

240 Parsons Avenue (corner of Parsons and Main)

Free parking in rear

I’ll be going for sure.