I-70 and I-71 construction around Columbus to extend into the 2030s, according to ODOT
It was summer 2010. President Barack Obama was less than two years into his first term. Popular boy band One Direction had just formed. Children worldwide packed theaters to see "Toy Story 3."
And Ohio Department of Transportation construction crews started their work on Interstates 70 and 71 in Columbus.
Now, almost a decade and a half later, the work on ODOT's "Downtown Ramp Up" project is not going to stop anytime soon, according to ODOT's recently released construction programs. Total cost of the project, which is expected to continue into the 2030s, is currently estimated at $1.4 billion.
When will I-70/I-71 construction end?
ODOT will be working on two major phases of its I-70/I-71 program in the coming years; one to reconstruct inbound and outbound Downtown ramps and another to reconstruct I-70 eastbound and perform work on several bridges carrying Columbus streets over the interstates.
The project to reconstruct Downtown's inbound and outbound ramps, dubbed "Phase 4R/6R" by ODOT, started in February 2022. This phase will add a ramp connecting Mound Street to I-71 south and I-70 east to Front Street along with a slew of bridge and road reconstructions, according to an ODOT construction program.
The other project ODOT will be working on is reconstructing I-70 eastbound, dubbed "Phase 4A." Crews started work on this phase in February and they'll be at it until around 2030, according to the construction program.
If you've been to, live or work in the Brewery District, you know the Front Street bridge over I-70 and I-71 has been closed for some time and Mound Street is awash in construction equipment and signs. These disruptions are part of "Phase 4R/6R" and will be cleared up sometime in 2025 or 2026, ODOT spokesperson Hannah Salem said.
This phase was originally planned to be finished in 2027, but ODOT and their contractor decided to push back the completion date, Salem said.
Even after ODOT finishes the current projects, there are still phases 2D, 3, 5, 6, 6B, 6C and 6D left to complete, Salem said. As such, she could not offer an estimated completion date for the whole project, she said.
Why is I-70/I-71 construction taking so long?
The scale of "Downtown Ramp Up" is why it will take multiple decades to complete, Salem said.
Crews are completely reconstructing and retooling significant portions of Columbus's highway infrastructure, and they have to do it while still allowing traffic through and keeping crews safe, she said.
Since work started in 2010, crews have completed phases 1, 2C, 2B, 2G, 2E, and 3B of Downtown Ramp Up.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: I-70 and I-71 construction to extend into the 2030s, according to ODOT
