COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTVN)--With more construction set to begin next week along I-70 in downtown Columbus, Governor Mike DeWine says thanks to the increase in the state's gasoline tax, three more phases of the "Columbus Crossroads" project will now become a reality.
DeWine says the additional $800+-million a year generated will reconfigure the I-70/I-71 interchange to reduce congestion and reduce crashes.
With the new transportation budget, I-71 will be widened from Broad Street to Long Street, new ramps will be added from I-70 East to Fulton Street, and ramps will be added from Mound Street to I-70 West and from Mound Street to I-71 South.
Work on 71 from Broad to Long is set to begin in about a year, with the other projects beginning at least two years from now. If all goes according to plan, the total project will be done by 2024.
All of this as work is set to begin next week on I-70 between I-71 and Miller-Kelton. That work will eliminate the dangerous "weave" in that corridor that leads to numerous accidents, and will lead to easier access to Nationwide Children's Hospital, and the emergency room there.
That work was funded in previous transportation budgets, and includes adding a ramp from I-70 to Parsons Avenue.