ODOT's Columbus Crossroads Project
Paving the Way will post and send updates on ODOT's I-71/I-670 Crossroads project as they are scheduled. Additionally, ODOT has an excellent website with details on the project and e-alerts to help you know before you go. Click on the I-71/670 logo to view ODOT's Crossroads website. Also, click on the What is Open/What is Closed logo for a helpful chart showing which ramps are open and which are closed.
Latest Updates
Beacon Hill Road is closed between Deerfield and Hilliard Rome roads for a road reconstruction. The project is expected to be complete by mid-September, weather permitting. (Prairie Township)
Railroad Crossing Safety Reminders:
Always expect a train. Even if one train has passed, another one may be coming on another set of tracks.
Listen, watch and be cautious at all railroad crossings.
Never get caught on tracks. Always be certain there is room on the other side to completely clear tracks before crossing.
Never stop on tracks. If gates begin to lower, continue crossing until you clear the tracks.
Never go around lowered crossing gates or through flashing lights at railroad crossings. If you think it is stuck, find another route.
Crossing tracks on a bicycle requires caution and extra attention! Narrow wheels can get caught between the rails. If possible, walk - don't ride - across. Always cross at a 90-degree angle.
Remember, a passenger train traveling 80 mph takes about 2,200 feet to stop or the length of seven football fields.
You cannot always judge the speed or distance of a moving train. Moving trains can create optical illusions, appearing to move slower and be farther away than they actually are.
If your vehicle stalls on a crossing, get everyone out and off the tracks immediately. If a train is coming, quickly move away from the tracks . Proceed quickly towards the train at a 45 degree angle so that if the train strikes your car you will be safe from flying debris.
Prepare to stop behind school and commercial buses and trucks carrying hazardous materials. These vehicles must stop at all railroad crossings. (Paving the way/FHWA)
Eastbound W. Broad Street (US 40) will be reduced to two lanes between I-270 and Wilson Rd. beginning May 16 at 7 a.m. for road widening. Expected completion: July 16.
The ramp from I-270 north to I-70 east on the southwest side of Franklin County will close May 20 for 15 days. The closure is necessary so crews can rebuild the ramp as part of the seven-mile, $80 million I-270 reconstruction project that began in 2011. The detour will be I-270 north to Cemetery Road to I-270 south to I-70 east. Message boards alerting motorists of the upcoming ramp closure are now in place along the Outerbelt. (ODOT)
W. Third Avenue will close to through traffic between Olentangy River Road and Edgehill Road beginning Monday, May 13 at 7 a.m. as the widening and reconstruction project there continues. The project includes the widening and reconstruction of W. Third Avenue, the widening of Edgehill Road, new sidewalks and shared-use paths, sewer and lighting upgrades and other improvements. A detour using W. Fifth Avenue will be posted. This closure is expected to remain in place through late July, weather permitting. Edgehill Road traffic will be maintained. (Columbus)
N. Nelson Road (US 62) will be resurfaced between E. Broad Street
and E. Fifth Avenue beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, May 1, weather permitting. Crews will begin this week with road repairs during the day, then return next week for nighttime milling and pavement operations. Expect one lane of two-way traffic to be maintained by flaggers nearer E. Fifth Street from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through about Wednesday, May 8. Closer to E. Broad Street, crews will be able to maintain one lane of traffic in each direction as they work. This restriction will be in place between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. After about Wednesday, May 8, crews will return for milling and then resurfacing. Expect flagging operations or one lane of traffic maintained in each direction for this work which will take place evenings and overnights from about 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. The work is expected to be complete by mid to late May, weather permitting. (Columbus)
A very active season for resurfacing projects has started in Central Ohio. Columbus, for example has more than $30 million budgeted for resurfacing projects in 2013. ODOT has many large resurfacing projects for 2013 including parts of I-71, I-270, E. Main Street and US 62. Other area municipalities and counties also have active resurfacing programs in progress this year. Please watch for crews and equipment and be prepared for lane restrictions or flagging operations.
Resurfacing Notes and Tips:
> Watch for parking restrictions, but note the dates on the signs. Signs typically go up before they take effect.
> Before a road is repaved, it is generally milled. Milling is the scraping of the top layers of pavement from the road, leaving a grooved surface. These top layers are recycled into new asphalt or other products. The milled street before the new layer of asphalt is applied will have a rough surface and pavement markings may be absent or fainter than normal. > Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians should use caution, especially near protruding manhole covers.
> The actual resurfacing ordinarily follows the milling within a week, weather permitting. Access to businesses and residences is maintained during paving operations.
> Milling and paving generally require flagging operations, please watch carefully for flaggers and be prepared to stop.
The City of Columbus has a good overview of the resurfacing process at:
http://bit.ly/resurfinfo.
Paving the Way will post details of the larger resurfacing projects as contractors and agencies provide this information. (Paving the Way/Misc.)
McKinley Avenue will close to through traffic between Trabue Rd. and W. Fifth Avenue for a road project beginning Wednesday, May 1. Traffic will be detoured using Trabue Rd, Riverside Drive and W. Fifth Avenue. The work is expected to be complete by early June, weather permitting. (Columbus)
2013 Paving the Way Glove Box Guide The 2013 Paving the Way Glove Box Guide to Central Ohio Road Construction is available for download. Please take a look at it and share this post with your friends to help keep Central Ohio Roads Safe in 2013.
Highlights:
Map of 58 area projects. See what projects will affect you this year.
Work-Zone Safety Tips
Drivers Ed Refresher
More
Beginning Monday, March 4, work will begin on the I-70 bridges over Canal Road (Township Hwy 171), located approximately two miles west of the SR 79 Interchange in Licking County. This project replaces and widens the existing bridge structures and resurfaces a section of Canal Road.
East and westbound I-70 traffic will be maintained. Expect intermittent lane restrictions and traffic pattern shifts throughout the project.
Expect overnight lane closures on I-70 between SR 37 and SR 79 in Licking County from 8 p.m. nightly through 5 a.m. the next morning.
The Park Trail, located beneath the structures, will be closed at times as the project progresses.
This project is expected to be complete by late November. (ODOT)
Project Details: A major reconstruction project is underway on I-270 on the southwest side of Franklin County between US 62 and Roberts Road. ODOT will make improvements down to the sub-surface on every travel lane in both directions and construct wider shoulders on 11 bridges. The three-year project is expected to be complete by late 2014.
ODOT will maintain at least two lanes of traffic on 270 in both directions during construction. Entrance and exit ramps along the seven mile construction zone will also be accessible.
To allow crews to work on several lanes at a time, ODOT will shift traffic over to one side. There will be crossovers at the following locations to allow drivers to enter and exit 270: US 62, south of Georgesville Road, north of Georgesville Road, south of Broad Street and south of Roberts Road.
A crossover means that one direction of traffic will cross over, through the permanent median, to the other side of the road so that both directions of traffic are on the same side, which allows crews to work safely and more efficiently on that section of 270.
Between Broad Street and Roberts Road, ODOT will maintain three lanes in each direction. For southbound travellers, one of those lanes will be a different traffic pattern that we call a contra flow lane. A contra flow lane means that one lane of southbound traffic will be on the northbound side of the road with a portable barrier wall separating northbound and southbound traffic.
Please click the link below to go to the project web page:
Paving the Way encourages drivers to put down all
distracting items including cell phones, GPS devices, MP3 players, and anything
that can distract you from driving.
The price for not paying attention to the road is too high.
·Drivers who use hand-held devices while driving are four times as
likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves or others.
·Using a cell phone use while driving, whether its hand-held or
hands-free, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol
concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent.
·Turn your cell phone off while driving
·If you need to make a call or send a text, pull over in a safe
place.
Project Overview
The Columbus Crossroads Project is the biggest active project in Central ohio. The first phase is the reconstruction of the I-71/670 interchange which is expected to be completed in 2014.
The project will improve safety, reduce congestion and connect neighborhoods. It will add a new travel lane on I-670 and reduce weaving across traffic lanes to exits. Twenty-two new bridges will be built.
Click the thumbnail below for a rendering of the project after it is completed:
Ongoing Restrictions and Ramp Closures
The ramp from I-71 north to I-670 west is closed until November 2013. The detour is I-70 to SR 315.
The ramp from Long Street to I-71 north is closed until November 2013 for the Columbus Crossroads project. The detour is 17th Street to Broad Street to 4th Street to I-670.
The ramp from I-71 south to Spring Street is closed until November 2013. The detour is I-71 to Broad Street to Cleveland Avenue.
The ramp from Fifth Avenue to southbound I-71 is closed until summer 2012. The detour is Fifth Avenue east to Leonard Avenue, south to I-670 west to southbound I-71.
The ramps from Cleveland Avenue to I-670 eastbound are closed until summer 2013.
The ramps from Broad Street to I-71 north and I-670 west are closed until 2013 to ensure there are two thru lanes of traffic during construction and adequate room for the contractor to work. Once the first project is complete, there will be three lanes of traffic in both directions on 71. The detour will be Broad Street to 4th Street to I-670 to I-71.
The ramp from I-71 north to Leonard Avenue is closed and will remain closed until fall 2013.
Getting to Businesses on Parsons Avenue or Nationwide Children's Hospital
From I-71 south, take the Main Street exit and go east on Main to Parsons Avenue.
From I-71 north, take the Broad Street exit and go right, or east, to Parsons Avenue.
Access the I-71 north ramp directly from Parsons Avenue between Mooberry and Main Street.
Access I-71 south from Parsons Avenue by going west on Main Street and turning south onto the entrance ramp
Check the Paving the Way Front Page for short-term evening and weekend restrictions for this project.
Overview of Biggest Projects Impacting Traffic in Central Ohio
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Confused by all this? Give us a call at (614) 645-PAVE and well talk you through it!
