Columbus I-70/I-71 South Innerbelt Corridor

[shoptb1]

The "Columbus Crossroads" study has been going on since 2002, and now that we're in 2010, not a piece of dirt has been moved yet.  However, it looks like we're finally making some progress.  As an impacted citizen in the project area, I wanted to post some good information from ODOT's project website related to the latest activity.  Anyone that has driven through this segment ("The Split") will easily agree that it's one of the worst "designs" in Ohio because so much weaving is required just to stay on I-70 or I-71.

Study Area



Project Overview
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/projects/7071study/Pages/ProjectOverview.aspx

Project Design Enhancements (with Nov. 2009 updates)
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/projects/7071study/Pages/DesignEnhancements.aspx

It looks like the C/D system with one-way streets has been selected as the best alternative.  This type of approach worked very well in Des Moines, IA on I-235, and I think it's the most cost-effective over some of the other alternatives that were proposed in the beginning.

From a neighborhood standpoint, I think this project will be EXTREMELY beneficial to reunite many of the downtown and Old-Town East (OTE) neighborhoods that were split apart with the initial construction of I-71.  Phase 1 will concentrate on the northernmost phase segment of I-71 in 2010, with the other phases not starting until 2012+.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

How quant of them to keep the old Spring-Sandusky internchange on the map there. 

[shoptb1]

How quant of them to keep the old Spring-Sandusky internchange on the map there. 

They will update the maps again in 2055. 

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Story and thread back from the dead. 
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/07/15/copy/slow-down-on-i-7071-odot-told.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
Why?  Because many of the promises ODOT gave during the eight years of discussion on the reconstruction are now either off the table (tunnel/caps between Downtown and the Near East Side & German Village) due to money (cost up, State $$$ down) or were just ignored (widening the gap between the communitees and just being too auto-centric).
Evidently Columbus city council is supposed to give the final go ahead and sign the check at their meeting in two weeks, so folks near I-71 are turning up their voices again so they can get what they want (connectivity with the otherside of the concrete canyon)

[shoptb1]

Evidently Columbus city council is supposed to give the final go ahead and sign the check at their meeting in two weeks, so folks near I-71 are turning up their voices again so they can get what they want (connectivity with the otherside of the concrete canyon)

Yep, after what seems like FOREVER, the rubber is finally starting to meet the road.  I've attended 2 ODOT-sponsored meetings in the last month (I am also a downtown resident in Columbus very close to I-71) and I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with the reasonable plans that ODOT has developed (from their contracted engineering/design firms).  And lo, there was much complaining.  (as with any planned change)

The bottom line is that money is tight.  8 years ago when the discussions started, we weren't in the financial melt-down that we're facing right now.  The drawings at that point featured grand renovations, parks, and buildings.  The proposals we're seeing now are still creating the caps in many locations, but just aren't placing buildings on top of them at this point.  When things improve from a budgetary standpoint, the foundation will be laid to come back and build those implementations.  

On the contrary, much of the opposition that I've seen at the meetings has been centered around the "same old same old", which consists mainly of complaints about noise and increased traffic, which the engineers have described can't really be reduced with any implementation because of space requirements.  The folks in OTE (Old Towne East) are notoriously vocal in relation to ANY changes (for good or bad) to their neighborhood (very much of a NIMBY mentality, IMO).  I think the proposed changes will actually make big improvements in linking downtown to these neighborhoods; correcting what was divided by the massive I-70/I-71 trenches decades ago....and also making a big improvement on traffic flow.  Noise is not projected to be any worse than current levels, but it won't be any better.  My sense is that there are several very vocal residents that were expecting the changes to make downtown's noise level equivalent to a farm in Coshocton.  Not realistic.