Interstate 270 Ohio

Interstate 270 Ohio

Overview

Interstate 270 forms a complete beltway encircling Columbus, Ohio. The circumferential highway serves an array of suburban cities, including Dublin, Grove City, Hilliard and Gahanna and John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH). I-270 provides a bypass for regional traffic along I-70 to Dayton and Wheeling, West Virginia and points north along Interstate 71.

History

Designated in 1962, sections of Interstate 270 opened in the following stages:1

  • U.S. 23 (Exit 52) to Interstate 71 (Exit 55) – 1966
  • U.S. 23 (Exit 22) to SR 3 (Exit 29) – 1968
  • Cemetery Road (Exit 13) to U.S. 33 (Exit 17) – 1969
  • Georgesville Road (Exit 5) to U.S. 40 (Exit 7) – 1970
  • U.S. 33 (Exit 46) to U.S. 23 (Exit 52) – 1970
  • Interstate 71 (Exit 55) to Georgesville Road (Exit 5) – 1971
  • U.S. 33 (Exit 17) to U.S. 23 (Exit 23) – 1971
  • SR 3 (Exit 29) to SR 161 (Exit 30) – 1971
  • Interstate 70 (Exit 43) to U.S. 33 (Exit 46) – 1971
  • SR 161 (Exit 30) to Morse Road (Exit 32) – 1972
  • U.S. 40 (Exit 41) to Interstate 70 (Exit 43) – 1972
  • Morse Road (Exit 32) to U.S. 62 (Exit 35) – 1974
  • SR 16 (Exit 39) to U.S. 40 (Exit 41) – 1974
  • U.S. 62 (Exit 35) to U.S. 40 (Exit 41) – 1976

Route Information

  • East End – Columbus, OH

  • West End – Columbus, OH

  • Mileage – 54.97

  • Cities – Columbus, Whitehall, Gahanna, Upper Arlington, Grove City

  • Junctions – I-70 I-71 I-670

Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

Columbus, OH - 1972

By 1972, only the stretch between Morse Road and U.S. 40 remained unopened along the Columbus Beltway. The portion between U.S. 62 near Gahanna and U.S. 40 west of Reynoldsburg was the last built in 1976.

The I-270 Columbus North Central Outerbelt Study conducted in 2004 addressed capacity issues on the beltway between Sawmill Road (Exit 20) and Cleveland Avenue (Exit 27) on the north side of Columbus. The study outlined several options for improving the busy stretch of freeway, including interchange improvements at SR 315, U.S. 23 and Interstate 71.2

Work completed at the exchange between I-71 and I-270 replaced a loop ramp from the Beltway east to I-71 north with a new directional ramp and relocated the ramp to southbound. Just to the west along I-270 at U.S. 23, two loop ramps at the former full cloverleaf interchange were removed. Subsequent construction reconfigured the ramps with SR 315, added a single point urban interchange (SPUI) with Sawmill Road and converted the full cloverleaf at Cleveland Avenue into a six-ramp parclo.

East End I-70 – Columbus, Ohio

I-270 North at I-70

I-270 north at I-70 - Columbus, OH

Interstate 270 heads northeast from the freeway along U.S. 33 to a directional cloverleaf interchange (Exit 43) with I-70. 10/01/10

I-270 north at I-70 - Columbus, OH

A lengthy c/d roadway extends north along I-270 from the ramps with I-70 to U.S. 40 (Main Street). 10/01/10

I-70 West at I-270

I-70 west at I-270 - Columbus, OH

Interstate 70 westbound one mile outside of the Columbus Beltway at Exit 110 for Brice Road. Photo by Jeff Kitsko (07/10/99).

I-70 west at I-270 - Columbus, OH

A collector distributor roadway separates from Interstate 70 westbound for I-270 north to John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) and Gahanna and I-270 south toward Obetz and Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK). 10/15/04

I-70 west at I-270 - Columbus, OH

Exit 108 B parts ways for Interstate 270 north to Cleveland. Outside local delivery, all hazardous cargo transported through the Columbus area is directed onto the beltway. 10/15/04

West End I-70 – Columbus, Ohio

I-270 South at I-70

I-270 south at I-70 - Columbus, OH

Two miles north of the I-70 at Exit 10 for Roberts Road on Interstate 270 south. 10/01/10

I-270 south at I-70 - Columbus, OH

Two lanes separate from Interstate 270 south to I-70 at a directional cloverleaf interchange (Exit 8). 10/01/10

I-70 East at I-270

I-70 east at I-270 - Columbus, OH

Interstate 270 south provides a bypass for I-70 east toward Zanesville and Cambridge. The Colmbus beltway reconnects with I-70 near Reynoldsburg. Photo by Chris and Amber Lokken (06/23/08).

I-70 east at I-270 - Columbus, OH

Exit 91 departs I-70 east for Hilliard-Rome Road. Exits 93 A-B follow with Interstate 270 (Columbus Beltway). Photo by Chris and Amber Lokken (06/23/08).

I-70 east at I-270 - Columbus, OH

A lane drop occurs along Interstate 70 eastbound for I-270 south to Grove City and north to toward Dublin and the northern suburbs of Columbus. Photo by Chris and Amber Lokken (06/23/08).

I-70 east at I-270 - Columbus, OH

I-270 south connects with Interstate 71 southwest to Cincinnati, U.S. 23 south to Chillicothe and Portsmouth and U.S. 35 southeast to Lancaster and Athens. Photo by Chris and Amber Lokken (06/23/08).

I-70 east at I-270 - Columbus, OH

Eastbound Interstate 70 reaches Exit 93 A for I-270 east to Cincinnati, Zanesville and Wheeling, West Virginia. Photo by Chris and Amber Lokken (06/23/08).

I-70 east at I-270 - Columbus, OH

Exit 93 B loops onto I-270 north toward Cleveland via Interstate 71. I-70 advances 2.8 miles east to split with Interstate 670 ahead of Downtown Columbus. Photo by Chris and Amber Lokken (06/23/08).

Sources:

  1. https://www.dot.state.oh.us/projects/I-270/Pages/Background.aspx.
  2. Route 270 – The Unofficial Ohio State Highways Web Site (John Simpson). http://pages.prodigy.net/john.simpson/highways/270.html

Page updated June 8, 2018.