http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/public/2013/09/10/Project-to-smooth-out-270-and-23-set-to-start.html
By Rick Rouan
The Columbus DispatchTuesday September 10, 2013 1:14 PM
Construction will begin Monday on a project to rebuild the congested I-270/Rt. 23 interchange on the North Side.
Traffic snarls at the interchange during rush hour as commuters exiting I-270 compete with those entering the Outerbelt, creating a weaving pattern that state officials say is dangerous.
The two loop ramps exiting I-270 will be removed from the cloverleaf interchange, replaced with a smoother curve that will allow drivers to choose which direction they want to travel on Rt. 23.
The Ohio Department of Transportation also plans to add underground express lanes on northbound Rt. 23 between Campus View Boulevard and Flint Road.
Construction will last about three years, but all traffic movements should be restored by September 2015, said Ferzan Ahmed, deputy director over ODOT District 6.
The interchange is the third most-congested in central Ohio.
“You’ve got congestion. We have safety issues,” Ahmed said at a press conference today. “We’r e going to solve them over the next 30 months.”
The $72 million project also will widen Rt. 23 from Northwoods Boulevard to Lazelle Road from two lanes to three lanes in each direction.
ODOT also plans to build an additional lane on southbound Rt. 23 from I-270 to Northwoods Boulevard.
@RickRouan