Columbus, Ohio: I-70 Westbound Through Downtown Closes All Weekend for Bridge Patching, Detour Posted

Drivers crossing downtown Columbus this Halloween weekend lose one direction of Interstate 70. The Ohio Department of Transportation closes I-70 westbound between Interstate 71 and State Route 315 at 10 p.m. on Friday, October 30, and the lanes stay closed until after 5 a.m. on Monday, November 2, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

The full weekend closure gives crews an uninterrupted stretch to work in, instead of the overnight only closures used on the same stretch earlier this month. Eastbound I-70 is not part of this closure.

What the work involves

The closure is for bridge patching work on the interstate through downtown. Bridge patching normally involves removing and replacing old concrete, ODOT spokesperson Hannah Salem told the Dispatch.

The I-70 westbound ramp to the I-71 southbound flyover ramp also closes for the same period, from Friday night until after 5 a.m. on Monday.

The detours

ODOT's recommended detour for westbound traffic sends drivers from I-70 westbound to I-71 northbound, then to Interstate 670 westbound, then back to I-70 westbound.

Traffic headed for I-71 southbound has its own posted route: I-71 southbound to I-670 westbound, then to State Route 315 southbound, then back to I-71 southbound.

Drivers using either detour cross the same downtown highway complex the closure sits in, so I-71, I-670 and State Route 315 carry the westbound load all weekend, including through Halloween on Saturday. ODOT directs motorists to check OHGO.com for updated traffic information before they travel.

Part of the Downtown Ramp Up

This weekend's work is part of ODOT's I-70 and I-71 Downtown Ramp Up project, a $1.4 billion effort to revamp and redesign the highways around downtown Columbus.

The project is already reshaping the bridges around the closed stretch. High Street over I-70 has been reduced to one lane in each direction while its bridge is rebuilt in two phases, lane restrictions ODOT expects to remain in place through summer 2028, according to the department's project updates. The new Front Street bridge over I-70 is currently scheduled to open in November.

For drivers, the practical point is simple. If a trip crosses downtown Columbus toward the west between Friday night and early Monday, the freeway they expect to take is not there, and the signed detour through I-71 and I-670 is the route ODOT wants them on. The lanes are scheduled to be back after 5 a.m. on Monday, November 2, before the weekday traffic builds.