The Ohio Department of Transportation is beginning the construction of new on- and off-ramps on State Route 315, that will close King Avenue nights, weekends and off-peak daytime hours.
In April, ODOT began work at Cannon Drive, just west of the OSU hospital, to construct the new on and off ramps. They will begin construction on King Avenue Monday.
King Avenue will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly for bridge work and will remain closed until Monday, which includes a closing at 8 p.m. Friday for the duration of the weekend.
Motorists should use Fifth Avenue to Battelle Drive to King Avenue as a detour.
“Along with the closings, beginning [yesterday], SR 315 North will be reduced to three lanes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. between the Goodale and Lane exits for equipment delivery until Friday,” said John Hackly of the Ohio Department of Transportation.
This should have little effect on SR 315 traffic because three lanes will be maintained by shifting traffic to the shoulder during peak hours.
The ramps have been designed to provide direct access to the Ohio State Medical Center, which is located just off of Cannon Drive.
One ramp will connect SR 315 North to the medical center crossing the Olentangy River and the other ramp will connect 12th Avenue to SR 315 South across the Olentangy River.
“Despite all of the rain, the project is still on schedule,” Hackly said.
According to ODOT, they will take significant measures to minimize the impact of ramp construction on the river and the community.
“ODOT will use more expensive barges to place piers, which will cause far less disruption to the river sediment and aquatic life,” he said.
Some OSU parking may be affected but ODOT will provide two weeks notification prior to any changes in the project.
The project is running on schedule and should be complete by the first week of August 2004.
