Columbus is in the middle of one of the longest-running interstate rebuilds in the United States. The “Downtown Ramp Up” is a ~$1.4 billion, multi-phase program to unbraid I-70 and I-71 through the city’s core.

The plan adds a lane in each direction, gives both I-70 and I-71 continuous through lanes, and pushes most downtown access to new collector-distributor “urban avenues” on Fulton and Mound. That cuts dangerous weaving, reduces crashes at what had been some of Ohio’s worst conflict points, and makes truck travel times more predictable through what’s currently a freight bottleneck. It also rebuilds a dense trench of bridges, ramps, retaining walls, and drainage in the middle of an active downtown — without ever really shutting it down.