City seeks upgrade to interchange | The Columbus Dispatch

About 100,000 vehicles a day use the I-270/Rt. 33 interchange, seen here looking southwest.

[John Gideon]

It's unfortunate that our area leaders -- including the agency that is supposed to see our transportation problems from a systemic point of view, MORPC -- would propose a car-centric solution to the traffic congestion problems at I-270 and US33.

All of the same rationalizations and justifications and excuses for spending a fortune of taxpayer money on perpetuating a cars-first-last-and-always system of transportation have been used by the Ohio Department of Transportation for the "split fix" at I-70 and I-71 in downtown Columbus and the North Central Outerbelt at I-270 and US23. And on and on.

The long-term solution is NOT to expand road capacity.

Rather, the long-term solution to the traffic congestion at this interchange as well as all the other interchanges in our area is to create a light-rail system serving all of Central Ohio.

We should NOT be throwing our taxpayer dollars down the drain of backward car-centric solutions like expanding our roadway capacity -- a solution that only induces more traffic.

Instead of wasting $12 million studying how to "fix" the interchange at I-270 and US33, use that money to begin planning a transportation system that "reduces congestion, improves mobility and safety, increases the state of good repair of surface transportation assets, decreases surface transportation-related-emissio ns and energy consumption, is consistent with land use plans, and increases the connectivity of and access to the surface transportation system." That's a quote from the draft federal transportation reauthorization bill issued by the House transportation committee last June.

When these requirements are enacted into law we here in Central Ohio and all across the country are going to have to meet performance targets for reducing VMT (single-occupancy motor vehicle trips), reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, increase public transportation ridership, and increase walking, bicycling, and other forms of nonmotorized transportation.

It's shameful that TRAC would even CONSIDER wasting untold sums of scarce taxpayer money on planning to do things that do not improve the livability and sustainability of our region and will have to be scrapped because they will not meet the performance measures of the next federal transportation reauthorization law.

We need better leadership than this.

[bobby g]

DUDE GET A HOBBY!!!

[Again who really cares]

It's Dublin... anyone can see the easy answer.... put in a Roundabout.... it works so well everywhere else in Dublin.... oh but don't forget to add STOP signs..... Poor Dublin.... I really miss it.... lol

[commie buster]

This is just another example of the fat cats in washington running the show. This is socialized road care. Privatize now. No more socialism!

[jaxbuck]

Typical planning departments. Study it ,watch it become a problem,ask for funds for a new study,develope a plan, Study the envronmental impact. Now twenty years later pay to update the study.Then have some idiot testfy that we should NOT solve the obvious,but rather start another 30 year project of study,delay etc for a Light rail system throughout the world....while Rome Burns...Why not just get it done NOW and start your Light rail study which will take over 50 years to even get anything on track . By then we won't be able to afford gas at $25.00 a gallon and rail may be an option,especially if all the horses are history as well. In addition the bicycle shops will have closed because the employees could not get thru traffic to sell the bikes. Sounds like a round a bout to me

[CHUCKO]

This is just business as usual. A windfall of tax money going to invisible consultants then more handouts to the construction folks. Give us all a break. let em suffer like everyone else. Dont the government know the country is out of money and deeply in debt. But then theres always profit for some creep at the expense of others mysery.!

[jaxbuck]

single-occupancy motor vehicle trips), reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, increase public transportation ridership, and increase walking, bicycling, and other forms of nonmotorized transportation.

Hey idiot, I live in Gahanna. Are you suggesting I should either walk,ride my bicycle or take a horse from my home to my office in Dublin. Oh, by the way those hard to come by tax dollars you talk about haven't been a problem for the current administration to spend,give to their campaign supporters,Wall street etc. as they continue to destroy America just as you are suggesting we do in this case......Get a life

[Jonathan S]

Roundabouts with stops signs. That's funny!!

[Crazy]

You’d think that Sherrod Brown or Mary Jo Killroy would be able to get some of that $800 billion stimulus money for it. Earmark it as one of the ‘boots on the ground’ project and get it done in a year.

[SocialistRepub]

All those "conservative" in Dublin have their welfare hands out asking for money for their interchange. I say let those Rush Limbaugh lovers pay 100% of the cost themselves. NO SOCIALISM FOR DUBLIN REPUBLICANS!!

[Patience]

The 270-33 interchange is one of the finest examples of engineering failures. YES, please redesign and fix it. And please also redesign 270-23 in Worthington. Was that designed by a first year civil-eng student?

[John]

Maybe if Wexner lived in Dublin it would've been built already....

[Reality]

SocialistRepub wrote:

All those "conservative" in Dublin have their welfare hands out asking for money for their interchange. I say let those Rush Limbaugh lovers pay 100% of the cost themselves. NO SOCIALISM FOR DUBLIN REPUBLICANS!!

....such an insightful post. Yes, everyone who lives in Dublin and all drivers who drive on this stretch of road are Rush Limbaugh fans. If this was an attempt at humor, you failed miserably.

[Jeff]

well you know it won't! they tried to move that stuff around from there and guess what happened/.....it didn't wanna stay up in here. so why now?? why right when its about to get there anyways. those guys are usually not on the center and for sure this time i can't think of when they even were! even once!

[beep beep zoom]

If this would eliminate the speed trap Dublin maintains on 33 north of 270, I might support it, but I suspect that they will keep the speed limit at 55 for that stretch of road. I am curious how much revenue it has generated. Since this has been a cash cow for those rich folks, they can pay for the whole thing without State or Federal funds. Public safety can be achieved without resorting to predatory behavior.

[Jim]

The big problem is the people trying to get off Avery-Muirfield in the morning and trying to merge onto 33 East. What a mess. Two weeks ago one lane was closed due to an accident and traffic CRAWLED. 20 minutes late to work. Also, in the afternoon, people trying to get on 270 North while people are trying to merge to go 33 West. That's a very scary area.

[Really]

John Gideon wrote:

It's unfortunate that our area leaders -- blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah CARS SUCK blag blah blah blah blah HEAD IN SAND blah blah blah blah blah HORSE AND BUGGY blah blah blah blah blah blah RAISE TAXES blah blah blah blah --
We need better leadership than this.

It is incredible in the 21st century that this cowtown still has so many people with thier head in the sand thinking that the problem will just go away if you don't fix it - or better yet, come up with some hare-brain solution that costs lots of taxpayer money and most people don't want

MOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

[Really]

beep beep zoom wrote:

If this would eliminate the speed trap Dublin maintains on 33 north of 270, I might support it, but I suspect that they will keep the speed limit at 55 for that stretch of road. I am curious how much revenue it has generated. Since this has been a cash cow for those rich folks, they can pay for the whole thing without State or Federal funds. Public safety can be achieved without resorting to predatory behavior.

It is so nice that at least Dublin DOES THEIR JOB and maintains safety on and around their leg of the outerbelt. Would be nice if the rest of the outerbelt (mostly in Columbus) was properly maintained as well. The solution is very simple - follow the law, don't be a jerk, and you won't be impacted...

[Really]

SocialistRepub wrote:

All those "conservative" in Dublin have their welfare hands out asking for money for their interchange. I say let those Rush Limbaugh lovers pay 100% of the cost themselves. NO SOCIALISM FOR DUBLIN REPUBLICANS!!

Funny... Dublin wouldn't have to be fixing this problem if all of the socialist city-folk from Columbus weren't cluttering up the streets like they do. But, I'll give you this much, you have a good idea - let's make it a toll road. Since it is in Dublin, the Dublin residents will get a free pass because they are already spending tax dollars to fix the problem that others created ... let everyone else pay a toll every time they drive through - this would either raise the money to fund the project by those who actually use it OR it would reduce traffic to the point where the problem goes away and no solution is needed - sounds like, what do you city-folk like to call it when you screw your neighbors? win-win???

[Enzyte Bob]

Really wrote:

<quoted text>
It is so nice that at least Dublin DOES THEIR JOB and maintains safety on and around their leg of the outerbelt. Would be nice if the rest of the outerbelt (mostly in Columbus) was properly maintained as well. The solution is very simple - follow the law, don't be a jerk, and you won't be impacted...

If they were so concerned about safety, why did they get rid of all the highway-style overhead signs at the Avery-Muirfield interchange? Do those morons realize how difficult it is to figure out where you're going with those tiny signs they use? I don't understand what it is about you nouveau-riche WASP's and why you hate signage so much.