315 CONSTRUCTION: Crews Doing 'The Meat'

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- ODOT said Wednesday that construction on state Route 315 is right on schedule.

NBC 4 reported with the LATEST INFORMATION on the construction project.

UPDATED Thursday, July 16

Crews are working on the “meat of the work,” according to ODOT.

Here’s a rundown of the “meat:” putting median walls back in that they tore down, pulling out bridge decks in order to replace them and painting.

What’s left on the to-do list?

Crews have to replace bridge joints, paint under the bridges, work on drainage, finish replacing median walls and resurface the road.

ODOT has said construction; entrances, exits and lane restrictions and orange barrels should be done in October. Construction was scheduled to pick up again in summer 2010.

All traffic in the construction zone was diverted to state Route 315’s southbound lanes Monday, June 24.

Two lanes of northbound traffic and two lanes of southbound traffic are on what was the freeway’s southbound side. Traffic remains in these lanes for the remainder of the construction.

While ODOT admitted the four lanes are a tight stretch, it insisted all lanes are the standard 11-foot width.

The speed limit is 45 miles per hour in the three-mile construction zone.

Two exit ramps also closed from S.R. 315 NB: The exit to Ackerman Road and Medical Center Drive.

The only exit that remains open throughout the entire 120-day project is the Lane Avenue exit on S.R. 315 southbound and northbound.

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SPECIAL SECTION: State Route 315 Project Information

ACCIDENTS, BREAKDOWNS IN THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE
Columbus fire officials said when a traffic-blocking crash occurs, emergency vehicles will access S.R. 315 via the Lane Avenue exit ramps, which will remain open, and drive the opposite direction to respond.

ODOT officials said if your vehicle were to break down in the construction zone, stay in your vehicle, in your lane and call 911.

A first-responder team, including a wrecker, patrols the zone during the morning and evening rush. The team plus police and fire department are charged with clearing the area of disabled vehicles as quickly as possible.

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
ODOT closed various exit and entrance ramps on S.R. 315 Monday, June 15. The orange barrels and barricades won't move for about for months.

Crews closed the following southbound S.R. 315 entrance ramps: Olentangy River Road to southbound S.R. 315, North Broadway to southbound S.R. 315, Ackerman Road to southbound S.R. 315, Lane Avenue to southbound S.R. 315, 12th Avenue to southbound S.R. 315.

To access S.R. 315 southbound, drivers can use the Goodale Boulevard entrance ramp.

The following entrance ramps to S.R. 315 north are closed: I-670 eastbound to S.R. 315 northbound, Goodale Boulevard to S.R. 315 northbound, Olentangy River Road to S.R. 315 northbound and Lane Avenue to S.R. 315 northbound.

Drivers can access S.R. 315 northbound by using the I-670 westbound ramp or Ackerman Road entrance ramp.

ENTRANCE AND EXIT CLOSING MAP:

View Larger Map

Two northbound and southbound lanes remain open. That's down from three lanes in each direction.

Eight entrance ramps and two exit ramps were to remain closed during the four-month construction project.

Heavily used on-ramps on Olentangy River Road, North Broadway, Ackerman Road, Lane Avenue, King Avenue and Goodale Boulevard are closed.

Between Henderson Road and Interstate 670, drivers getting on state Route 315 have one option for heading northbound: Ackerman Road. And only one option for heading southbound: Goodale Boulevard.

And of the three exit ramps serving drivers coming up from the south, only Lane Avenue remains open. The northbound Ackerman Road and Medical Center Drive exit ramps both are closed.

Drivers are able to exit on Lane Avenue from either direction but are not able to enter S.R. 315 at Lane Avenue in either direction.

These exit ramps are closed:
S. R. 315 NB – King Avenue exit/Medical Center Drive
S. R. 315 NB – Ackerman exit

These entrance ramps are closed:
S. R. 315 SB – Olentangy River Road (near North Broadway)
S. R. 315 SB – North Broadway from West North Broadway
S. R. 315 SB – Ackerman Road
S. R. 315 SB – Lane Avenue
S. R. 315 SB – 12th Street (from OSU Medical Center)
S. R. 315 NB – Goodale Boulevard (across from White Castle)
S. R. 315 NB – Olentangy River Road (Lennox Town Center)
S. R. 315 SB and NB – Lane Avenue

SPEEDING IN THE WORK ZONE
The speed limit in the S.R. 315 construction zone is 45 mph.

If you speed and are caught, the following outlines speeding-ticket fines:
- $120 normal cite or $155 fine doubled cite for going 1-9 mph over the limit
- $140 normal cite or $195 fine doubled cite for going 10-19 mph over the limit
- $160 normal cite or $235 fine doubled cite for going 20+ mph over the limit

You could be cited with doubled fines if Construction Zone signs are posted, Double Fines signs are posted and workers are present, according to Columbus police.

The project will cost $24 million over two years to repair bridges and improve the pavement for a stretch of three miles.