COLUMBUS – A dramatic change takes place Wednesday night affecting drivers who are accustomed to taking State Route 315 to Greenlawn Avenue and exiting on their way to German Village, the Brewery District or the Merion Village.
As part of the South Side Mega Fix project, the exit to Greenlawn will only be open to drivers coming from I-70 and, though the change is temporary for northbound traffic, it will be permanent for drivers on southbound State Route 315. They will use the next exit, which is Route 104 or Frank Road.
During construction, the change is for safety, Ohio Department of Transportation officials said. Traffic on the ramp from I-71 south to Greenlawn Avenue will switch to a temporary ramp Thursday night and drivers coming from I-70 to I-71 south will need to exit sooner to get off at Greenlawn Avenue. Because of this change, there will not be enough time for SR 315 south drivers to safely merge right to exit.
The following changes take effect Thursday:
9 PM – 5 AM: Ramps closed from I-70 east to I-71 south (Detour: I-70 east to SR 315 north to US 33 west to SR 315 south to I-71 south); I-71 south to Greenlawn Ave. (Detour: I-71 south to SR 104 to I-71 north to Greenlawn Ave); 12 AM – 5 AM: I-70 west to I-71 south ramp closed (Detour: I-70 west to SR 315 north to US 33 west to SR 315 south to I-71 south)
Although the new I-71 south to Greenlawn exit will be temporary, the change for SR 315 south drivers is permanent.
The South Side Mega Fix, which began last year, is adding a lane in both directions of I-71 between SR 315 and Stringtown Road and building new ramps at the I-71/I-270 Interchange near Grove City (see above).
The project is expected to be completed in 2020.