Photos: Ohio highway intersections and round abouts from above

Feb 22, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The west side of the diverging diamond highway interchange at I-270 and Roberts Road switches traffic to the opposite sides of the road as it passes over the freeway and create free-flow turns onto the ramps.

Work continues on the I-70/I-71/Rt. 315 Mega Project just southwest of downtown Columbus. The $1.4 billion project will provide two continuous lanes for I-70 east and west and for I-71 north and south through downtown Columbus and reconnect neighborhoods by replacing bridges with wider, pedestrian-friendly structures with parking and landscape design. The project will run at least through Fall 2026.

Jan 18 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; One of the four roundabouts near the Post Road and Rt. 33 intersection near Dublin. Post Road runs diagonal from lower left to upper right. Entering the traffic circle from is Cosgray Road. Mandatory Credit: Doral Chenoweth-The Columbus Dispatch

Jan 18 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; One of the four roundabouts near the Post Road and Rt. 33 intersection near Dublin. Post Road runs diagonal from lower left to upper right. Entering the traffic circle from is Industrial Parkway; at bottom right is University Blvd, which leads to the Ohio University Integrated Education Center, which also includes Columbus State Community College facilities. Mandatory Credit: Doral Chenoweth-The Columbus Dispatch

With the growth from Intel and other developments around Columbus, some transportation officials have discussed the possibility of a second outerbelt outside of Interstate 270. This view, shot from Sharon Woods Metro Park, shows I-270 from lower left to upper right at the I-71 intersection.

Jan 18 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; One of the four roundabouts near the Post Road and Rt. 33 intersection near Dublin. Post Road runs horizontally and Eitherman Road, which leads to the Ohio University Integrated Education Center, which also includes Columbus State Community College facilities. Mandatory Credit: Doral Chenoweth-The Columbus Dispatch

The king of all freeway interchanges in Columbus: Interstates 70/71 and Route 315 converge southwest of downtown. The truck with the red cab is on I-70 westbound; I-71 is at the top of the frame; Route 315 is at right. Both I-70 and I-71 merge for a few miles on the left side of the frame. The interchange is due for a major redesign as the last part of the downtown freeways to be reworked. The I-70 and I-71 westbound lane to I-71 south currently goes under I-70 eastbound, but when the redesign is completed it will be on top of "the stack" as freeway engineers call this intersection. The tight I-70 eastbound to Route 315 north ramp will also be eliminated and replaced with a longer fly-over ramp. (Columbus Dispatch photo by Doral Chenoweth III)

A new roundabout has been completed at Jug Street and Harrison Road. The roundabout will serve the Intel chip manufacturing plant being built on about 400 acres in New Albany. Photographed September 25, 2022.

A new roundabout has been completed at Jug Street and Harrison Road. The roundabout will serve the Intel chip manufacturing plant being built on about 400 acres in New Albany. Photographed September 25, 2022.

The unfinished traffic roundabout on Hamilton Road near where it intersects with Rt. 161 between Columbus, Westerville and New Albany.

The traffic circle at Riverside Drive and Route 161 is the largest circle in Franklin County. Riverside Drive runs top left to right; Route 161 runs bottom left to upper right. The sidewalks at the bottom of the frame serve the new Bridge Park development. (Columbus Dispatch photo by Doral Chenoweth III)

At the Outerbelt and Route 161 interchange in Dublin, concrete grids that look like sidewalks within the infields of the interchange delineate different landscape plantings. Before the project in 2015, there were four loop ramps at the interchange. By removing and replacing two of the four loop ramps, ODOT eliminated weaving and merging on the Outerbelt and Route 33. The Outerbelt cuts top left to bottom right through the picture; Route 161 is bottom left to top center. (Columbus Dispatch photo by Doral Chenoweth III)

The interchange where Route 315, Interstate 670 and Route 33 merge on the west edge of Downtown has historically been known as the Spring-Sandusky interchange. Although it's been redesigned several times, it was one of the first "spaghetti interchanges" in Columbus. (Columbus Dispatch photo by Doral Chenoweth III)

Work continues to relocate and revamp the intersection of I-70 and I-71 Downtown, including these tunnels. The tunnel in the foreground is for I-70 east to I-71 north traffic, with I-70 east traffic on top of the tunnel. The tunnel furthest away will eventually be for I-71 south to I-70 east, but will not open until a future phase is complete, which is currently unfunded, so no timetable has been established. This view looks southeast with the Nationwide Children's Hospital buildings in the background.

Work continues to relocate and revamp the intersection of I-70 and I-71 Downtown, including this bridge that is the new ramp from Fulton St. to I-70 east and I-71 north. The portion of it that connects to I-70 east is expected to open in June, but the connection to I-71 north will open as part of a future phase of the project, but that part of the project is unfunded, so there is no timetable established yet. The estimated overall project cost is $120 million.

The innovative design of braiding the ramps that you see in the bottom center eliminated merges and weaves on the Outerbelt west between Routes 23 and 315. This was the final project in a series to improve the North Side, dubbed the ‘North Side Mega Fix’ for a total investment of $180 million. (Columbus Dispatch photo by Doral Chenoweth III)

On the far east side of Columbus, a new ramp from the Outerbelt southbound to Interstate 70 eastbound is planned in the next five years (pending funding) to be built over the Outerbelt and cut thru the center of this frame. (Columbus Dispatch photo by Doral Chenoweth III)

The Outerbelt and Route 161 interchange as seen from the Southeast corner. This project included the second tunnel in Central Ohio (the first is the Innerbelt cap, which is technically classified as a tunnel but most drivers wouldn’t consider it one) for the ramp from Route 161 west to the Outerbelt southbound. The abundance of shale in this area also presented some challenges during construction. (Columbus Dispatch photo by Doral Chenoweth III)

Interstate 70 runs diagional from bottom left at the interchange with the outerbelt on the west side of Columbus. (Columbus Dispatch photo by Doral Chenoweth III)

Interstate 70 looking toward Columbus from above the Hilliard-New Rome exit. (Columbus Dispatch photo by Doral Chenoweth III)

The Innerbelt over N. Fourth St. with the Smith Brothers Hardware building at left. The truck at right is going up the entrance ramp to the Innerbelt westbound. The Summit St bridge is at top; the street is renamed N. Third St. as it enters downtown. (Columbus Dispatch photo by Doral Chenoweth III)

The Sawmill Parkway and Clark-Shaw Road round about in Southern Delaware County.

The Roberts Road intersection with the Outerbelt on the West Side was the first "Diverging Diamond" interchange in the state. Drivers cross over to the opposite side of the road to enter the interstate, which improves traffic flow and reduces conflict points. (Columbus Dispatch photo by Doral Chenoweth III)