Travel & Road Construction

or - Columbus, you can't get there from here!

GAS PRICES SUCK

This is probably one of the more complex pages in this site. I have pointers to several sites outside of the Unofficial Guide, so you will need to use the "back" button on your browser if you visit these pages.

Columbus is within a day's drive of over 50% of the US population, and Port Columbus International is serviced by most major airlines. Unfortunately there is no direct Rail service to Columbus.

Driving:

Since Columbus is not a hard commute for many gamers, this is the most likely method you're going to use to get here.

General warning of some importance: In Ohio, fines are DOUBLED for construction zones, so watch for the construction areas and slow down. And road construction and delays are the official summertime passtimes in Ohio.

Pavingtheway.org is a web site dedicated to road construction within the Greater Columbus Area. Using advanced Crystal Ball technology (and some insider knowledge), they can forecast road closures and restrictions.

View Big Projects in Central Ohio in a larger map

BuckeyeTraffic.org is a more generalized website for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

First, the bad news:

Welcome to Beautiful Ohio, where there are two seasons: Road Construction and preparing for road construction.

Ok, it looks far worse than it really is.

Notes are in the driving directions below.

Driving Directions
Most of these directions have been altered to route you to I-670, which provides a very straight shot to the Convention Center. Columbus is a major metropolitan area (REALLY - that's what they keep telling us!) and we do have normal RUSH HOURS (7-9 am and 3-5 pm).
From	Normal	Alternative
Toledo	I-75 South to Findlay, then US 23 South. US 23 to I-270 East. I-270 East to I-71 South, see next entry.	Stick to 23 South, it does a fairly straight shot thru the city to near the Convention Center. More Traffic Lights, slower ride
	A fair amount of construction around Toledo. And some restrictions on I-75. Nothing scheduled on US 23.
Cleveland	I-71 South to I-670 West (Exit 109A), very quickly you'll exit at exit 4B
	Some construction around Cleveland. Looks like a fairly clear shot to Columbus
Wheeling	I-70 West to I-270 North, take I-270 North to I-670 West, then cruise on in I-670 to exit "4B"	Take I-70 to 4th Street, then North on 4th to Nationwide Blvd / Convention Center.
	Work near exit 208.
Athens	US 33 North to I-270, I-270 West to I-71 North, see Cincinnati	Not recommended, but US 33 to High Street, north on High Street to the Convention Center
	A couple of minor Lane restrictions.
Portsmouth	US 23 North to I-270, I-270 West to I-71 North, see Cincinnati	23 North (becomes High Street) North on High Street to the Convention Center
	Pretty much open/
Cincinnati	I-71 North, take State Route 315 North (Center Lanes). Exit Long Street (US 33), TURN RIGHT. Continue EAST to High Street, then Left on High to Convention Center.	I-71 North to I-70 East nasty merge (70 and 71 merge for a couple of miles), get over 1 lane (left), exit at 4th Street North, 4th to Nationwide Blvd / Convention Center.
	some delays in the Cincinnati area, some bridge painting and minor traffic restrictions on 71 North leading to Columbus.
Indianapolis Dayton	Come in I-70 Take Exit 1 North on State Route 315. Exit Long Street (US 33), TURN RIGHT. Continue East to High Street, then Left on High to the Convention Center.	I-70 East to the 4th Street exit, North on 4th to Nationwide Blvd / Convention Center
	Minor nighttime repairs from Indiana State Line to Preble/Montgomery County.
AIRPORT	International gateway out of the Airport, Look for signs, I-670 Downtown, follow I-670 and exit at "4B", you're there. Expect Heavy Traffic during rush hours in the evening and morning.

Interactive Mapping in this section by GOOGLE MAPS.

Columbus Metro Area Construction

Northwest: Nothing Major!
Southwest: Nothing much
Southeast: I-270 east and west lane restrictions betweenI-71 and US 23. Bridge widening continues!
Northeast: Nothing much
Central: Various repaving and construction projects.

Public Transportation:

COTA is the public transport within the greater Columbus Area. There is service to downtown and the Convention Center from areas around the city, and there are Park and Ride locations where you can park your car and ride the bus if you decide to stay at a less expensive hotel in the suburbs. Buses also run to/from the airport, and if you stay at one of the several motels at the airport, most have available (usually pay) shuttle service to downtown. Taxis and limos are harder to find than someplace like, say Chicago, but they are available. Check the COTA schedules, some of the bus routes do not run late in the evening.

Parking:

Parking gets it's own section in the Unofficial Guide, so click the link to see the parking changes and tips for ORIGINS. In general, the opening of the Nationwide Arena has forced the creation of many new parking opportunities. If you do not mind walking a couple of blocks, there is plenty of parking available.

General Columbus Driving Tips:

In general there are a few rules to remember when driving in Columbus.

Peak Traffic Hours are normal for a city this size - 7 to 9 AM and 3-6 PM.
There are some areas around the city where the on ramp and off ramp share a couple hundred feet of space. These can be quite confusing at first, especially since some of the off ramp signs will appear just past the off ramp you just missed.
Interstate 270, which surrounds the city, is only about 54 mi. round trip. Worst case scenario, you drive an hour and arrive back where you started.
Making a left turn from a one-way street to another one-way street is permitted on a red traffic signal unless posted otherwise. This is important to remember in the area of the Convention Center.
Right Turns on Red are legal in Ohio unless posted otherwise.
U-Turns are illegal unless posted otherwise.
There are RED LIGHT Cameras in several downtown intersections. The fines are $95 for Red (or Orange, or siting still in the violation zone) violations.

Convention Center area Cameras: 4th Street and Naughton, 4th and Mt. Vernon,

Ohio law-enforcement issues twice the number of tickets as national average. And they LOVE out-of-area license plates.
The polite Columbus driver is no more.
Tickets for Parking and Traffic Violations are handled by different departments. The WHERE? page has information on both.
New and STUPID for 2010: Texting, reading pages, email, surfing internet are all specifically banned in Columbus Metro for drivers. Primary offense, meaning the MAN can pull you over if she suspects you're texting, even when stopped in traffic or at a red light. Not like this was covered under "reckless operation" or anything.

Travel & Road Construction

or - Columbus, you can't get there from here!

GAS PRICES SUCK

Driving:

First, the bad news:

Driving Directions

Columbus Metro Area Construction

Public Transportation:

Parking:

General Columbus Driving Tips:

ORIGINS GAMA ORIGINS Awards Games Convention Center Restaurant Guide Driving Parking
Airport Tourism Photos Newbie WHERE? Navigation

1996-2010 Coyt D. Watters

Travel & Road Construction

or - Columbus, you can't get there from here!

GAS PRICES SUCK

Driving:

First, the bad news:

Driving Directions

Columbus Metro Area Construction

Public Transportation:

Parking:

General Columbus Driving Tips:

ORIGINS GAMA ORIGINS Awards Games Convention Center Restaurant Guide Driving Parking Airport Tourism Photos Newbie WHERE? Navigation

1996-2010 Coyt D. Watters

ORIGINS GAMA ORIGINS Awards Games Convention Center Restaurant Guide Driving Parking
Airport Tourism Photos Newbie WHERE? Navigation