Interstate 270 (Ohio)

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Interstate 270 (abbreviated I-270) is the beltway loop freeway in the Columbus metropolitan area, commonly known locally as the outer belt. The "western" (and "eastern") terminus of I-270, at least in terms of the zero-milepost, is at the junction with Interstate 71 east of Grove City, Ohio. I-270, along with Interstate 670, provides access to Port Columbus International Airport. The entire length of I-270 is 54.97 miles (88.47km).

History

Planning for an outerbelt around Columbus began in the late 1950's. The outerbelt was completed in stages, with the south section finished first and the east portion last.

Planning

By the early 1960's detailed planning for the route had begun, and several controversies arose. The first involved the location of the northern segment, which was originally planned to pass south of Worthington, passing through the Ohio Deaf School and just north of the then ten year old Graceland Shopping Center. Through vigorous lobbying throughout 1961, and with the help of Ohio Governer Michael DiSalle, residents were able to get the outerbelt relocated to pass north of Worthington.

Another contentious issue involved the routing of the eastern portion of the outerbelt between Port Columbus International Airport and the city of Gahanna. While the airport wanted the outerbelt pushed out towards Gahanna so as to leave land for future runway expansion, the residents of Gahanna wanted it push back towards Columbus. The final compromise led to an interesting kink in I-270 as it jogs around the airport.

Construction

Construction of the outerbelt began in 1962, and work was begun on various disconnected sections. The first portion to be completed connected Ohio State Rt. 23 with I-71 south of Columbus. The portion between Rt. 23 and Interstate 71 on the north side opened in August, 1967.

The section between Interstate 70 on the West Side and Interstate 71 on the South Side opened in August, 1970. In late 1970, sections opened on the East Side between State Rt. 33 and Interstate 70, and between State Rt. 3 in Westerville and State Rt. 161 on the East Side. It was now possible to bypass Columbus using I-270 by going around the south side of the city.

In June, 1971 the section between Morse Road and State Rt. 161 on the East side opened. In October, 1971, another section on the East Side between Interstate 70 and East Main Street opened. It would take four more years to complete the northeast portion of the outerbelt.

The last section of I-270, on the East Side, between Hamilton Road and East Broad Street, was opened on August 20, 1975. The total cost of the ten year construction project was 175 million dollars, compared to the original 1961 estimate of 104 million dollars.

Accidents and Sniper Incidents

On November 4, 1968, David R. Booth, age 29, became the first person to die on I-270 when he hit another car while merging onto State Rt. 23 from I-270.

In February, 1974, three trucks traveling on I-270 on the south side near State Rt. 33 were struck by gunfire during a violent Teamsters Strike.

Ohio sniper highway attacks: The highway was again the subject of national media attention in 2003 when a number of sniper shootings were reported along the southern portion of the interstate and other neighboring highways. Sixty-two-year-old Gail Knisley was shot to death on November 25, 2003 and 11 other shootings were reported. Charles McCoy, Jr., who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 1996, was accused of the shootings and stood trial in 2005. The first trial with death penalty charges resulted in a hung jury on May 9, 2005, most likely due to McCoy's severe mental illness. Rather than face a retrial, McCoy accepted a plea arrangement where he avoided the death sentence. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison in August 9, 2005.

Expansion and Noise Barriers

In 1978 the first noise barriers were constructed on the portion of I-270 passing near Gahanna. Noise barriers have been slowly added around the length of the 55 mile long belt as development has crowded up to the noise road.

Massive development followed the construction of I-270, especially around the north and northwest sides. The northern suburbs of Westerville, Worthington and Dublin, and Hilliard to the west benefited the most. In the 1960's, Eastland, Westland, Northland and Southland shopping centers were constructed at the four points of the compass around the outerbelt. These centers aged out in the 1990's, and were replaced with massive malls that were constructed at Tuttle Rd. on the west side (Tuttle Mall) and Morse Road on the east side (Easton), as well as Polaris Mall located one exit north of I-270 on interstate 71 on the north side.

The effect of this outerbelt driven development was to hasten the decline of the Columbus core. The south portion of the I-270 was much slower to develop due to the location of sewage treatment and landfill facilities, as well as quarries and the flood prone Scioto River. Grove City began to develop in the 1990's with the addition of office/warehouse space, and the conversion of Rickenbacker Air Force Base to a civilian air freight facility.

Major cities and suburbs

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