Interstate 270 (Ohio)

Planning for an outerbelt around Columbus began in the late 1950s. By the early 1960s 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 School for the Deaf and just north of the then ten-year-old Graceland Shopping Center. Through vigorous lobbying throughout 1961, and with the help of Ohio Governor Michael DiSalle, residents were able to get the outerbelt relocated to pass north of Worthington.[2]

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 pushed back towards Columbus. The final compromise led to an interesting kink in I-270 as it jogs around the airport.[3]

Northwest of I-270; Exit 15: Tuttle Crossing Blvd

Construction of the outerbelt began in 1962, and work was begun on various disconnected sections. The first portion to be completed connected US Route 23 (US 23) with I-71 south of Columbus.[4] The portion between US 23 and I-71 on the north side opened in August 1967.[5]

The section between I-70 on the West Side and I-71 on the south side opened in August 1970.[6] In late 1970, sections opened on the east side between US 33 and I-70, and between State Route 3 (SR 3) in Westerville and SR 161 on the east side. It was now possible to bypass Columbus using I-270 by going around the south side of the city.[7]

In June 1971, the section between Morse Road and SR 161 on the east side opened. In October 1971, another section on the east side between I-70 and East Main Street opened. It would take four more years to complete the northeast portion of the outerbelt.[8]

The last section of I-270, on the east side, between Hamilton Road and East Broad Street, was opened on August 20, 1975.[9] The total cost of the 10-year construction project was $175 million, compared to the original 1961 estimate of $104 million.

Southwest of I-270

In December 1965, during the construction of the northern section of I-270 across the N&W and NYC railroad tracks between US 23 and I-71, the New York Central's Ohio State Limited was wrecked after it hit a piece of earthmoving machinery, resulting in the operator's death and the injury of several passengers and crew. The train was dumped into the cornfield resulting in a major operation to clean it up.[10]

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 US 23 from I-270.[11]

In February 1974, three trucks traveling on I-270 on the south side near US 33 were struck by gunfire during a violent Teamsters Strike.[12]

The highway was the subject of national media attention in 2003 when 24 sniper shootings were reported along the southern portion of the Interstate and other neighboring highways in the Ohio highway sniper attacks. Sixty-two-year-old Gail Knisley was shot to death on November 25, 2003, making her the only fatality associated with the string of shootings. Charles A. 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 on August 9, 2005.

On January 23, 2017, a gas tanker carrying 8,000 gallons of gasoline tipped over while exiting from SR-161 / US 33 onto I-270 W in Dublin. A massive fire resulted from the crash, as well as multiple small grass fires caused by the gasoline dripping down the sides of the flyover ramp. Both highways were shut down in both directions for the day, and the ramp was shut down for one week as repairs were made. The only fatality was that of the truck driver.[13]

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 (89 km) long belt as development has crowded up to the noisy road.[14]

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. As in other sizeable cities across America, the effect of this outerbelt driven development was to hasten the decline of the Columbus core. The south portion of 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 1990s with the addition of office/warehouse space, and the conversion of Rickenbacker Air Force Base to a civilian air freight facility.