Lane closures on Cannon Drive begin Phase Two of relocation project

Sonia Selvakumar
Tue, 13 Feb 2018 15:54:38 +0000
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The beginning of Cannon Drive’s Phase Two design phase will result in some lane closures, as the university’s construction team begins soil boring. Credit: Jack Westerheide | Photo editor

Cannon Drive’s Phase Two began Monday with the closure of some lanes on the road near Ohio Stadium and Drake Center. Closures will last through Tuesday and facilitate area soil borings — drilling small holes into the ground to test soil types and locate underground water — for the relocation project.

For students who are worried about bus routes around the area, CABS will continue to service the Mid-Towers and Drake stops, said Dan Hedman, spokesman for the Office of Administration and Planning.

Hedman said the lane closures “are likely the only impact that will be noticed during the design phase.”

He said the university conducts soil borings for early phases of construction projects, such as the Covelli Arena, which is replacing Buckeye Village, a student living quarters.

The Cannon Drive Relocation project will move the road to the west of its old location and elevate it from King Avenue to Herrick Drive during Phase One, which is still ongoing.In result, it will open 12-acres of developable land, allow for 500-year flood protection and add green space.

The developable land will be used for construction of a university hospital tower — the biggest single facilities project in Ohio State history.

Phase Two of the project was recently approved by the Board of Trustees. It also approved a 0.4 acres easement to the City of Columbus for vehicular and pedestrian traffic control devices.

“Phase [Two] will continue this work from Herrick Drive to Woody Hayes Drive to provide 500-year flood protection,” Hedman said. “Exact impacts and timing will be determined once design of Phase [Two] is complete.”

Construction for Phase Two needs additional Board of Trustees approval and would not begin until the completion of Phase One, which is expected in late 2019.

“Eventually, a Phase [Three] would connect the road to Lane Avenue, providing a north-south connection from Lane to King Avenue,” Hedman said.

Additional updates from Ohio State will be posted on the Cannon Drive Relocation web page.