A small stretch of Riverside Drive/U.S. Route 33, from Fishinger Road to River Park Drive, in Upper Arlington will close for 45 days starting Aug. 3, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation. If you drive this stretch often, you’ll be needing a detour.
ODOT’s recommended detour is to avoid Riverside Drive in its entirety by taking U.S. 33 to State Route 161 to Interstate 270 to Cemetery Road to Fishinger Boulevard to Fishinger Road for southbound traffic or the same route in reverse for northbound traffic.
ODOT’s detours have to follow state routes, but you don’t. Enterprising drivers (or those following their GPS’ likely detours) will have a few more options. Drivers headed north could cross the Fishinger Road bridge before the construction and follow Dublin Road before crossing back over the Scioto at Hayden Road, whle southbound drivers could take the same route in reverse.
They could also use residential streets off of Fishinger Road like Kioka Avenue to Fairfax Drive to get around the closure, but if everyone else has the same idea then traffic is likely. Around 20,000 cars drive over the closed section of Riverside Drive every day, according to ODOT data. That’s a lot of cars to jam into a residential neighborhood.
Larger roads that run semi-parallel to U.S. 33, like Reed Road or Sawmill Road, may be a better choice. Reed Road already accommodates around 9,700 cars per day, while Sawmill Road accommodates around 17,800, according to ODOT data.
If you’re using a navigation app like Apple Maps, Google Maps or Waze, it will likely choose the fastest route for you as you approach the construction.
The reason for the ODOT closure is to replace a culvert near River Park Drive and the storm sewer at the U.S. 33 and Fishinger Road intersection. The estimated construction cost for the project is $2.22 million, according to ODOT’s project website.
Transportation and neighborhoods reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com, @NathanRHart on X and nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Try these detours during Riverside Drive construction in Upper Arlington
Reporting by Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
