Columbus Major Streets and Roadways
The street plan of Columbus is based on grid pattern; it starts from the downtown region and runs towards the city’s old-growth districts. The street running from north to south or the High Street intersects the street running from east to west or the Broad Street at the center.
All streets running in the North-South direction are laid at 12° west of the due north and are parallel to the High Street. Numbering of the buildings located along the North-South streets is done following similar norms. Either ‘N’ or ‘S’ is used as prefixes; ‘N’ and ‘S’ respectively indicate that the distance will have to be measured towards the North and South of the Broad Street. Street number on the other hand indicates the distance between the street and the intersection of High and Broad Street.
All numbered avenues of the city run from East-West i.e. in a direction perpendicular to the High Street. Columbus also possesses many named and non-numbered streets running from East-West.
The city of Columbus has been bisected by the two chief Interstate Highways, the Interstate 71 (runs from the north to the southwest) and the Interstate 70 (runs from east to west). These highways intersect each other downtown covering a distance of 1.5 miles; this area of intersection is commonly called ‘The Split’. This area experiences the heaviest traffic congestion of Columbus, particularly during the rush hours.
Major Freeways, Highways, and Streets
- I-270 - Circles city
- I-71 - Cuts through city N to S
- I-70 - Cuts through city W to E
- I-670 - Connects center of city to I-270