Bypass to Columbus

Elizabeth Slagel

New Portsmouth Bypass Shortens Trip to Columbus
 



    There’s a scene from “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” where lead character Everett (played by George Clooney) is waiting on a needed car part and wants to order his hair pomade, Dapper Dan. He becomes incensed when the shopkeeper explains it will take two weeks to get both items in hand, to which Everett declares the town must be some kind of geographic oddity, “Two weeks from everywhere!”

    That’s how I feel when I tell big towners that I can get everything I need or want just two hours away. Cincinnati and Lexington and Louisville have always felt close enough to find conveniences, entertainment and that city vibe, but the new bypass route to Columbus, Ohio, is a game changer. It’s no Autobahn, with a 70-mph speed limit, but it accelerates the route without having to crest Rosemount Hill or navigate the incessant stop and go of red lights through Portsmouth.

    In fact, my last three road trips to Columbus have been true day trips without the expense of a hotel. These trips included Christmas returns, a car service, afternoon in Short North and picking up a family member from the airport.

    As the largest growing city in the Midwest, Columbus also ranks as the 14th largest city in the nation based on population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It’s far enough to keep the traffic and noise away, but close enough to offer this area all things metropolitan.

Commutes:

    Life just got a lot simpler for Tri-State Building Trades Business Manager Mark Johnson who lives near Chillicothe, Ohio, but works in Ashland every day and has for the past 10 years. He had a daily commute of an hour-and-a-half or more, which became unpredictable during Christmas season and traffic congestion around the shopping center at New Boston. “It’s a Godsend. I’m tickled to death to have that road.”

            Now it takes him an hour and a few passes of the minute hand. “There will be more people who will want to travel down this way. I remember the opposition in Chillicothe to a bypass, but now you can’t drive down the main strip, that it’s not busy.” He predicts the same will happen here as the commute is easier, attracting northern visitors this direction or, better yet, industry along the Ohio River.

            Companies like my husband Rob Slagel’s Portable Solutions Group use consultants from Cincinnati, Louisville and Columbus. One consultant from Columbus is Joe Dougherty who travels south two days a week. “It sure makes it a lot better. I say it’s 20-30 minutes time difference. I say 30 because if there’s bad weather, over the hill is slow. The only issue I have is the bypass is 70 (mph speed limit) and (route) 52 is 55 or 60.” He adds it would nice if a more consistent speed could be maintained exiting Lucasville.

There are countless beneficiaries of the bypass when you consider the number of local graduates that feed into Ohio State and local young families that relocate to the greater Columbus area for employment.

 Transportation:

    The Columbus airports, both John Glenn International (CMH) and Rickenbacher, this side of Columbus, provide nonstop service to over 40 destinations and move seven million passengers annually, according to the Columbus Regional Airport Authority. Some of those hotspots include Cancun, Punta Cana, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles and a number of sunny Florida stops with Allegiant Airlines, flying from Rickenbacher airport, 20-minutes more southern to the Ohio Valley.

            A new terminal is planned for CMH in the coming years that could open it up for further expansion. The One Intercontinental Gateway project, as it is known, is still in the planning stages, but early phases of the project could bring more convenience to passengers with a new rental car facility, hotel and parking within the next few years, according to FlyColumbus.com.

            Currently, Cincinnati’s airport (CVG) is neck and neck with Columbus’ flight offerings but is marginally longer and a curvier commute. It’s important to note Cincinnati still has a few more westerly flight offerings including: San Diego, San Antonio, Milwaukee and Kansas City. CVG also flies internationally directly to Paris, Montego Bay and the Bahamas.

Shopping and Fashion:

    Before doing my research, I had on ongoing theory that some retail/fashion phenomenon was at work in the Columbus market. Visiting other cities around the U.S. and witnessing epic shopping centers slowly trickle or worse suffer a mass exodus, I’m baffled that Easton Town Center can possibly build anything that isn’t already there or Polaris Fashion Place can so easily replace an anchor store like the Great Indoors when it closed in 2012.

            Yes, I’ve heard of Les Wexner and his admirable decision to keep his L-Brands fashion empire that includes Victoria’s Secret, Bath and Body Works, the White Barn Candle and other spinoffs like Abercrombie and Fitch in his home state. He was also the visionary for Easton, in which he built…and they did come.

            Little did I know that in the retail world, Columbus is known as the test market hub with its Midwest locale and mid-range income levels. Basically, if it sells in Columbus, Ohio, retailers can consider it a go anywhere. Not quite as measurable, an interesting claim reports that Columbus holds on the No. 3 spot as the nation’s fashion capital, behind New York and L.A., as reported by The Columbus Dispatch backed by a New York based media company’s designation.

            New York, L.A. and Columbus, Ohio? It appears legitimate. A number of fashion websites put the central Ohio town in similar impressive rankings citing it employs a healthy number of fashion designers and has a creative synergy. Even a New York Times style reporter sought out to end a dispute as to who was the rightful third place with rival Nashville, also boasting the same claim. The article left Nashville as the slight-edge winner but noted Paris is to Nashville as Milan is to Columbus.

            The next time someone brags of shopping in X, Y or Z city, I can smile at what I’ve long suspected, Milan is only 100 miles away. Keep that in mind the next time you feel like a wardrobe update.

Entertainment:

            Big name concerts, Broadway plays, and Imax theatres are the obvious staples of a city the size of Columbus that bear no mention. Aside from the larger than life culture of The Ohio State Buckeyes, the sports scene is a little on the light end with only one professional team: the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.

            Still, Columbus has more than enough entertainment for all divided into some unique districts that give the downtown a vibrant, flavorful feel. There’s the arena district where you can see everything from Kiss’s last tour to the NCAA Men’s Basketball championship round I and II to Justin Timberlake this March.

            Some other popular spots include German Village with many of the original structures built by German settlers and neighboring brewery district for craft beer enthusiasts. In warm season, when pedestrian traffic is more pleasant, visit the North Market, which I’ve been told can be a day-long affair. It’s not to be confused with Short North, which is a hip district of artistry, shops, and restaurants.

            For families, watch the traveling exhibits that come to COSI (Columbus Science and Industry). Over the years, I’ve taken my children to see the Titanic and Cleopatra displays along with their permanent interactive displays plus the largest planetarium in Ohio. Celebrity zookeeper Jack Hanna would be disappointed if you didn’t visit his famed Columbus Zoo that houses more than 11,000 animals.

            If you don’t mind 10 degrees cooler (as Columbus usually is), a day trip may cure that restlessness to long winter weekends and being stuck indoors. To reference “O Brother, Where Art Thou” one last time, the next time I go missing, there’s a good chance I’ve R-U-N-N-O-F-T to Columbus.