The barrels of Madison County

By Teri Horsley | Tuesday, October 18, 2005, 04:25 PM

No, not the movie about love and bridges, but Madison County Ohio, near Columbus, has its own legacy — lots of orange barrels!

I was driving to Columbus this past weekend from Hamilton, and was rolling right along on I-70 until I crossed into Madison County, which is near London, Ohio. Traffic is down to one lane for miles there, as fall construction season continues. I was there on a Saturday so I only lost about 10-15 minutes, but if you’re headed that way during the work week, you’d better re-route your trip.

Since this is only one of many routes to Columbus, if you’re driving Monday through Friday, I have a great shortcut for you. Mileage-wise, this is actually a bit more, but you can cut 30 minutes off your trip on a good day, and with construction like it is, I’d say you’ll save about an hour.

I would head north on I-75 out of Butler County, to Ohio 73 in Springboro. Follow Ohio 73 all the way to I-71 near Caesar Creek in Warren County.

Head north on 71 to the Columbus city limits. If you are driving into downtown just follow the signs,but if you are headed either east or west of town, I would then use I-270.

I had a friend follow this advice, on a Tuesday morning at 7, and she made it from Fairfield to the east side of Columbus in 1 hour and 40 minutes. If she would have used I-75 to I-70 all the way, she would have taken about 2 1/2 hours. (or more depending on heavy Columbus traffic)

Trust me, this route really works and you’re in the country most of the time, so you can kick back and roll on! It’s also an excellent way to travel from Butler County to the Jeffersonville Outlet Mall if you just want to shop.

Locally, it is pretty quiet today, although Ohio 4 in Hamilton near Hanover Street is down to one lane with crews still doing whatever it is they’re doing there.

This has been going on for weeks now, but each day, the crews move up and down Ohio 4. It will slow you down for a few minutes, so be advised. (no need to re-route though) Other than that I haven’t had any problems, so it’s blue skies, sunshine and smooth sailing!

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