Expansion planned for U.S. 33 in southeastern Franklin County: What to know.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The drive in southeastern Franklin County could get smoother over the next several years.

U.S. 33 is scheduled to be widened as part of an Ohio Department of Transportation project costing an estimated $128.4 million. The area will run from State Route 104 to the Hill Road and Diley Road exit, impacting parts of Columbus, Groveport, Canal Winchester and Pickerington. The result will be three lanes of traffic in both directions; right now, it's mostly two lanes each way.

ODOT is considering two plans, adding a lane on the inside or the outside. The former would include constructing a concrete barrier wall, and the latter would feature a grass median and mean acquiring land for right of way.

Regardless of which plan it chooses, access will be restricted at the intersections of Bixby and Rager roads. Left turns will be prohibited at Bixby, with access becoming right-in and right-out only. Rager Road will no longer be accessible north of U.S. 33, with the south segment becoming right-in, right-out only.

"By increasing capacity and controlling access, we aim to alleviate traffic congestion on U.S. 33," said Hannah Salem, public information officer for ODOT.

This project is part of ODOT's Southeast Corridor study, a recommended series of projects to convert U.S. 33 from Interstate 270 to Carroll in Fairfield County, about a 12-mile stretch, into a limited access freeway. The biggest remaining obstacle likely is Pickerington Road, where traffic is still maintained by a signal and vehicles have to slow from a posted 60-mph speed limit for a red light.

With two years to go, ODOT is seeking public feedback. That period runs through Oct. 2, with the public able to comment at this link. And environmental studies are underway. Impacts on nearby streams and wetlands are anticipated with either alternative. Blacklick Creek Trail is also expected to be temporarily impacted.