Best route between OSU north campus area to Newark campus? (Columbus: apartment, neighborhoods)

[zyphooid]

I have a friend who will be moving into an apartment in the student area east of High, north campus (around Frambes). She will be driving to and from the Newark campus 3 days a week.

Can anyone suggest what might be the easiest/quickest way to Newark and back? Including options for avoiding the expressways since she is from a very rural area and the speed of the highways here make her nervous! (She is willing to try, but wants non-expressway alternatives). Wants to avoid driving through bad neighborhood areas if at all possible.

Knows it will be a commute, but doesn't really have a choice and she will at least be going against rush hour traffic and hours. It looks like 161 is the main road, but what would be the best way to get to it from that area of main campus?

[Bo]

I don't know the campus area or how to get out of Columbus from it that well, but I've tried just about every route from Columbus to Newark. A good, rural-feeling drive is Ohio 16, which is what East Broad Street turns into east of Columbus. 16 eventually runs into Ohio 161/37, which she can take east to the Country Club Drive exit and follow the signs to OSU-Newark.

East Main Street in Columbus turns into US 40, which is an old-style, divided 4-lane highway, without interchanges. It would take her well south of Newark, and while it has fewer traffic lights than 16, that advantage would be lost on whatever route she took to get north.

I prefer 161, which you mentioned, but it is mostly expressway now.

[zyphooid]

Thanks for the suggestion about 16/Broad. She is mainly trying to avoid the I70/270/670 expressways. Just not used to the usual high speed of those and won't really have time to "practice" before school starts. I'm sure she would have no problem with 161, it doesn't seem to be a drag strip like 270.

I'll tell her to look at 40, also - I know she doesn't mind leaving earlier to give herself time. She's used to Amish roads and byways and hasn't had a car down here yet, so 40 might be more her style.

Any other's experiences appreciated, too. Thanks!

[wrightflyer]

If you really wanted to avoid the expressways, I'd take N. High Street north to east on Morse Road. From there, it would be south on Steltzer to left on Easton Way. The north bound on-ramp takes you to 161 east and is seperate from I270 (despite running beside it). While Morse isn't the nicest of areas between I-71 and Easton, it is the only real "good" cross city road that would take you in the direction of 161. The biggest problem is the surface streets, unlike the highway, are crowded in both directions with people going or coming from work, morning or evening. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Easton should just be avoided. There are also a number of lights on this route.

You could also take High Street north into Worthington to 161 and follow that all the way across to Newark. Problem here is that Worthington is a choke point. Too much traffic trying to get through lights that are too close together at speeds of 25mph on two lane roads, especially in the historic downtown. Morese at least is 5 lanes. Also, the 161 corridor, from what I've heard, isn't the best in NE Columbus. I've never driven it, so I couldn't give you an exact time.

If you could get on the highway, I-71 north against traffic to Morse or 161 would shave at least 20 minutes from the drive time between campus and 161 at I-270. Don't forget, this doesn't include the time out to Newark from 161 and 270. Factor in accidents and weather (Columbus doesn't know how to clear snow off its streets. it took me 30 minutes one time to go a mile on/near campus), and it could be a really dicey commute.

I'm not trying to scare you, but a surface street commute through Columbus' Univeristy District to Newark would be very hard. The least your friend could do is quickly learn to navigate the freeways, learn alternate routes, and prepare to sit and wait sometimes. If I had an estimate of a complete surface street commute from campus to Newark (be it Broad, Main, 161 in NE Cbus, Morse, or 16) at rush hour, it would be an hour at least. Likely more.

Also, just FYI, but Broad Street and Main Street in Near East Columbus (b/w downtown and Bexley), is certainly one of the more sketchy stretches of neighborhoods in the metro. I would look for ways to avoid that area if you don't want to drive through bad neighborhoods.