State officials this week approved spending $17.5 million on preliminary engineering plans for an estimated $1.6 billion revamp of a five-mile stretch of interstate north of downtown Columbus. The Ohio Department of Transportation's review advisory council approved the funds.
The money will fund studies to determine the project's final cost. The stretch of road slated for redesign, where Interstate 70 and 71 meet, averages two accidents a day, according to local reports.
The state has already earmarked $513 million for the project in the current budget. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2011.
