Abandoned overpass, a Columbus highway oddity, is torn down

One of Columbus' biggest transportation oddities is no more.

State of play: The removal of an abandoned highway overpass just west of downtown has been in the works for years, an Ohio Department of Transportation spokesperson tells Axios.

• It's part of ongoing construction along the I-70/71 corridor that will allow for widening of those two highways.

Catch up quick: The overpass was once a bridge on Whittier Street near what is now Scioto Audubon Metro Park.

• Highway reconfiguration has since closed off the area from both sides, leaving the overpass stretch in the middle abandoned.

Since then, it's become a popular destination for urban explorers and graffiti artists.

• The area was also the site of a major homeless encampment until the city removed it in 2017.
• In mid-2020, the state allowed local artists to paint a large message along the overpass: "We Are Stronger Together."

A little spooky: WOSU's 2018 deep dive on the overpass noted its "ominous" presence over a bustling stretch of highway.

• The story offered a now-chilling prediction: "Now that it’s left in ruins, will this highway set the scene for an upcoming zombie apocalypse? Not unless an epidemic hits in the next two years."