COLUMBUS (WCMH)– The ramp from I-270 south to US 33 west in Dublin will reopen much sooner than expected, according to ODOT.

The ramp closed Wednesday at 8 p.m. in an area used to construction, as ODOT began working on the west side interchange in 2015.

“After a thorough inspection, a team of ODOT engineers has determined the slope that supports the ramp has the potential to become unstable with any more rainfall,” ODOT said Wednesday. “Keeping the safety of the motoring public priority one, ODOT decided to close the ramp today and make the repairs.

By mid-morning Thursday, traffic on I-270 south had cleared up.

Bruce Barnes of Powell said he went underneath I-270 earlier in the morning twice and said it “looked like a parking lot.”

“It was just backed up,” Barnes said. “I went under the bridge both times there this morning and it looked awful.”

Barnes said he was not exactly surprised by the traffic issues.

“With all the construction and all the things they’re doing around here, it makes it problematic for people,” Barnes said. “Everybody has their route-around path to try to avoid this as much as possible.”

ODOT originally said the closure could take up to a week to complete emergency repairs. Now it’s expected to be done Friday morning.

“Hopefully it’ll be done soon and we can get back to our normal lives,” Barnes said.

He added, “For me, I always have a backup plan. You never know if there’s an accident or the weather’s bad or something. I always have my route-around paths to be able to move here or there depending upon how it works.

In the mean time, traffic has two detour options.

From I-270 south, exit at Sawmill Rd., south to S.R. 161 west to U.S. 33 west, or stay on I-270 south, exit at Tuttle Crossing Blvd. to I-270 north to U.S. 33 west.What others are clicking on: