Columbus, Ohio near the Short North — Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc service area
Columbus · Short North

Towing in Short North, Columbus

Late nights on High Street, tight garages and metered spots, covered around the clock.

Call (740) 812-9489

The Short North is the stretch of High Street between downtown and the Ohio State campus, lined with galleries, bars, restaurants and new apartment buildings. Its busiest hours are evenings and weekends, which is when our calls come in: keys locked in a car after dinner, a battery that gives out when someone leaves a late show, a car that needs to come out of a tight parking garage. Street parking is metered and scarce, so we plan each pickup around where the driver can safely stop. Trucks from our Harrisburg Pike yard usually reach the Short North in 20–40 minutes.

Local Guide: Towing Around the Short North

Landmarks

  • Short North arches — Seventeen lighted arches completed in 2002 line High Street from I-670 to just past Fifth Avenue.
  • Garden Theater (Short North Stage) — 1920 vaudeville and silent-movie house on High Street, now the home of professional company Short North Stage.
  • Greater Columbus Convention Center — Peter Eisenman-designed center at 400 N. High St., opened March 1993, spanning three blocks of High Street.
  • Hilton Columbus Downtown — Ohio's largest hotel with 1,000 rooms after its second tower opened October 13, 2022.
  • Poplar Park — A 0.1-acre brick courtyard carved from a leftover piece of East Poplar Avenue, now a favorite stage for Gallery Hop performers.
  • Short North Historic District — National Register district added in April 1990 that covers High Street from West Poplar Avenue up to Warren Street.
  • Third Avenue and North High Historic District — Block of High Street storefronts around Second and Third avenues, placed on the National Register on April 19, 1990.
  • Fifth Avenue and North High Historic District — Group of High Street buildings stretching from Fourth Avenue to Clark Place, listed on the National Register the same day in 1990.

Colleges

  • The Ohio State University — The University District and Ohio State campus lie directly north of the Short North along High Street.

Main Routes

  • North High Street — The Short North's main strip, running from Goodale Street north to Seventh and King avenues.
  • Interstate 670 (The Cap at Union Station) — High Street crosses I-670 on a retail-lined cap that reconnects the Short North with Downtown.
  • Goodale Street — Marks the southern end of the Short North district.
  • Fifth Avenue — Cross street near the Garden Theater, where the modern arch series ends.
  • Hubbard Avenue — Cross street where a 15-story residential building was proposed at the corner of Wall Street.
  • West Greenwood Avenue — Home of the 2020 Wall Alley Portal mural at 24 W. Greenwood Ave.
  • West Russell Street — Side street off High carrying the 2021 Intersecting Energy mural at 53 W. Russell St.
  • East Lincoln Street — Block just east of High with the 2002 Short North Gothic mural at 8 E. Lincoln St.
  • Bollinger Place — Location of Brian Clemons’ 1990 Mona Lisa mural at 98 Bollinger Pl.
  • Warren Street — The Short North Alliance runs its safety office from 30 Warren St.

Major Employers & Projects

  • Hilton Columbus Downtown second tower — The 463-room tower, skybridged to the convention center at 402 N. High St., opened in October 2022.
  • 800 block of North High Street — Mixed-use block completed in 2019 housing Klarna's U.S. headquarters and a Moxy hotel.
  • Gallery Hop — Monthly arts event held the first Saturday of every month since 1984.
  • Short North Arts District — Gallery district whose Short North Special Improvement District, formed in 1999, paid for the 17 steel arches raised in 2002.

Call (740) 812-9489 · Request a tow now (SOS) · Get an online quote

Frequently asked questions

How fast can a tow truck get to the Short North?

Plan on 20–40 minutes. The truck comes north from the southwest side, usually on State Route 315 or through downtown, and turns onto the side streets off High Street near you. Weekend nights are the slowest time to get through, and dispatch factors that in. Give the business you are near and the cross street, and say whether you are in a garage, a lot or a metered space on the street.

I locked my keys in the car after dinner on High Street. Can you help?

Yes, it is one of the most common Short North calls on a Friday or Saturday night. The driver opens the door with air wedges and long-reach tools made for modern cars, so there is no damage to the frame, wiring or weather seals. Wait somewhere well lit near the car, and call dispatch back if you need to move. Our lockout service is quoted from the rate card before the driver starts.

Can you get a dead car out of a Short North parking garage?

Yes. The garages that serve the Short North's restaurants and apartments have low ceilings and tight ramps, so we send a low-clearance unit built for parking garage recovery. Most of the time a jump start in the space gets you home and no tow is needed at all. Tell dispatch the garage name, level and the nearest stairwell so the driver can find you without circling. Evenings are the busiest time, so call as soon as you find the problem.

What if I break down on I-670 or I-71 near the Short North?

Both freeways run close to the neighborhood and carry fast commuter traffic, so drift onto the shoulder or the next ramp, turn on your hazard lights and keep your belt on inside the car. When a stall leaves you stuck in a live lane, dial 911 so officers can shield the car. Once it is safe, give our dispatcher the freeway, direction and closest exit, and we will send a truck to clear it.

Someone parked across my Short North driveway or in my spot. Can you tow them?

Not from a public street; the Columbus Division of Police has to order that tow, so call their non-emergency line. Apartment buildings and businesses with their own lots can have unauthorized cars removed when Ohio-compliant signs are posted, and we handle that private-property towing with records for every vehicle. If your car disappeared from a private lot, the posted towing sign lists who took it. Snap a photo of the posted sign so you have the number when you need it.

Where can you take my car from the Short North, and what will it cost?

Home, a dealer, your usual mechanic or a partner repair shop, whichever you choose. A car with nowhere to go tonight can be stored at our Harrisburg Pike lot for the daily rate and moved again once your shop opens. Dispatch gives you the full price from our rate card before the tow begins, and you can pay with a credit card, a debit card or cash. Hold on to the itemized receipt for any insurance or roadside-plan claim.

Nearby in Columbus

Services in Short North

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc (dba Columbus Roadside Towing).
Corporate office (private, no walk-ins): 3879 Regatta Ct, Lewis Center, OH 43035
Tow yard & impound lot: 1620 Harrisburg Pike, Columbus, OH 43223
(740) 812-9489 · chris@columbusroadsidetowing.com

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