Auto Lyft USATowing · Columbus, Ohio 24/7 dispatch(614) 633-8163
Flatbed tow truck crossing a river bridge below the city skyline

Columbus · Short North

Short North Tows Under the High Street Arches

Tight curbs, packed garages and a crowd every weekend night. We bring a flatbed up from the southwest side and load your car without blocking the strip any longer than we have to.

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  • Open 24/7, 365 days
  • Flatbed-only fleet
  • Price quoted before dispatch
  • Licensed & insured

The Short North is the stretch of North High Street that starts at Goodale Street, just past the cap over I-670, and runs north to roughly Fifth Avenue, under the row of lighted steel arches. It is one of the busiest few blocks in Columbus for foot traffic, and that shapes every call we take here. Our trucks start out from Harrisburg Pike, southwest of Downtown, so a driver heading your way usually comes in on I-70 and I-71 or swings onto SR-315 and drops in at Goodale. The dispatcher will tell you which way the truck is coming and give a live estimate.

Most Short North jobs are not breakdowns on the open road. They are cars that will not start in a parking garage behind the galleries, a dead battery after a long dinner, keys locked inside on a side street like Lincoln or Russell, or a car that has to come out of a permit-only block. A flatbed needs a clear stretch of curb to load, so we look for an alley mouth or a loading zone before we commit to a spot on High Street itself.

Garage pickups get extra planning. Many decks near the convention center and along the strip have low entrances, so tell us the garage name and your level when you call and we will decide whether to winch the car down to street level or bring it out another way. Every tow we run is on one of our four flatbeds, and the price is quoted before the truck rolls. Call (614) 633-8163 or request a tow online.

Street by street

Where we pick up cars in Short North

  • North High Street, Goodale to Fifth Avenue

    The arched retail strip. Curb space is metered and full most evenings, so drivers stage on a side street and load quickly.

  • The I-670 cap at High Street

    Shops built over the freeway link the Short North to Downtown. Traffic stacks up here when convention center events let out.

  • Goodale Street

    The south edge of the district and the way our trucks often arrive after leaving SR-315 at the Goodale connector.

  • Fifth Avenue

    Marks the north end of the arches near the Garden Theater and leads east to I-71 and west toward SR-315.

  • Side streets: Russell, Lincoln, Hubbard, Buttles

    Narrow brick-lined blocks with permit sections and resident parking where lockouts and no-starts are common.

  • Wall Street, Bollinger Place and West Greenwood Avenue

    Mural-lined service lanes behind the High Street storefronts. Handy for loading if a delivery van isn't already parked there.

  • Warren Street and Second to Third Avenue

    The quieter north half of the strip, where curb space opens up a little and a carrier can usually pull in beside the car.

  • West Poplar Avenue

    The south end of the historic district, near the convention center. Short blocks and busy sidewalks mean the driver will want the exact storefront.

  • West Russell Street

    A side street off High known for a large mural. Residents' cars fill it, so a dead battery here is usually handled at the curb.

  • East Lincoln Street

    Just east of High, with a well-known painted wall near the corner. A handy reference when you are not sure of the address.

  • Clark Place

    A small street at the north end of the Fifth Avenue storefront group, close to where the arches stop.

Short North landmarks drivers ask about

Landmarks

  • The High Street arches

    Seventeen lit steel arches put up in 2002, paid for by the district's special improvement district.

  • Garden Theater

    A 1920 movie and vaudeville house near Fifth Avenue that is now home to the Short North Stage company.

  • Greater Columbus Convention Center

    The long Eisenman-designed hall at the south end of the strip. See our page on convention center towing.

  • Short North Historic District

    A National Register area along High from West Poplar up to Warren, listed in 1990.

  • North High Historic District listings

    Two smaller National Register groups of storefronts, one around Second and Third avenues and one from Fourth Avenue to Clark Place.

  • Union Station cap

    The I-670 cap carries the name of the old Union Station, and its shops sit right over the freeway at the district's south end.

  • Short North Arts District

    The gallery district behind the monthly Gallery Hop, held on the first Saturday since 1984. The Short North Special Improvement District, set up in 1999, works alongside it; expect packed curbs on Hop nights.

Big employers

  • Hilton Columbus Downtown

    Its second tower opened in 2022 across High Street, making it the largest hotel in Ohio by room count.

  • 800 block of North High

    Mixed-use block finished in 2019 that holds a hotel and Klarna's U.S. offices.

Parks

  • Poplar Park

    A tiny brick plaza on a leftover piece of East Poplar Avenue where performers set up during Gallery Hop.

Short North towing questions

My car died during Gallery Hop. Can you get a truck onto High Street?

Usually yes, but not always right at your car. Gallery Hop falls on the first Saturday of each month and the sidewalks and curbs are packed from early evening on. Our driver will look for a side street, alley or loading zone close to you, and if the car is stuck in a tight spot we may need to roll it a short distance first. Give the dispatcher a cross street, and say whether the car will shift into neutral.

Is a Short North garage pickup possible with a flatbed?

Often, yes. The obstacle is clearance: a loaded flatbed is tall, and several decks in the area have low ceilings. Give us the garage name and which level you are on. If the carrier cannot fit inside, the driver can winch or roll the car to the entrance and load it there. Some garages require the attendant's okay, so let them know a tow truck is on the way. Our parking garage towing page has more detail.

I got a ticket for parking in a permit zone. Do you tow cars out of those blocks?

We tow cars that belong to you, at your request, from any legal pickup spot, including permit sections. If the city or a private lot already towed your car, it is not with us, and you will need to find which impound lot has it. See where towed cars end up in Columbus for who to call. If you only need the car moved before a ticket turns into a tow, we can do that.

How does the truck get to the Short North from your yard?

The trucks leave 1620 Harrisburg Pike (US-62), so the trip runs north through or around Downtown. Depending on traffic, the driver takes I-70 to I-71 and exits near the district, or uses SR-315 and comes in from Goodale Street. Ask the dispatcher for a live arrival estimate; the en-route part of the bill is $4 per mile from the yard.

Can you load a car on High Street without blocking traffic?

We try hard not to. A flatbed needs room behind it to lower the bed, so the driver will usually set up on a cross street or in a marked loading area. If police are directing traffic, we follow their instructions. For a short job like a jump start, the driver may stop in a legal spot nearby and walk the booster to your car.

My car is low and lowered. Will a flatbed scrape it on these brick streets?

Low cars are a common Short North pickup. Our drivers use ramps, a low load angle and soft straps so the front lip and undercarriage do not touch the deck. Mention that the car sits low when you call so the driver brings extra ramps and soft straps along. See low-profile car towing for how we handle sports cars and lowered vehicles.

Do you take Short North cars to a body shop or dealer?

Yes. We tow to any shop you name in Columbus, to a dealer, to your home, or to our yard on Harrisburg Pike if the shop is closed. We are not a repair shop ourselves. If you do not have a mechanic, we can suggest an independent partner shop that will diagnose the problem and give you a quote before any work starts. Our repair page explains how that works.

What does a late-night Short North tow cost?

Our card is published: $125 to hook up, $7 per loaded mile, and $4 per mile for the trip from our yard. Overnight work (10 PM to 6 AM) carries a $150 surcharge, and Saturday or Sunday calls carry $50. A jump start or lockout is a flat $75 instead of a tow. The dispatcher adds it up and gives you the total before the driver leaves. Full detail is on our rates page.

Need a truck in Short North?

A dispatcher answers day and night and prices your Short North call before a truck moves.

(614) 633-8163

Neighboring parts of Columbus

What we do in Short North

Where the trucks start

All four carriers that work Short North start and finish the day on Harrisburg Pike (US-62) on Columbus's southwest side. Call around the clock, 365 days a year.

Auto Lyft USA Inc.
1620 Harrisburg Pike
Columbus, OH 43223
Phone: (614) 633-8163
Email: lisa@autolyftusa.online
Directions to the yard