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Columbus Invests in Infrastructure to Improve Safety and Commutes Downtown
City projects funded through state and local programs seek to ease commutes and improve pedestrian access in downtown neighborhoods.
How we reported this
Columbus City Council is advancing Ordinance 0133-2026 to fund a Quick Build Toolkit that will install low-cost pedestrian and bicycle safety features on local streets.
The effort comes as the city implements its first citywide land use policy adopted in January 2026 under the Columbus Growth Strategy, which sets rules for where housing and development can occur. Residents in downtown areas divided by major highways stand to see changes in how they move through the city each day. The ordinance targets quick safety upgrades rather than large-scale reconstruction, giving neighborhoods near busy corridors a chance at faster improvements to walking and biking routes.
Street-Level Changes on Front and Mound
ODOT is directing part of its $3.4 billion investment in nearly 1,000 central Ohio projects during 2026 toward road reconstruction and utility work on Front Street and Mound Street. Those two downtown corridors sit inside the $1.4 billion Downtown Ramp Up rebuild of I-70 and I-71, where construction is scheduled to continue at least through the end of this year. The work aims to reconnect neighborhoods cut off by the interstates while crews handle utility upgrades that affect water and power service along those blocks.
LinkUS, led by COTA, is adding more than 500 miles of bikeways, greenways and sidewalks across the region as part of the same transportation push. The combined projects give residents near downtown direct routes that avoid heavy vehicle traffic on the rebuilt interstates.
State Funding Opens for Local Projects
The Ohio Public Works Commission is accepting applications for State Fiscal Year 2028 infrastructure grants worth about $37 million, with money earmarked for construction that begins in 2027 and 2028. Columbus officials can use those rounds to extend the Quick Build Toolkit and LinkUS improvements into additional neighborhoods. Applications close later this summer, after which selected projects receive final engineering review before bids are released.
City staff will hold public meetings on the Growth Strategy map and the toolkit locations in coming weeks to gather resident feedback on which intersections receive the first safety treatments. Construction on the Front Street and Mound Street segments continues on its current schedule while the state funding round moves forward.