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Columbus Transportation Projects Reach Major Summer Milestones On Schedule
Multiple transportation and stormwater initiatives advance on schedules set for July 2026 and beyond.
How we reported this
The LinkUS West Broad BRT Corridor will open this month after an initial $910 million capital investment, according to project records at https://allcolumbusdata.com/infrastructure-projects/.
The opening arrives as the city pursues broader transportation upgrades that tie into the Columbus Growth Strategy adopted in January 2026. That strategy created the first citywide land use policy and map to steer housing and development patterns. City Council is also advancing Ordinance 0133-2026 to fund a Quick Build Toolkit for faster pedestrian and bicycle safety fixes.
Highway and Pedestrian Work Continues on Parallel Tracks
The I-70 and I-71 downtown ramp-up project, a $1.4 billion multi-phase rebuild, has flyover ramps scheduled to open by the end of 2025 with additional phases finishing the same year, per city records at https://www.columbus.gov/Business-Development/Design-Construction/Street-Road-Projects/I-70-and-I-71-Project. Phase one of The Capital Line, a nearly $100 million two-mile pedestrian path, remains on track after design work in 2024, with construction slated to start late 2025 and the full loop targeted for 2028, according to https://www.columbus.gov/Business-Development/Capital-Improvement-Projects.
These timelines overlap with LinkUS plans that call for more than 500 miles of bikeways, greenways and sidewalks across the region, listed in project updates at https://columbusunderground.com/fast-forward-the-latest-on-7-big-projects-and-the-impact-they-could-have-on-columbus-bw1/.
Stormwater and Institutional Builds Fill Out 2026-2029 Calendar
Stormwater capital improvement projects include one in the Arena District beginning fall or winter 2026, with a separate effort near Hunting Park set to run from early spring 2027 through summer 2029, according to https://www.columbus.gov/Business-Development/Capital-Improvement-Projects/Stormwater-CIPs. Ohio State University’s new University Hospital tower is scheduled to open in 2026 with 120 rooms, while the new terminal at John Glenn International Airport carries a 2029 completion estimate, per https://www.experiencecolumbus.com/meetings/why-columbus/whats-new-in-columbus/.
The full LinkUS program represents an $8 billion multi-phase investment, with the West Broad segment marking the first major delivery. Residents can track construction notices and detour information through the city’s capital improvement project pages at the URLs listed above as work proceeds through the coming seasons.