Our Central Ohio members have probably started to hear about something called LinkUS. Earlier this week, the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) announced that there would be a ballot measure in November to fund major expansion of their service – most notably with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors throughout the Greater Columbus area.
LinkUS is a joint initiative of the City of Columbus, COTA, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners. The centerpieces of the LinkUS initiative are three BRT corridors – West Broad, East Main, and the Northwest Corridor. More than just bus routes, these BRT corridors will offer a premium transit experience with intentional zoning and development to encourage affordable housing and business growth.
We talked with Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin and he had this to say about the LinkUS initiative:
"COTA's levy for LinkUs isn't just about 50+ miles of bus-rapid transit and 500+ miles of sidewalks, bike lanes, and trails across 40 communities in Central Ohio. It's also about pressing the reset button on how we think about growth: pivoting to a mindset where dense and multimodal transit options -- not car-centric sprawl -- drive regional decisions around development. Leaders across Columbus, Hilliard, and Dublin are already envisioning how inter-city rail can connect to regional bus rapid transit systems. I firmly believe once Ohioans see how transit infrastructure can be the foundation for shared prosperity, it will start a revolution across our state."
To find out more about LinkUS, please visit linkuscolumbus.com – be sure to sign up for their newsletter to stay in the loop! Projects like LinkUS are critical to support local service as our passenger rail network in Ohio grows in the coming years.