City undertakes NW Corridor transportation study

COLUMBUS – With a population boom that is expected to continue into the foreseeable future, Columbus City Council Monday night took a step toward addressing the transportation needs of a section of the city with some its most heavily-traveled roads and highways.

Council members approved funding the 18-month Northwest Corridor Mobility Study, which will examine a nine-mile swath of the city which stretches from W. Broad Street downtown to Bethel Road in the north, focusing on Olentangy River Road with an eye toward developing mixed-use, mass transit, pedestrian and bicycle friendly traffic patterns.

One study has projected that Central Ohio’s population will grow by as much as 1 million people by 2050. The Insight2050 study says an effective transportation system will require less reliance on automobiles and include strategies for high capacity transit, enhanced bicycle and pedestrian connectivity and new technology.

“We must meet transportation challenges and promote a major shift in how we move people faster and more efficiently as the region prepares for tremendous population growth,” Mayor Andrew Ginther said.

Council approved a contract with Kimley-Horn and Associates to conduct the study and to enter into agreements with partners including the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, Central Ohio Transit Authority, and The Ohio State University.

With high potential job growth and links to major institutions and employers. OSU and OhioHealth, the Northwest Corridor, which includes areas bordering on Kenny Road in the west and N. High Street on the east, and encompasses parts of Grandview Heights and Clintonvillle, presents complex challenges for transportation engineers, including physical barriers and “traffic knots” resulting from alignment “jogs,” freeway interchanges, and underpasses.