MORPC seeks input on proposed transportation projects totaling over $148M

On Jan 6, 2023

A Columbus agency is seeking comment on 23 central Ohio road projects expected to receive $148 million in federal funds.

Proposed improvements include major projects on State Route 161, Cassady Avenue, E. Broad Street, Livingston Avenue and a Dublin bike path.

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission published the list Friday, and is seeking public comment on the proposed projects through Feb. 8.

“MORPC received approximately $260 million in requests for funding of new transportation projects from across the region,” MORPC senior planner Tom Graham said in a news release.

Graham said a MORPCY committee sought to identify “projects with the greatest regional impact for these limited resources.”

MORPC Matters:Federal funding advances regional goals, but only with local collaboration

The 23 projects selected for to receive funding commitment from 2024 to 2029 are:

Cassady Avenue (Interstate 670 to Agler Road) — $10,189,663
State Route 161 at Busch Boulevard and Ambleside Drive — $11,053,364
Alum Creek Drive (state Route 317 to Groveport Road) — $8,500,000
East Broad Street from Outerbelt Street to Reynoldsburg-New Albany Road, major widening — $7,913,607
Ferris Road (Karl Road to Westerville Road) — $4,583,380
Hilliard-Rome Road at Renner Road — $3,747,438
Sunbury Parkway, Phase B&C — $3,000,000
Refugee Road Intersection safety improvement project — $750,000
Zollinger Road mobility and safety improvement project — $3,294,352
Livingston Avenue, from Interstate 70 to Kellner Road — $16,593,981
17th Avenue, from Interstate 71 to Billiter Boulevard — $6,701,955
Etna-Pike Street (Licking County Transportation Improvement District) — $2,684,877
State Route 37 (East Central) preservation project — $2,540,554
LinkUS West Broad Street BRT (bus rapid transit) corridor construction — $13,100,000
Big Walnut Trail (Refugee Road to East Main Street) — $7,483,914
Sullivant Avenue SUP (shared-use path) — $4,133,352
McNaughten Road SUP — $7,834,505
Dublin Road shared-use path (Quarry Trails Metro Park to Limestone Ridge Drive) — $10,351,449
Scioto Trail bridge over state Route 104 as part of the Scioto Greenway Trail extension — $7,980,683
Cemetery Road/I-270 trail overpass and safety improvements (CIP T-162) — $7,097,717
Fairway Boulevard multiuse path — $3,169,511
Dublin-Granville Road (state Route 161) SUP — $2,266,149
Cassady Avenue SUP — $3,057,201

Every two years, MORPC solicits projects to receive federal transportation funding in its transportation planning area that includes Franklin and Delaware counties, Bloom and Violet townships in Fairfield County, New Albany, Pataskala and Etna Township in Licking County, and Jerome Township in Union County, the MORPC release said. Transportation improvement projects eligible for funding include highways, bridges and public transit to bikeways, pedestrian facilities, and traffic signal upgrades.

In addition to the 23 projects listed, MORPC is recommending continued funding for 31 projects and programs to which MORPC previously had committed funds, the release said. In total, more than $325 million in future funding commitments is being proposed. To see the draft list of all projects recommended for funding, visit the MORPC Attributable-funding for Transportation page.

MORPC will consider final approval of the funding commitments March 9, after which they will be incorporated into the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).