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    Mayor: LinkUs Transit Vote Planned for Fall 2024

    Mayor Andrew Ginther delivered his annual “State of the City” address this afternoon, and the speech contained some news about the city’s transit plans.

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    Ginther said that a vote on the LinkUs initiative – a plan to build new transit corridors and greatly expand the region’s transportation options – is now planned for the fall of 2024.

    The Central Ohio Transit Authority and its LinkUs partners decided last summer not to put a 0.5% sales tax increase on the ballot in November to fund the initiative.

    Transit advocates questioned that decision, although officials insisted that the $8 billion effort was still moving forward and would eventually be brought to the ballot. No definitive timeline had been announced, though, until today.

    “We are working to expand access to jobs, health care and other vital services by promoting rapid, reliable and affordable transportation throughout the region – particularly within our high-growth corridors,” Ginther said in the speech. “LinkUs continues to bring together public- and private-sector partners, like Joanna Pinkerton at COTA and William Murdock at MORPC, to identify the corridors that will comprise our initial focus and lay the groundwork to put this initiative before voters in the fall of 2024.”

    “The vision of LinkUs is becoming a reality with the help of local leaders who know that our growth will require us to think differently about mobility,” said Patrick Harris, COTA’s Vice President External Relations, when asked to comment on the mayor’s announcement. “We’re especially grateful to Mayor Ginther for his vocal support of LinkUs today and are excited about this effort as we head into 2024.”

    The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors envisioned as part of the plan would be a significant step up from Columbus’ first BRT line, the CMAX, which runs along Cleveland Avenue. Buses on that route run in mixed traffic along the side of the road, whereas the LinkUs plan calls for buses running mostly in dedicated lanes in the middle of the road.

    LinkUs also calls for significant investment in sidewalks, trails, and bike infrastructure, as well as for improved service on existing bus lines.

    The mayor’s announcement was greeted with cautious optimism by Transit Columbus, the local advocacy group that has been involved in the LinkUs planning process for years.

    “We anticipated this announcement and are happy to see that the city intends to move forward with the levy that would help fund LinkUs,” said Stephanie Pasamonte, the organization’s Vice-Chair. “The fact that it was addressed in the State of the City signals that it is a priority for city leadership, and we sincerely hope that their actions support their words in this instance.”

    “The LinkUs initiative is huge for Columbus…it would mean introducing, among other things, the first true BRT system to the city,” added Pasamonte. “That being said, LinkUs will take years to implement—we are hoping that the city has robust plans for improving our transit, bike, and pedestrian infrastructure well before then…the rate of deaths caused by car crashes is rising at an alarming rate, COTA service continues to be cut, and pedestrian and bike infrastructure in Columbus is so far behind that of our peer cities.”

    Editor’s note: this article was updated with comments from a COTA spokesperson.

    Additional Reading:

    Full Text of Columbus 2023 “State of the City” Address

    City Zoning Reform Efforts to Focus on Mixed-Use Districts First

    Design Concepts Presented for LinkUs Transit Stations

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    Brent Warren
    Brent Warrenhttps://columbusunderground.com/author/brent-warren
    Brent Warren is a staff reporter for Columbus Underground covering urban development, transportation, city planning, neighborhoods, and other related topics. He grew up in Grandview Heights, lives in the University District and studied City and Regional Planning at OSU.
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