Coleman Seeks Federal Funds for Rail Development
Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman attended a news conference this morning in Virgina along with several other mayors and governors to hear President-Elect Barack Obama’s proposed stimulus plan to boost the nation’s economy.
Coleman has recently written a letter to Obama seeking federal funding dollars for a variety of economic development projects in Central Ohio, including:
- $32 million for development in RiverSouth
- $26 million in Targeted Industry Cluster Job Creation
- $63.9 million in LEED Certified Infrastructure Development
- $12.6 million in Carbon Footprint Reduction
and………
- $200 million for the development of a new Regional Rail Project
The brief overview of the new regional rail project describes it as a combination of the “best elements” from both the previous North Corridor Light Rail Proposal and the more recent Downtown Streetcar Proposal. The new passenger rail system is being proposed to run northward from Downtown to the Delaware County Line with a combination of on-street rail grades and right-of-way railroad tracks.
The city has already partnered with MORPC and COTA on the preliminary work for this project, and it is being called the new “first step” towards a more comprehensive regional passenger rail network.
More details will be posted as soon as we get them. Stay tuned.
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Related Tags: columbus • COTA • downtown • light rail • Mayor Coleman • morpc • Obama • passenger rail • streetcar
January 8th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Infrastructure, job creation, economic stimulus. Here we go.
January 8th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
This made my day because I can really see this happening. I read about Obama’s economic stimulas plan today and loved it. Plus it could be voted in by mid-feb, which means the money could be available very soon. I’m happy to see that the Mayor is wasting no time on getting his foot in the door.
January 8th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I would make love to Mayor Coleman if I saw him right now. Sweet, sweet love.
January 8th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 8th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I think the key to this is the fact that all the preliminary work on the North Corridor Program was done over a decade ago, which helps Columbus rank in terms of priority.
While the details are still being hammer out, I also think this will put to bed a lot of concerns people had with the Streetcar “not being enough”. Serving the same function as the Streetcar downtown in addition to running further north to the burbs = WIN WIN.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Now we’re talkin’. This is great news for the city.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
I don’t want to get hopes up but it’s too late. They’re way up. Again. Let’s do it!
January 8th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
This is great news! Perhaps Coleman’s early support of Obama can help Columbus get these funds?
I recall that the North Corridor Light Rail plan had the trains leaving the railroad R/W at 18th and running on Summit and 4th.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
I agree, I’d love to see this happen. But, at this point, we’re looking at simply a letter requesting funding for these (or should I just say this, after all, let’s be honest, we’re all only concerned about one of the above) projects.
At the moment, everybody and their brother is looking for a way to get federal money, whether it’s called a bailout or economic stimulus. So, I’m certainly not chalking this up as a done deal, or something that will necessarily happen any time soon.
What I find to be most exciting is the plan itself, the fact that they’ve expanded the scope of their thinking on this project. Regardless of whether this gets funded as requested, I’m encouraged that they’ve continued to think big. This plan directly addresses the complaints that many people had about the initial streetcar plan.
It’s the aggressive response to an earlier setback, not the prospect of federal funding (at least not right now), that has me most encouraged.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Best news yet on rail by far!
But I want to know more exact details before getting too pumped, endorsing whole heartedly.
Without a doubt this is a very bid step in the right direction. It sounds like addresses a good portion of my concerns and concerns I’ve heard voiced.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
I’ll fist-bump to that!
January 8th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Now this is an idea I can get behind. I am one of those people that Walker talked about - someone who believed the streetcar proposal just wasn’t enough. I would still need to see the full proposal, but at first glance I actually like a proposal by the Mayor (that is something new for me). I am interested to see how the Mayor’s office rolls out the new proposal and what the proposal details. So far, I like it.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Pablo Says:
January 8th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
This is great news! Perhaps Coleman’s early support of Obama can help Columbus get these funds?
_________________________________________________________________
+1
can they use city center as a transportation hub too?
January 8th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
The talk about “combining the best elements” makes me think that they will put forth a proposal that has the light rail leave the rail right-of-way at 17th and then work its way over to High Street to make its way downtown. This would make some sense since there’s limited right-of-way for new tracks coming into downtown anyway. Hopefully they can keep a rail line reasonably fast despite being on the street. If it stops as often as a streetcar would, it will be too long a trip to get people in the suburbs to take it to work downtown. But all of that is speculation. So for now, woo hoo!
January 8th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
I’d be very happy with a Portland MAX like system that ended up downtown and then had streetcar-like stops. Something like Houston’s system that runs light rail alongside streets and stops every 2-4 blocks might work alright as well..
January 8th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Great news, indeed, provided everything works out.
I hope COTA learned from the first round and can better answer concerns about combining bus and rail on already high traffic routes.
I hope this quiets the majority of naysayers and fence sitters with what seems a broader vision of transit in Columbus.
I hope the NIMBYs stay home this time and recognize the greater good, especially with the broader plan.
I hope the city can offer us a taste of the future-not only show us what plan they are applying the federal funds for, but how the system could look in the years to come. New routes especially.
I have to wonder if they are looking to the 3C project and any possible tie in with the expanded Columbus system?
January 8th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
If you want the “why not”, check Craigslist. The villagers are lighting the torches.
January 8th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
It’s in the Dispatch now:
“The trains would run from Downtown to the Delaware County line, following the streetcar plan’s High Street route before veering over to existing railroad tracks to the east. The route would pass through the Short North, University District, Clintonville and Worthington.
If the light-rail proposal isn’t part of a new stimulus package, Coleman said, local officials hope the new administration will be more receptive to federal funding through other means.”
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/01/08/lightrail.html?sid=101
January 8th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
This is really exciting, these are the types of investments that we need with the stimulus bill, big transformative investments that will pay long term dividends.
They want projects that will produce immediate job growth.
Given that work on the north corridor project began more than a decade ago, hopefully we look prepared enough to be given priority.
Time to start the letter writing campaign….
January 8th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Check out the comments at NBC4i.com:
http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/local_govtpolitics/article/coleman_asks_obama_for_200m_for_light-rail_system/11593/
sigh
January 8th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Awesome news! I’m thrilled. But don’t forget about us folks just south of downtown who sure would like to ride those trains too!
January 8th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
thanks Central City Recording for providing some fodder to raise my blood pressure 20 pts. i can’t believe that out of all those posted comments there were only two who were at all supportive of the proposal for the light rail line. our community is doomed. do they actually think they are just going to hand out the money if it isn’t spent on projects like this? i’m dying a little inside.
January 8th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
oh, i wasn’t accusing you of agreeing with them…thanks for sharing the link
January 8th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
If you’re worried about blood pressure don’t head over to rants and raves. I’m doing my best to be level headed.
January 8th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
It’s amazing that a lot of people in Columbus cannot see the benefits of something like this - even if they don’t live next to the trains. We won’t convince these people that it will work until AFTER we build it. Then when gas prices go back up to $4 or $5/gallon (and they will!!!) they will see it.