The Ohio Department of Transportation is responsible for a wide variety of highway upgrades and maintenance projects throughout Central Ohio, but two of the largest local projects currently in development are the Interstate 70/71 “Split Fix” and the 3C Corridor Passenger Rail system.

We recently sat down with Jolene Molitoris, Director of ODOT, to discuss both of these projects. Part one of our interview focuses on the 3C Corridor and can be found below. Part two of our interview focuses on the “Split Fix” and can be found HERE. [Read More]

According to a Statehouse source, the 3C Corridor should be officially receiving federal stimulus dollars tomorrow in an announcement following Obama’s State of the Union speech. In October 2009, ODOT and the Ohio Rail Development Commission submitted their application for $563 million to help fund a passenger rail line that would run between Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. More information about the 3C Corridor can be found at 3cisme.ohio.gov. More information about tomorrow’s announcement can be found in a Dispatch article here.

Update #1: Gov. Strickland’s office is planning a news conference today (Thursday) in the Statehouse Rotunda at 1pm. Anyone planning on attending?

Update #2: It’s official. The 3C Corridor is receiving $400M in federal funding.

Linking Ohio - “Linking Ohio is a diverse group of citizens who have lots of different reasons to want passenger rail transportation available in Ohio, starting with the 3-C “Quick Start” Project connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. Ohio state government has applied for $564 million in Federal grant dollars to make this passenger train route a reality—here are complete official details.” [Read More]

Ohio Higher Education Rail Network (OHERN) - “The Ohio Higher Education Rail Network (OHERN) is a plan to link all public and private colleges and universities in the state by rail. The OHERN concept grew out of the belief that there is a mutually beneficial and interdependent relationship between education and transportation; where colleges and universities can help build a statewide network of passenger trains and, by building that network, strengthen Ohio’s system of higher education.” [Read More]

Jeff Johnson has a very interesting post up on his Urban In-Fill blog today that describes his experience commuting between Cleveland and Chicago via Amtrak. Additionally, he mentions the Amtrak Guest Rewards program that he’s already started to collect points for. He sees it as way to “send a message to Amtrak” that folks who reside in Columbus are ready for new rail service. He encourages anyone interested in train travel to go ahead and sign up for the rewards program today.

[Read More]

On Thursday morning, ODOT and the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) rallied in the Arena District for the submission of the application of the Ohio 3C “Quick Start” Passenger Rail Plan, seeking federal stimulus dollars marked for passenger rail development throughout the country. “The 3C Corridor is Ohio’s premier intercity passenger rail corridor that touches 60% of all Ohioans who live within 15 miles of the corridor,” said ODOT Director Jolene M. Molitoris. “The corridor is tailor-made for short distance service, and it is one of the best opportunities anywhere in the nation to bring this type of travel choice to those who currently do not have it.” [Read More]

Earlier today, a new Amtrak study on the 3C Corridor “Quick Start” Passenger Rail project was released with several new figures, most impressively a researched estimate of 478,000 annual passengers riding between Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Cleveland.

The study was conducted over the past nine months and will be used as part of Ohio’s federal stimulus funding application that will be filed on October 2nd. [Read More]

It was announced last Friday that the Amtrak study for restoring passenger rail service between Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati was going to be delayed for two weeks in order to give additional attention to studying other national routes. Officials at the Ohio Rail Development Commission expressed little concern that the delay would have a negative impact on the state’s position in applying for federal funds to get the project started. [Read More]

The brand new website for 3C Corridor “Quick Start” project just went live at 3CisMe.ohio.gov. From the website:

“Ohio’s 3C Corridor will connect Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati as part of President Obama’s nationally-prioritized Chicago Hub Network. The 3C Corridor is a federally designated high speed rail corridor, but has not seen passenger service since 1971. With funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Ohio’s “Quick Start” plan would have initial conventional-speed service running by 2011, generating jobs and economic development at station stops and putting travel choice in reach of more than 60% of Ohio’s population.”

[Read More]

In this week’s ColumbusUnderground.com Podcast, we grab coffee with Stu Nicholson, the Public Information Officer for the Ohio Rail Development Commission. Stu provides us with some updates on the current development status of passenger rail service in Ohio, where the new routes could run, what a local station in Columbus could look like, and how the 3C Corridor will benefit the entire state of Ohio.

You can use the player below to listen to the podcast, click here to download an mp3, click here to subscribe via iTunes, or click here to subscribe to the rss feed.

From Cleveland.com:

Strickland seeks high speed rail dollars in Washington
by By Sabrina Eaton

Gov. Ted Strickland and Ohio Transportation Director Jolene Molitoris don’t want to miss the federal stimulus funding train. The pair spent Tuesday in Washington, working to snag $400 million in transportation money to create a high-speed passenger rail corridor that would link Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton with each other and the rest of the country. They were scheduled to discuss the issue today with Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

[Read More]