The Urban Land Institute’s 2050 Blog has an interesting new post today about the future of transportation in Columbus. Guest contributor Jung Kim, Director of Community Data Services for Community Research Partners, assists by providing his thoughts on transportation technologies, urban mobility, and the effect of transit infrastructure on land values.

The full article can be read at ULIColumbus.Wordpress.com.

Imagine the following scenario: You are a person in a wheelchair. Rolling over gravel and cracks in the sidewalk you make your way to the bus stop. You come to the corner of a busy downtown intersection and wait for the light to change. You press the button to trigger the light so you can cross the street safely. You make your way to the bus stop and wait for your bus to arrive. Your bus pulls up and “kneels” and you roll onto the bus. You deposit your fare. You notice how nice the bus driver is while she helps strap your wheelchair into place. You hear the familiar sound of the bus pulling away as you head toward your destination. [Read More]

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 two of our interview focuses on the “Split Fix” and can be found below. Part one of our interview focuses on the 3C Corridor and can be found HERE. [Read More]

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]

The Central Ohio Transit Authority is celebrating the grand opening of their new administrative headquarters this morning at 33 North High Street near the corner of Broad & High. In addition to housing new office space for the organization, the ground floor of the building will serve as the new COTA Pass Sales Center and Customer Information Center. [Read More]

The intersection of Broad & High is commonly referred to as the “crossroads” of our city, and has always been a busy commuter destination for all forms of transportation. These corners will soon become a little bit more accommodating to bus commuters as two new covered shelters will be added for passengers headed northbound on High Street and westbound on Broad Street.

“We’re also making it a priority to upgrade the rest of the shelters along High Street through Downtown,” said Beth Berkemer, Public and Media Relations Manager at The Central Ohio Transit Authority. [Read More]

The Ohio Historical Society unveiled a new historical marker yesterday to honor the recently restored interurban depot in Canal Winchester. The Dispatch has a great article running today (”Depot’s day, 80 years later“) that features a bit of history about this electric fixed-rail system that served the region in a similar manner to a light-rail network. The interurban was a popular, inexpensive and highly utilized system that carried passengers at up to 60mph from Columbus to Chillicothe, Zanesville, Marion, Dayton and all points in between. Unfortunately, the automaker lobbyists killed the system in the 1930s and it only lives on through historical markers.

More info about the Columbus Interurban can be found HERE and HERE.

The second public meeting for the 2010 Downtown Columbus Strategic Plan took place this evening, and the presentation focused on 12 ideas proposed as possible catalytic projects that could reshape our Downtown over the next decade. Those ideas ranged from alternative transit implementation to river dam removal to the development of a new sports field house. [Read More]

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) recently conducted a new public survey designed to gather input on how Central Ohioans want to see their region develop. The survey focused on areas including transportation systems, land use patterns, air quality, energy security, water quality, food production, and economic development.

This afternoon, Chester Jourdan, Executive Director of MORPC unveiled the results of the study at a new ongoing series of Columbus Metropolitan Club Luncheon events titled “Growing Regional, Growing Smart”. We sat down with Chester recently to find out more about the results of this survey and what MORPC’s recommendations hold for the future of Central Ohio. [Read More]

COTA is turning a little bit greener today as they introduce six new hybrid-electric buses into their fleet. The hybrid buses will feature a distinct design and color scheme that will help them to stand out from the standard vehicles.

“COTA is committed to making environmentally responsible choices that ensure our business practices support healthy, livable communities,” said Bill Lhota, COTA President and CEO. “Sustainable actions taken today will protect the environment for the future.” [Read More]