More construction is coming to Goodale Street this summer as work begins on a new bikeways connector that will help convert this auto-centric stretch of Downtown roadway into a more pedestrian and bike-friendly corridor. The project will connect Goodale Street to the existing bike trail that runs along the Olentangy River, which is currently inaccessible due to the river on one side of it and State Route 315 on the other.
“These improvements began a few years ago and are very important because it connects the Downtown core of the city with Harrison West, Grandview Heights, and the Olentangy Trail,” said Bradley Westall, Greenways Planner at the City of Columbus. “Having a bikeway built onto the deck of the bridge is a big safety improvement, and there will soon be more routes, connections, and destinations along the Olentangy corridor into neighborhoods, attractions, and the campus of The Ohio State University.”
The new connector also provides front-door access to the bike trail system for the new five-story 174-unit 600 Goodale apartment community that is currently under construction.
“It’s a really wonderful amenity for our residents and the city of Columbus as a whole,” said Brett Kaufman, CEO of Kaufman Development, the firm developing 600 Goodale. “The community at 600 Goodale will now be easily tied into Grandview, Downtown, OSU, Victorian Village and more within a matter of minutes by bike.”
In addition to the bridge connector to the Olentangy trail , the updates will create a designated bike path along the north side of Goodale Street that connects to the new Harrison West Rail Trail completed last summer. The project also creates multiple vista viewpoints where pedestrians or bikers can pause to take in the wooden scenery of the riverfront.
“The current highway bridge, like most around town, offers almost no visual look at the river corridor and gives off an intimidating feel for anyone who rides or walks over it,” said Westall. “This project will celebrate views of the river corridor, and offer some architectural punch for Goodale and 315; almost all completely forgotten landscape.”
The Goodale Street Bike Improvements project will cost $3.2 million, 80% of which is funded through federal dollars designated by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC). Construction will begin sometime this summer and it is scheduled to open for use in the Spring of 2014.
Rendering created by URS Corporation.