This weeks #GOPCThread focuses on a recent dialog hosted by the Columbus Metropolitan Club, where leaders from the City of Columbus, Franklin County, the Central Ohio Transit Agency (COTA) and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) discussed the LinkUs Columbus corridor concept, investing in new mobility options for the city.

Not on Twitter? The thread is available online, as well as below.

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On this week’s #GOPCThread, we’re highlighting the @LinkUSColumbus initiative, a collaboration by the @ColumbusGov, @FranklinCoOhio, @COTABus, and @MORPC

Last month, @cbusmetroclub hosted a forum on the “LinkUS Columbus Mobility Initiative” w/ representatives from the initiative partners commenting on the project’s goals and current progress. You can view the recording here #GOPCThread

The LinkUS initiative was created to address the transportation and access issues of a growing region, and builds off of several previous studies, including Insight2050, COTA NextGen, and the Insight2050 Corridor Concepts Study #GOPCThread

The 2019 Corridor Concepts study explored how more walkable, compact neighborhoods connected through high-capacity transit could have a net-positive impact on transportation, infrastructure, housing, and the environment as the region continues to grow #GOPCThread

GOPC featured Corridor Concepts as one of our smart growth #GoodIdeas for Ohio communities #GOPCThread

The need for more transportation options is clear: increasing population and a growing economy in Central Ohio are expected to create never before seen levels of congestion, resulting in an extra 50 hours per year in commuting and rising costs of living #GOPCThread

LinkUS is the response to address these emerging challenges. Building off of previously identified underutilized corridors, LinkUS looks at major mobility investments to improve movement along each corridor and strategies to direct compact and connected development #GOPCThread

LinkUS mobility determinations are guided by six goals: equity, economic development, workforce advancement, affordability, innovation, and sustainability (all of the following images can be found w/in the LinkUS Framework Strategy #GOPCThread

At the heart of this exploration is the fact that Central Ohio needs some form of mass transit to support its growth. As @OhioMurdock says: we’re big enough to demand and expect options; LinkUS considers the costs and benefits of various mass transit interventions #GOPCThread

To entice people to swap out daily car trips, a mass transit intervention will need all the bells and whistles to drive development, jobs, and sustainability. Partners believe that this can be accomplished through high-quality, fixed corridor Bus Rapid Transit #GOPCThread

At this time, @LinkUSColumbus concurrently working through improvements on the Northwest and East-West Corridors #GOPCThread

The LinkUS initiative is proceeding in tandem with the City of Columbus’ zoning code update, a major overhaul that creates opportunities to incentivize development supporting future transit investments along the corridors through the zoning adjustments #GOPCThread

Leaning into this type of focused growth strategy requires collaborative, multi-sector work. This approach is baked into the LinkUS framework to maximize benefits, including effects on the region’s equity, affordability, and environmental goals #GOPCThread

While no timeline has been given for when shovels will hit the ground, @MORPC is confident that improvements to the first two corridors can get started soon (and see a boost through certain federal infrastructure programs working their way through Congress) #GOPCThread

LinkUS goes all in on promoting smart and efficient future growth to avoid the negative externalities of a booming region, with partners stressing that the cost of doing nothing far outweighs expected project costs #GOPCThread

Cover photo courtesy of LInkUS