Voters in Central Ohio approve LinkUS bus rapid transit plan

Voters in Central Ohio on Tuesday approved a sales tax levy that would create the region’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor.

Final tallies show 57% of voters in Franklin County voted yes to fund improvements to the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), which increases the sales tax from 0.5% to 1%.

The $8 billion plan, called LinkUS, will create bus rapid transit routes through the city of Columbus utilizing zero-emission vehicles with increased capacity. These buses will be given signal priority at intersections as they travel via dedicated transit lanes.

The new vehicles will also feature level-boarding and multi-door boarding to ease loading and unloading of passengers, especially those with mobility issues.

Larger stations with more passenger amenities will also be built, featuring microtranist options like bike share stations and e-scooter charging docks.

COTA will also build more than 150 miles of new sidewalks, trails and bike paths by 2030 that they say will improve access to transit for more than 140,000 people.

Construction on the first corridor, the West Broad Street BRT, is expected to begin in fall of 2025 and open for riders in late 2027 to early 2028.

For more information on LinkUS, click here.

Rendering courtesy COTA/LinkUS