COTA Board of Trustees Approves Nearly $30 Million Funding for Sidewalk, Biking and Trail Projects in 2026
Today, the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) Board of Trustees approved nearly $30 million in funding for 37 projects throughout the region. The approval came at the Board’s September meeting and is a key component of the LinkUS mobility and infrastructure initiative.
“The LinkUS plan includes unprecedented infrastructure investments that will create safer and more connected communities, and this funding is COTA’s next crucial step to making the plan a reality,” said COTA President/CEO Monica Tellez-Fowler. “Infrastructure investments such as these will provide a more accessible mobility system for all residents, helping connect them to jobs, schools, grocery stores, medical appointments, and other basic needs and opportunities that are crucial to success in our region.”
The COTA Board approved $29.9 million in funding for 37 new projects – from critical sidewalk and transit stop improvements to new and innovative mobility projects – that will finalize design or begin construction in 2026. Among others, these projects include:
- Construction of a portion of the Big Walnut Trail between Winchester Pike and Refugee Road on the east side of Columbus.
- Completion of the Shier Rings Road shared-use path in Dublin.
- A new Hoover Road pedestrian bridge over Interstate 71 and a shared-use path and upgraded sidewalk along McDowell Road, both in Grove City.
- The Brooksedge Mobility Project, reimagining an office park with better connections to parks and existing trails, including the Erie Trail, in Westerville.
- Development of a new sidewalk and shared-use path along Cooke Road in Columbus.
- Construction of sidewalks to better connect students to Groveport-Madison High School.
“COTA and LinkUS are funding the infrastructure that’s connecting residents to opportunities and one another and transforming transit to meet the needs of our rapidly growing region,” said COTA Board of Trustees President Sean Mentel. “COTA is excited to partner with communities all across Central Ohio in the development and construction of new infrastructure projects that bring improved access to transit and opportunity.”
In total, COTA’s plan will invest in more than 500 miles of sidewalks, bikeways and trails across its service area by 2050, modernizing and expanding access to the entire public transportation system. COTA expects to use LinkUS funding to support 83 projects and more than 150 miles of improvements between 2026 and 2031.
For more details on LinkUS and transit supportive infrastructure projects, please visit: https://linkuscolumbus.com/500miles/.
