In July, the COTA Board of Trustees adopted three Locally Preferred Alternatives (LPAs) for the East-West Corridors, voting to move two of them – the West Broad Street and East Main Street BRT corridors – into the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Capital Investment Grants program process.
LPA is a federal term that refers to the specific mode and transit guideway alignment that will provide best high-capacity rapid transit investment for the corridor. While LPA is not an immediate request for funding, it is an important step in advancing the project into the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Capital Investment Grants program process.
The LPAs detail the mode, alignment, guideway and station locations determined to be the best fit based on technical analysis, community feedback and competitiveness with other transit projects being considered for federal funding. LPAs also provide more refined cost estimates for the project.
The three East-West Corridors’ LPAs include:
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West Broad Street BRT Corridor, from Westwoods Boulevard to Washington Avenue, an 8.5-mile alignment (from Prairie Township through Westgate, the Hilltop and Franklinton, ending in Downtown Columbus).
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East Main Street BRT Corridor from High Street and Spring Street to Taylor Road, a 13-mile alignment (from Downtown Columbus through Bexley and Whitehall to Reynoldsburg).
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East Broad Street BRT Corridor from Souder Avenue to Taylor Road, a 13.6-mile alignment (from Franklinton through Bexley and Whitehall and to Jefferson Township). COTA will begin by first phasing in the West Broad BRT Corridor and the East Main BRT Corridor.
As the LinkUS vision and viable high-capacity rapid transit corridors are further developed in collaboration with The City of Columbus, MORPC, Franklin County and Central Ohio residents, a phasing and funding plan for the LinkUS corridors will emerge from the Coalition’s efforts.
Amendments to MORPC’s Long Range Metropolitan Transportation Plan were reviewed at the September MORPC Commission. The amendments include adding East Broad Street as a BRT Corridor and updating details of the East Main Street and West Broad Street BRT corridors. These actions by MORPC are necessary for these projects to enter the federal funding pipeline. Project updates will continue to be available here.
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