Rep. Beatty Hosts USDOT Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg in Columbus, OH to Celebrate $41.9 Million Grant for West Broad St. Corridor Project and Tour Corridor Impact Areas

Washington, D.C. —Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) hosted Deputy Secretary of Transportation Polly Trottenberg, along with Columbus community leaders for a press conference and bus tour. The event celebrated a $41.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) designated for Columbus' West Broad Street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

Community leaders and stakeholders, including Mayor Andrew Ginther, Columbus City Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla, and Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) President and CEO Joanna Pinkerton, praised the grant at the press conference noting the transformative potential of the West Broad Street BRT project for connecting residents to key resources and enhancing mobility and safety.

“As someone who helped write and pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, it is extremely gratifying to see how this legislation will transform metro Columbus,” said Congresswoman Beatty.  “I thank President Biden, Secretary Buttigieg, and Deputy Secretary Trottenberg for their visionary and equitable approach to community infrastructure development. I am delighted that Deputy Secretary Trottenberg joined us to witness firsthand the places and people who will be significantly impacted by this project.”

“On behalf of the Biden-Harris Administration and USDOT, I am proud to celebrate $42 million from the Reconnecting Communities program for the West Broad Street BRT project in Columbus, Ohio,” said USDOT Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg. “The project will not only result in transforming 9.3 miles of a major thoroughfare into a bustling BRT corridor, it will transform the community by providing safer, more efficient transit options, and better access to schools, jobs, and neighborhood amenities so that residents can thrive.”

"It's a collaborative effort among all of us - the City of Columbus, COTA, Franklin County, and MORPC. It will leverage our collective resources as a community to address growth, affordability, and opportunity gaps in our neighborhoods, thanks to this transformational investment from the U.S. Department of Transportation," said Mayor Andrew Ginther.  “Quite simply, the Biden Administration is the most pro-city, pro-infrastructure administration that I can think of in recent memory.  We’re grateful for the President’s leadership.”

“It literally makes dollars and cents. A recent study by the American Public Transportation Association determined that every dollar invested in public transportation generates five dollars in economic returns, said Columbus City Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla.  “As the chair of the Public Service & Transportation Committee for the Columbus City Council and on behalf of my colleagues, I want to thank our partners at the Department of Transportation for your vision, your commitment to people and communities, and especially for your investment in the future of Columbus.”

“This grant comes from the USDOT’s Reconnecting Communities program and that is what LinkUS will help accomplish in Central Ohio,” said COTA President/CEO Joanna M. Pinkerton. “That means reconnecting people to jobs, schools, hospitals, grocery stores, affordable housing, and most importantly – reconnecting each other. It will help correct the historic inequities that divided neighborhoods and will bring equitable opportunities that connect people to social and economic prosperity. We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, and our congressional delegation for their continued support of this bold initiative.”

Following the press conference, the Deputy Secretary, the Congresswoman, and project stakeholders toured the project bus route on a COTA electric bus.  The tour highlighted key activity centers and initiatives that have received USDOT and community project funding. Highlights included but were not limited to the I-70/I-71 Downtown Ramp Up Project, COTA CMAX Bus Stations, Mount Carmel Franklinton, and Lower Lights Ministries.

The tour included a brief lunch at Columbus State Community College, featuring remarks from Deputy Secretary Trottenberg, incoming COTA President/CEO Monica Tellez-Fowler, and President of Columbus State Community College Dr. David Harrison.

Adam Troy, Executive Director of Community of Caring Development Foundation, narrated the final half of the tour through the footprint of the proposed Linden Green Line project.  The Linden Green Line project seeks to convert a seven-mile abandoned railway into a linear park and trail benefiting disadvantaged areas in the Columbus area. A Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant application has been submitted to USDOT to support the project’s completion.

The celebrated USDOT grant for the West Broad Street Bus Rapid Transit project will advance the construction of 17 new stations, a new park and ride center, and 9.3 miles of new bus route. This project, part of the LinkUS plan, will improve connectivity, mobility, and safety, attracting new investment, affordable housing development, and jobs to Central Ohio.

More information about the USDOT funding headed to Columbus can be found here.

For inquiries, please contact Cassandra Johnson at Cassandra.Johnson@mail.house.gov.

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