West Broad Street is one of Central Ohio’s busiest corridors, connecting key destinations, neighborhoods and job centers for people walking, biking and riding transit.

In July 2021, the COTA Board of Trustees adopted three Locally Preferred Alternatives, voting to advance the East Main Street and West Broad Street BRT corridors into the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants program. Community engagement ran alongside that work, with public outreach informing the technical analysis and helping shape the 30% design for both corridors.

In December 2022, the West Broad Street BRT project reached an early milestone with the completion of the 30% design phase. This phase outlines the basic layout of the project, including where buses run, how stations may look and function and how the corridor could change, before final details are decided.

The project team engaged residents to gather input on mobility and transit enhancements across Central Ohio neighborhoods. From virtual meetings to community festivals and a bike-along event, LinkUS reached more than 10,000 residents and businesses about the West Broad Street and East Main Street BRT corridors.

In August 2023, COTA submitted the West Broad Street BRT corridor project to the Federal Transit Administration for evaluation and rating under the Capital Investment Grant program, which scores transit projects on factors like land use, mobility and cost-effectiveness to allocate federal funding. The 60% design continued to advance alongside the start of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation in the fall. The project team also continued meeting with stakeholders at tabling events and community meetings across the corridor.

In November 2024, the LinkUS initiative passed with approval from 57% of voters in the COTA service area, securing the funding needed to move the project forward.
With that foundation in place, the project team completed the 60% design, began the 90% design and continued environmental studies for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Public engagement kept pace, with the outreach team attending 35 community events and reaching nearly 3,700 people. Door-to-door canvassing covered more than 90% of corridor businesses, collecting contact information and conducting surveys for future updates. The team also surveyed more than 500 riders on COTA Line 10, 70% of whom use COTA service daily.

Following the referendum and with construction ahead, COTA’s 2025 goal was to sustain project awareness and community connection through the months between major milestones.

On the design and regulatory front, COTA completed the 90% design phase in summer 2025, with final design work continuing through the remainder of the year. The team also completed the project’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation and submitted it to the Federal Transit Administration, receiving full approval in October, clearing the project for federal funding.

Community engagement kept pace. Across 44 events along the corridor, the engagement team connected with more than 4,600 people. COTA also launched the Business Hub program in 2025, partnering with corridor businesses to host pop-up events through the end of construction.

To prepare corridor businesses, institutions and the public for what’s ahead, COTA will deploy targeted communication and support strategies, including a business toolkit, project-specific hotlines, a contact list for timely notifications and resources on construction activity and impacts.

Also underway in 2026, the West Broad Corridor Transit-Oriented Development Plan is engaging residents and businesses to shape a community-informed vision for growth around each planned BRT station. The planning process runs through the end of the year, with a final plan release expected in November.