Site work and paving for a road / highway in Columbus, Ohio. Completed plans call for site work for a road / highway; and for paving for a road / highway.

Local leaders say a sales tax rate hike could be necessary to fund the region's new transit initiative, dubbed LinkUs. The initiative, launched in 2020 and spearheaded by the city of Columbus, Franklin County, the Central Ohio Transit Authority and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, would transform the region's transit and mobility systems and encourage development along key corridors. Newly released LinkUs plans include an $8 billion investment in enhanced and expanded transportation options. That investment would be funded via a half a percentage point tax increase, upping the portion of the local sales tax that goes to COTA from .5% to 1%. The overall sales tax rate is currently 7.5% in Columbus; with the increase it would be 8%. Joanna Pinkerton, COTA's CEO, said the authority's board of trustees is currently deciding whether to place the sales tax increase on the November ballot. Pinkerton said construction along some of the high-capacity corridors identified by the plan could start in 2024 if the increase is approved this fall. The proposed COTA sales tax increase would generate $61 million annually, or $1.65 billion through 2050, Pinkerton said. The municipalities in COTA's service area, all of Franklin County and small portions of Union, Delaware, Licking and Fairfield counties, would vote on and, if approved, pay the sales tax. Pinkerton said the sales tax is important for securing federal funds because it shows a dedicated local match. An important part of the plan for implementing LinkUs is leveraging local funds to secure federal grants made available through the federal bipartisan infrastructure bill. Pinkerton said the increased sales tax is on par with other cities and regions of our size. The portion of Cincinnati's sales tax that goes to their regional transit authority is .8%. As of 2020, Cincinnati's overall sales tax rate is 7.8%, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation. Cuyahoga County's overall sales tax rate is 8% and the portion of Cleveland's sales tax that goes to its transit authority is 1%. Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin told Columbus Business First that the region can use the LinkUs initiative as a tool for growth. "A city that stays the same falls behind," Hardin said. "We can't afford to stay the same when it comes to our mobility options, we have to improve. And at this step, we know that it's going to mean we need to make significant investments as a region in our mobility options. We believe that where we are with the federal government and the opportunities that we have for matching resources and partnerships, that we don't want to miss out on that." Early investments in infrastructure under the plan could include improvements to sidewalks, bike paths and intersections, said MORPC Executive Director William Murdock. Murdock said LinkUs would be transformative for the region. "What we're seeing with LinkUs, is it is it builds on all the momentum we have of these different plans to make this community get in front of growth, make this community the one that we want it to be," Murdock told Business First. Murdock said the idea is to encourage "transit-oriented development." That means growth would be focused in key areas with job centers, like the West Broad or East Main corridors. The initiative will make communities along the corridors, like Franklinton, the Hilltop or the Near East Side, more walkable and bike-friendly. By 2030, the region would include three high-capacity rapid-transit corridors, with more to come by 2050. Pinkerton said those corridors would offer more frequent, reliable public transportation service via dedicated lanes for more sophisticated vehicles. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This project, in partnership with the Central Ohio Transit Agency (COTA), the City of Columbus, Department of Public Service is initiating a procurement effort resulting in the award and execution of a task order contract with a consulting team to advance planning and engineering for a fixed-guideway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) for the LinkUS Northwest Corridor. This project will build upon and advance the recommendations of the Northwest Corridor Mobility Study (NWCMS). The consulting team will perform services to advance the design of the Locally Preferred Alternative for transit mode and alignment as identified in the NWCMS for submission of the project into Project Development (PD) as defined by the Final Interim Policy Guidance of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Capital Investment Grants Program (CIG), including production of all required elements necessary to request entry into PD as specified by the FTA. The contract may also be used to advance the project past the point of submission and through the Project Development phase, pending available budget, and other such work as may be necessary to complete the contract, as set forth in this Request for Proposals (RFP). A pre-proposal meeting will not be held. The selected Consultant shall attend a scope meeting anticipated to be held on/about May 10, 2021. If the Project Manager is not available, the Consultant may designate an alternate to attend in their place. The last day to submit questions is April 19, 2021; phone calls will not be accepted. Responses will be posted at online.Firms wishing to submit a proposal must meet the mandatory requirements stated in the RFP. All questions concerning the RFP are to be sent to capitalprojects@columbus.gov.