The City of Columbus is presenting alternatives for the Columbus South Mobility Study, and seeking public input through an online meeting.
The City of Columbus is asking for the public to provide input on draft alternatives for the Columbus South Mobility Study, which is evaluating the potential need for improvements to safely and efficiently move east-west vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the southern portion of the City. This study was a recommended action item from the Long Range Transportation Plan developed in 2018 and is included in the current budget as authorized by the City Council.
The online meeting will be available at www.columbusne.us/mobilitystudy/alternatives from June 15, 2020 through June 29, 2020. The public will have an opportunity to review and comment on draft alternatives, including a no-build alternative, mini-roundabouts, widening key intersections, or two, one-way streets referred to as a one-way couplet. The City is also evaluating other pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
“We are taking a hard look at a wide variety of draft alternatives at this stage, and no decisions have been made yet,” said Rick Bogus, City of Columbus Engineer. “We want to know what the public thinks of these alternatives to help us right-size a solution for this area.”
The study area primarily focuses on 8th Street from U.S. Highway 30/81 (33rd Avenue) on the west to just past 3rd Avenue on the east. The northern limits of the study area extend to the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) tracks and the southern limits of the study area extend to the Loup River Levee. The study has been underway since January 2020 and began with data collection and a traffic and safety analysis. This analysis included a review of crash and congestion data, historical and current traffic volume data, and future traffic forecasts within the study area. Based on data collection, alternatives have been developed to help facilitate safe and efficient traffic movements. Alternatives are currently being evaluated and take a variety of technical criteria and public input into consideration.
The next step towards completing this study is to further refine alternatives based on technical analyses and public feedback received through the February 2020 survey and this online meeting. A final study report identifying a recommended alternative is anticipated to be complete in August 2020.
To learn more about the study, visit columbusne.us/mobilitystudy.