By - $7 million infrastructure project for new sidewalks, protected bike lanes and other roadway enhancements will support safe mobility
City of Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, the Department of Public Service and the King Lincoln-Bronzeville community broke ground Wednesday, September 16, 2026, for a $7 million construction project designed to make it safer to walk and ride a bike along Mt. Vernon Avenue while adding other infrastructure focused on getting drivers to slow down.
The project from Hamilton Avenue to Champion Avenue will construct safety improvements that include new sidewalks, a concrete barrier to separate new bike lanes, and curb extensions and bus islands for pedestrian and transit use.
Combined with resurfacing the roadway and the addition of new roadway striping and pavement markings, these improvements will also help to decrease driver speeds on Mt. Vernon.
“This Mt. Vernon Avenue improvements project is one example of how residents’ city income tax dollars are invested in our neighborhoods through my capital budget projects,” said Mayor Ginther.
“The King Lincoln-Bronzeville community’s collaboration with the city prioritized the need for safe pedestrian and biking infrastructure along this important roadway, and this project will deliver that.”
The infrastructure improvements were outlined in the Bronzeville/Mt. Vernon Avenue Mobility and Safety Action Plan, which was developed through the city’s partnership with Bronzeville Moves, an advisory coalition of residents, the Near East Area Commission, community and faith-based organizations, businesses, and other neighborhood stakeholders.
The city’s funding commitment with Vision Zero bond dollars leveraged $3.5 million in grant dollars, including Highway Safety Improvements Program funding and Safe Routes to School funding for sidewalks accessible to students walking to Champion Middle School.
“These roadway improvements align with our Vision Zero Columbus principles to ensure that Mt. Vernon Avenue is a safe street for all forms of travel, with safe speeds and access to the many destinations along this corridor that are important to residents,” said Director Kelly Scocco of the Department of Public Service.
Interim improvements installed early in the project design phase, and to be made permanent during construction, demonstrated measurable safety benefits to address community concerns about speeding, crashes and near misses at the Mt. Vernon Avenue and Champion Avenue intersection.
The “quick-build” pilot installed all-way stop signs at the intersection and striped designated parking lanes on Mt. Vernon with marked curb extensions. Before and after data showed that crashes reduced by 91 percent, and no fatal crashes have occurred post-installation. Right-angle crashes, the most frequent type at the intersection, dropped by 94 percent.
Construction of the Mt. Vernon Avenue roadway improvements is expected to take approximately one year.
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