Politics
Columbus City Council Approves 2027 Capital Budget Ordinance, Residents Face Phased Road and Transit Work Starting Next Year
The adopted measure schedules construction bids for select corridors in early 2027, with traffic pattern changes and service adjustments reaching daily commuters and nearby households by the second quarter of that year.
How we reported this
The Columbus City Council on July 7 adopted the 2027 Capital Budget Ordinance by a 6-1 vote, directing $312 million toward street resurfacing, traffic signal upgrades and new bus shelter installations along five corridors.
The ordinance follows the city’s March 2026 pavement condition report, which documented that 28 percent of arterial roads now rate below fair condition, prompting the council to accelerate replacement schedules rather than defer projects another fiscal year.
Changes for residents in specific neighborhoods
Households along East Main Street between Parsons Avenue and Nelson Road will see lane reductions and temporary bus stop relocations begin in March 2027, while crews install dedicated turn lanes and concrete pads for shelters; similar work on Livingston Avenue is listed to start in June 2027, affecting access to the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s main branch and nearby medical offices.
Property owners in the affected zones will receive mailed notices 90 days before any curb cuts or driveway impacts, according to the ordinance’s public notification section, and the city’s 311 system will log construction-related complaints for weekly review by the Department of Public Service.
Budget figures and timeline details
The adopted document allocates $87 million specifically for the five corridors, with $41 million drawn from general obligation bonds and the remainder from federal surface transportation grants; the city’s 2025 annual report recorded average daily traffic volumes exceeding 18,000 vehicles on East Main Street alone.
Procurement staff will issue requests for proposals by October 2026, with contract awards expected no later than February 2027 under the ordinance’s required bidding calendar; residents can track project milestones through the city’s online capital projects dashboard, which updates every two weeks once work begins.