Lessons from a long walk down Broad Street
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The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, the old saying goes.
Treading the news: I left a West Side parking lot the morning of Aug. 16 with one goal in mind: Walk the length of Broad Street to the opposite end of Columbus.
Why it matters: Broad Street encapsulates our whole region on one heavily traversed road — a cross-section of suburban sprawl, downtown hubbub and diverse neighborhoods that showcase both where we've been and where we're going.
- It's easier to appreciate all that from the ground during a nice, slow walk.
The big picture: I discovered countless businesses, restaurants and scenic views I'd never noticed before while riding in a fast-moving car.
- Along the way, I passed 16 food trucks — most serving Mexican cuisine — and 11 different brands of gas stations.
Yes, but: The experience also opened my eyes to just how dangerous Columbus can be for pedestrians.
- One stretch near Hollywood Casino is surrounded by two Mark Wahlberg car dealerships, an auto parts store, a car wash and eight lanes of traffic — yet no sidewalk or bike lane.
Intersections are especially brutal. Pedestrian crossing markings are often faded or missing entirely.
- Some intersections have wide stretches to negotiate and offer only enough time for Olympic speed walkers to make it.
- I saw children run and wheelchair users hurry across roads to avoid oncoming traffic.
Between the lines: Disparities became obvious between West and East Broad Street neighborhoods.
- Three-fourths of West Broad Street residents live in an area of "persistent poverty," according to LinkUs, a regional initiative that proposes much-needed infrastructure improvements.
Meanwhile, in wealthier Bexley, pedestrians have safe sidewalks and crossings, along with superior tree coverage.
Of note: I had planned to reach Columbus' Far East city limits, but my 15-mile journey was cut short in Whitehall.
- The sidewalk ended again and the berm narrowed. It didn't feel safe to continue.
🏗 What's next for Broad Street
Change is always happening on Broad Street, from the recent opening of the 198-room Junto hotel to converting the PNC tower's former Galleria building into what the Dispatch calls "a dining and drinking destination."
- And there are smaller developments, like Third Way Cafe relocating across the street in the Hilltop. Its new building features an adorable mural of cats working construction.
The intrigue: Another major project involves a total transformation of the former Woodcliff neighborhood in Whitehall, near where my walk ended.
- The blighted community, once declared a public health nuisance, was purchased by the city in 2018 and left abandoned while awaiting demolition.
What's happening: With the homes razed and utilities work underway, developers should begin vertical construction early next year, Whitehall spokesperson Megan Meyer tells me.
- The new community will feature 1,000 residential units, business and retail space, plus an 80-acre nature park.
Nearby, Discover is investing $16 million to renovate a 103,000-square-foot-building for a new customer care center.
- Whitehall is planning a multi-phase overhaul of Broad Street to better accommodate all this development, Meyer notes.
What they're saying: "I think that speaks to what's going on in Central Ohio," she says of the Broad Street happenings, amid a regional population boom.
State of play: Columbus plans to renovate other areas of Broad Street — the crash-heavy James Road intersection and a Far East stretch near the I-270 interchange.
- The biggest proposal would turn the nine-mile length of West Broad Street — from Rockbrook Crossing Avenue to downtown — into a rapid transit corridor.
Details: The project would include dedicated bus lanes, new sidewalks, crosswalk enhancements and buffered bike lanes.
- The $8 billion cost for this and two other transit corridors would be paid for by a 0.5% COTA sales tax increase that may appear on next year's ballot, Columbus Underground reports.