Feb 8, 2024 - News

Columbus' expensive, public bathrooms finally open

Tyler Buchanan,
Alissa Widman Neese

An outdoor bathroom installed on a sidewalk. — One of three permanent public bathrooms in downtown Columbus. Photo: Tyler Buchanan/Axios

It took millions of dollars and years of delays, but three permanent bathrooms in downtown Columbus are finally set to open today.

Catch up quick: Columbus spent more than $2 million in pandemic relief funds on the project and hired the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District to administer it.

But the effort was "clogged up by a host of regulatory and operational problems," as the Dispatch put it.

Eye-popping stat: A total of 1,005 days passed between the first allocation of money in May 2021 and today's grand opening.

That means the installation of three bathrooms lasted longer than …

🏗 The construction of Nationwide Arena, Huntington Park or Lower.com Field.

📘 Columbus Metropolitan Library's main branch renovations.

🎨 The creation of the giant "Gavel" sculpture.

🏫 Kristina Johnson's OSU presidency.

Add Axios on Google

Columbus' expensive, public bathrooms finally open

More Columbus stories