Crews broke ground Monday on a new pedestrian bridge project in Grove City that is funded by sales tax dollars from the LinkUs initiative.
The Hoover Road bridge over I-71 will get wider walkways on both sides of the road, making it easier for bikes and pedestrians. It's one of more than 80 projects in the region slated to get funding from LinkUs.
Officials with Grove City, the Central Ohio Transit Authority and other organizations spoke at a ceremony nearby as work began. The road is reduced to one lane of traffic from now until the fall before the school year begins.
Only southbound traffic will be allowed through, while northbound traffic is detoured to White Road.
The project is funded with $2.2 million from the LinkUs sales tax that voters passed in November 2024 and took effect in April 2025.
Joshua Stamper, owner of Heritage Cycles bike shop in Grove City, said he and other cyclists call the overpass Mount Hoover. He said the overpass is a barrier to people trying to bike to school or work where the highway splits the city in two.
"The sidewalk, there's a big drop-off, it's narrow. If there's somebody coming the other way, there's nowhere really for you to go," Stamper said.
Central Ohio Transit Authority CEO Monica Tellez-Fowler said projects that get this funding will connect people to COTA bus service. Tellez-Fowler said projects like the bridge will make it easier to reach COTA bus stops.
"That's what it's all about, is really creating the mobility system so everything connects and you can access anything from wherever you are," she said.
Grove City Mayor Ike Stage said the city has tried for years to find a project to connect the east and west sides of Grove City, which is separated by I-71.
"One of the things that's always difficult in any community is how do you connect people, how do connect them safely, and to make sure that we're doing the right thing for our citizens and our future citizens," Stage said. "And this particularly meets that demand."
LinkUs aims to fund more than 80 sidewalks and shared-use path projects around the region. It will also boost COTA's bus service and add bus rapid transit lines.
Tellez-Fowler said the bus rapid transit routes are making progress, but the agency is waiting to hear back on federal funding.
Officials expect the Hoover Road project to be completed by the end of the year.
