Central Ohio receives millions in funding for road safety

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Federal funding will go toward the proposed Coalition for Integrated Road User Safety (CIRUS) planning initiative sweeping central Ohio for road safety improvements. 

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) and the Central Ohio Rural Planning Organization (CORPO) will be awarded $4.8 million in funds for the initiative. 

“MORPC is excited to partner with the Ohio Department of Transportation, Honda, Transportation Research Center, the Ohio State University, and many other stakeholders to improve roadway safety throughout Central Ohio. Central Ohio’s seven-county rural area is projected to add more than 130,000 residents and 47,000 new jobs over the next 25 years,” said Parag Agrawal, Chief Mobility Officer for MORPC. “With so many additional residents using the region’s roadways, prioritizing and improving transportation safety is vital. CIRUS will promote regional coordination, and will focus on Safer Roads, Safer Speeds, Safer Vehicles and Post-Crash Care.” 

CIRUS is a three-year, $6 million public-private partnership that aims to raise roadway safety across central Ohio. The initiative focuses on seven rural counties and is part of larger safety efforts across the region. it includes road safety audits, evaluation of advanced vehicle safety and identification of high risk corridors. 

This initiative will be comes a national model for rural transportation safety with a commitment to reducing fatal and serious injury crashes along CORPO roadways.

Transportation planning products and services in CORPO are being offered via MORPC to Fairfield, Knox, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway and Union counties