Columbus officials have approved a contract with an engineering firm who will work on the purchase and acquisition of required right-of-way for the city’s Talley Road project.
The Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety approved a contract for real estate services with Janssen & Spaans Engineering, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $433,525.
City officials said 47 parcels will be touched by the project on Talley Road between 25th Street and Rocky Ford Road, which will include the widening of the northbound and southbound lanes to 11 feet, along with improvements to curb and gutter and the storm sewer, according to City Engineer Andrew Beckort.
“So quite a bit of work,” he told the board. “… Most of these parcels are temporary, where we just need it to either reconnect the driveway or do some grading. There are a few that are permanent, but quite a few temporary.”
There will also be a new 10-foot shared-use path on the east side of Talley Road and a 5-foot sidewalk on the west side, along with the construction of a new bridge over Sloan Branch, about a quarter-mile north of 25th Street.
“Right now we’re looking at fiscal year 2027 for construction,” the city engineer said. “It’s going to move back a year just from some delays. So we need to have all of the right-of-ways acquired by probably end of next year.”
Representatives from Janssen & Spaans Engineering and Metric Environmental, LLC joined Beckort in July to go over the plans for the public.
The eventual project will utilize federal dollars through the Columbus Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO). Federal funding would pay for 80% of the project and the city would be responsible to put up 20% in matching funds.
The transformation of Talley Road into a major city thoroughfare has been part of the Transportation Improvement Plan, which is maintained by CAMPO, since 2017.
During that time it was estimated that the Talley Road project would require $2,196,000 in federal money, as well as $740,000 in matching grants, city officials said previously.
