Columbus Northwest Corridor BRT Study

Services Provided:  Market Analysis, Ridership Forecasting, STOPS Modeling, Service Plan Development, FTA CIG Coordination 

Insight is providing market analysis and ridership forecasting support for the Columbus Northwest Corridor BRT Study. The efforts led to adoption of a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) and in advancing 

the project into FTA’s Capital Investment Grant Project Development phase.  

A corridor travel market assessment was conducted using a variety of data sources to understand the travel patterns in the corridor. Data from the American Community Survey, Census LEHD, MORPC travel demand model, Streetlight, and OSU student and faculty zip code information were utilized to understand the potential travel market that the project can serve. This analysis is helping the development of service plans in the corridor.  

The primary forecasting tool being used is the Simplified Trips on Project Software (STOPS). The corridor includes two of the largest employment generators in the Central Ohio region – downtown Columbus and The Ohio State University. Insight used COTA’s regional STOPS model as the basis and incorporated corridor-specific adjustments before using it for project forecasting purposes. 

Future tasks include coordination with the FTA regarding STOPS modeling and ridership forecasting as well as conducting a CIG rating evaluation to assess the trade-offs of CIG funding eligibility with desired project characteristics.