Columbus Council advances $2.6M Gateway Entrance Plaza redesign

COLUMBUS, Ind. — Columbus officials are moving forward with plans to revitalize the city's primary downtown entryway.

The Columbus City Council approved three related ordinances on first reading to fund and establish the Gateway Entrance Plaza project along State Road 46.

The project reimagines two acres between 1st and 2nd Streets as a revitalized public space linking the 1821 Trail, the People Trail, and the downtown riverfront.

Designed by landscape architecture firm Merritt Chase, the site plan features dedicated monuments for police and fire departments, a flexible community lawn, native grass plantings, and improved pedestrian connectivity. The site honors the late Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Robert D. Garton, whose family spoke in favor of the project during the meeting.

Value-engineering efforts reduced the estimated project cost from $4.7 million down to a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) of $2.6 million. The project is funded by repurposing unspent funds from the completed State Road 46 Railroad Overpass project (Fund 2536).

While the Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC) and Bartholomew County agreed to repurpose their unspent balances, CSX Railroad declined, requiring the city to return CSX’s share. The remaining $3.2 million in transferred balance originates from Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds contributed by the Columbus Redevelopment Commission.

The vote was 5-to-2 in favor of the legislation. Council Members Jerone Wood and Kent Anderson voted against, citing concerns about municipal maintenance costs, limited parking, and alternative land-use priorities for the southern parcel.