Central Ohio has historically been a crossroads for transportation since the national road, the canals, the early railroads, and the interstate system. Central Ohio is strategically located within a one day truck drive/one hour flight of 51 percent of the United States population and 53 percent of its manufacturing. Central Ohio’s location led to our early development as a logistical center. Today, our location is just as critical, but when coupled with our efforts as a community, our success keeps growing.

MORPC's goal is to engage leaders in the central Ohio region in a public/private partnership for our economy and for the mobility of freight and goods. This is done in order to advance the region’s freight movement in a reliable, multimodal and intermodal, efficient, cost-effective, safe, and environmentally responsible manner, in order to maintain central Ohio as an international freight center

Federal transportation guidelines contain specific provisions to incorporate goods movement and economic development (or, more simply, freight) considerations in the MPO planning process. Through its long-range transportation planning, TIP development, and the conduct of technical studies (e.g., Greater Columbus Inland Port Studies, Central Ohio Regional Rail Study, Case-Study in ODOT’s Freight Impact’s on Ohio’s Roadway System Study, Central Ohio Freight Fact Book, Freight Trend Study etc.), MORPC has proactively sought to fulfill the federal requirement to include freight as a planning factor.

Chad Davie (614)233-4149 or cdavie@morpc.org