Mt. Vernon Avenue Phase 1 Construction Underway
City Engage page marks Vision Zero rebuild on MLK Blvd and Mt. Vernon as in construction through summer 2027.
The City of Columbus has moved the Mt. Vernon Avenue Area Phase 1 roadway project into active construction. The city's Engage Columbus project page, updated September 21, 2026, lists construction as the current stage on a Summer 2026 to Summer 2027 calendar, weather permitting.
Phase 1 covers Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from Hamilton Avenue to St. Clair Avenue and Mount Vernon Avenue from St. Clair Avenue to Champion Avenue in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville corridor on the Near East Side. Planned work includes protected bike lanes, rebuilt sidewalks and curbs, bus islands, and curb extensions meant to shorten crosswalks and slow drivers.
The corridor sits on the Vision Zero High Injury Network. City materials frame the redesign as a permanent follow-up to temporary safety fixes that already cut crashes at key intersections along the mile.
What neighbors should expect
Expect about a year of paving, utility, and lane work while crews replace storm sewer pieces, relocate power lines, and install concrete barriers for the bike lane. The Engage page pegs construction cost at about $7.1 million for this phase, on top of earlier study, design, right-of-way, and utility stages.
Mayor Andrew Ginther and Public Service leadership used a mid-September groundbreaking to mark the shift from temporary bollards and paint to permanent concrete. Residents who walk, bike, or ride COTA along Mt. Vernon should watch detour notes as segments close for curb and median work.
Why it matters on the Near East Side
The corridor is both a neighborhood Main Street and a Vision Zero priority. Safer crossings and a protected bike lane change how people reach shops, churches, and bus stops between Hamilton and Champion without treating the street as a high-speed cut-through.
Follow schedule notes on the city Engage page. Map the area with our Near East Side page, keep an eye on related city coverage under news, and pair a weekend walk with weekend in Columbus when the work zone allows a clear path.
Construction is underway. Check Engage Columbus before you plan a bike or drive through the Mt. Vernon corridor.
