Midwest City Scoop: Construction Starts in Columbus

Total Construction Spending in Columbus Expected to Increase Slightly in 2018

Residential, transportation and environmental public work sectors should see spending increases.

City Grill

Jeff Coffey
Director, Water
DLZ Ohio

DLZ’s design of Columbus’ $368-million, 20-ft-dia, 170-ft-deep tunnel project was completed recently. It’s the biggest capital project ever for Columbus.

“The OSIS Augmentation and Relief Sewer (OARS) was originally conceived as a shallow sewer, but since it had to go through downtown, it seemed more feasible to make it a tunnel. It acts both for equalization and conveys the flow down to the treatment plant. In a normal year, OARS alone will save about 2 billion gallons of combined sewer overflow from going into the Olentangy River,” Coffey says.

Firm in Focus

DLZ Corp.
6121 Huntley Rd. Columbus, Ohio
CEO: Vikram “Raj” Rajadhyaksha
Employees: 600
Founded: 1978
Lower Olentangy Tunnel: The relief sewer project ends in the arena district. DLZ is already designing LOT, a three-mile-long combined sewer project to connect downtown and Ohio State University.