Columbus has $1.2 billion invested in ongoing infrastructure projects. See progress.
Around Columbus, more than $1.2 billion is committed to infrastructure projects that range from baseball stadium upgrades to a new judicial center.
City officials recently provided an update on all the city’s ongoing construction projects, with major updates for the initiatives going into 2025.
Here’s what to know about the city’s biggest projects.
New Columbus Judicial Center
Construction is underway for the new $207.5 million Judicial Center.
The eight-story, 342,000-square-foot building along 10th Street is on schedule, said Ryan Pruett, director of inspections and code, during a presentation to the Columbus Council.
Of the budget, SPLOST taxes funded $200 million with the council approving another $7.5 million for an additional floor, Pruett said.
There will be 14 courtrooms with space to accommodate an additional four courtrooms. It will house:
Superior Court
State Court, Probate Court
Municipal/Magistrate Court
Juvenile Court
Accountability Court
District Attorney’s Office
Solicitor General’s Office
Public Defender
Clerk of Superior/State Court
Clerk of Municipal Court
All of the above departments are currently located in the government center tower, which has about 170,000 square feet, Pruett said. When the new building is complete, they will have about double the space they’re currently operating in.
Crews had completed about two-thirds of the basement slab at the time of the presentation and were preparing to begin working on the ground floor. The building is expected to be completed in summer 2026.
After all of the departments are moved in, the city will then demolish the existing government center tower. The plan is still to implode the tower, Pruett said, and demolition is expected to occur in 2027.
Columbus’ public pools
Three public pools have been closed to the public because of construction.
The reopening of Rigdon Park, Shirley B. Winston and Psalmond Road pools have faced delays this year, but Pruett informed the council that construction is expected to be completed “well before May.”
“Parks and Recreation will open them for the next swimming season,” he said.
Synovus Park
Work is progressing on Synovus Park, formerly named Golden Park, which will house the Atlanta Braves’ Double-A affiliate, the Columbus Clingstones. The council approved this $50 million project last spring.
The Patron building and clubhouse structures are complete, Pruett told the Ledger-Enquirer. The framing is complete in the new suites, and crews have begun working on the interior finish work.
Work is still being done on installing the new press box structure, he said, and substantial work on the playing field has been completed. This includes the installation of new drainage and irrigation systems.
Synovus Park’s stadium bowl will remain exactly the same, Pruett said, and the installation of the seating system will continue into January. They are scheduled to install sod on the field in January.
The project is on track to be completed before Opening Day on April 15, 2025.
Other upcoming infrastructure projects include Liberty Theatre, Splash Pads, park improvements, Trade Center Parking Garage and fire station renovations.
More projects under construction
Williams Road/Fortson Road Roundabout: Project began in April 2024 and is expected to be completed in September 2025. It has a budget of about $5 million and is about 15% complete.
35th Street/2nd Avenue Stormwater Relocation: This project began in September 2023 and was nearing completion as of Nov. 2024. The budget was about $2.5 million
Mott’s Green Plaza Enhancement: The project included a riverwalk realignment and re-use of existing donor brick and began in May. It’s expected to be completed by the end of the year with a budget of about $1.4 million
I-185/Buena Vista Road Interchange: This GDOT-managed project, with a budget of $47.7 million, is about 70% complete and has funding from the 2012 TSPLOST. The new bridge on the south side of the project is complete, said the director of engineering Vance Beck, and the columns and median on the north side of the project are completed. This project is expected to be completed next summer.
I-185/Cusseta Road Interchange: GDOT is also managing this project, which is 42% complete. It has a budget of $58 million and also has funds from the 2012 TSPLOST. The project is estimated to be completed in Fall 2026.
SR1/US27 Widening: With a $40 million budget, GDOT is also managing this $40 million project funded by the 2012 TSPLOST. The project is 17% complete. Completion is expected to be towards the end of 2026.
Bradley Park at J.R. Allen Diverging Diamond is another GDOT project that is about 42% complete.
Where does the money come from?
Funding for these projects has come from various sources, according to a Nov. 12 presentation to the council, including:
2012 and 2022 Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
TSPLOST Discretionary Funds
Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax 2021
Other Local Option Sales Tax Infrastructure Fund
Stormwater Fund
Paving Fund
Georgia Department of Transportation
Private Donations and public-private partnerships
Columbus Building Authority Bonds
The projects funded with the $1.2 billion have already been budgeted between 2010-2024 or will be budgeted in the future, Deputy City Manager Pam Hodge said during the presentation.
“Money is being spent not in just one area but all over Columbus,” said city manager Isaiah Hugley.
