Coleman made the request through a letter written on Dec. 31, less than two weeks after meeting with Obama and his transition staff, 10TV's Kevin Landers reported.
WEB EXTRA: Read Coleman's Letter (PDF File)
Coleman traveled to Washington on Thursday. He joined several other mayors and governors to meet with with Obama and listen to a speech the president-elect gave promoting the proposed stimulus package.
The light rail project was initially proposed several years ago, and federal money is needed for the project to become reality, said William Lhota, president of the Central Ohio Transit Authority.
"The $200 million that was in proposal that was presented today is money that would be used to restart the project," Lhota said.
The project would establish a 13-mile rail line running from Downtown north along High Street through the Short North to the Ohio State campus area, then proceeding from the Ohio State Fairgrounds up to the Delaware County Line.
Other rail lines could be added in the future.
Lhota said COTA's current tax revenue will not be diverted from bus service to pay for trains. This is why the federal money is needed.
"We will not take that that tax money and use it on a light rail project," Lhota said. "If the light rail project goes forward, it will stand on its own."
Coleman also requested stimulus money for several other projects:
- $32 million, for the Downtown/River South project
- $26 million, for infrastructure near Nationwide Children's Hospital and Sterling Commerce
- $59.4 million, to support environmentally friendly public buildings and improve water quality
- $12.6 million, in strategic transportation infrastructure requests.
According the mayor's letter, the city must close a $92 million budget gap for 2009 that will require cuts in programs and services. Coleman wrote that layoffs will be unavoidable if the city cannot close the deficit.
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