The Ohio State University (OSU) broke ground on a new compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station, which will serve the university’s Department of Transportation and Traffic Management, as well as the City of Columbus, and may be utilized by additional university, state agency and central Ohio municipalities.

“Resource stewardship is a critical part of our quest to be a global leader in sustainability,” said Ohio State President Michael V. Drake. “I’m proud of this step forward to a more economical alternative fuel for our bus system, and I look forward to exploring how the rest of our university fleet, including cars and vans, can be powered by CNG.”

OSU’s Campus Area Bus Service (CABS) will fuel a portion of its fleet at the $3 million CNG station with long-term plans to transition all CABS buses and other fleet vehicles to alternative fuel models.

The university currently operates four CNG buses and will add six more by October 2017.

The CNG fueling station highlights the university’s commitment to providing sustainable transportation solutions for its campus community. The addition of a fueling station comes one year after OSU welcomed a university bike share system to its Columbus campus. Construction will begin immediately with the station expected to be operational by early 2017.