Central Parkway Gateway Program
The Downtown Section of Central Parkway between Central Avenue and Broadway currently forms a barrier between the Central Business District and Over-the-Rhine.
The concept of this gateway corridor is to re-establish the intimate pedestrian character of the parkway and to better link downtown and Over-The-Rhine. One idea is to establish a theme such as "Presidential Parkway" to celebrate all of the Ohio Presidents.
The physical components of the Presidential Parkway would be the re-creation of the two eastern most islands that were removed in the 1940’s and 1950’s. The improvements would consist of landscaping these islands, planting major street trees on both sides or flanks of the parkway and the addition of monuments or sculptures at the ends of the islands commemorating the Ohio Presidents.
The State ISTEA project includes the two islands which are to be located at the eastern end of the downtown section of Central Parkway adjacent to the Hamilton County Courthouse and the Alms and Doepke Building. They will form the eastern entryway to the northeast section of downtown and to the Hamilton County Government complex. This project is to include the infrastructure and lighting for the islands themselves. Private co-sponsors are needed for the landscaping of the islands and ongoing landscape maintenance.
