CINCINNATI – The bottom deck of the Western Hills Viaduct will be closed to all traffic between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. this Saturday, May 22, for a scheduled inspection. The ramp at Exit 2B from southbound Interstate 75 to the viaduct also will be closed Saturday.

During the full closure, local motorists heading east will be detoured via the top deck to Central Parkway, then Brighton Place to Harrison Avenue to Spring Grove Avenue. 

Those local motorists heading west from Spring Grove will be detoured along the same route via Harrison to Brighton Place, then Central Parkway to the top deck. 

Motorists on I-75 south can detour via Exit 2A at Western Avenue/Liberty Street. Motorists traveling north on I-75 can detour via Exit 1G at Ezzard Charles Drive. 

Detour signage will be posted on site to help guide motorists. 

The top deck of the viaduct will remain open at all times. 

In addition, there will be various daily lane closures on the bottom deck 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. beginning tomorrow, Friday, May 21, through next Thursday, May 27. All lanes on the bottom deck will reopen to through traffic after crews finish for the day.

Motorists should approach the area with caution. There also will be crews inspecting an entrance ramp via State Street on the west end of the viaduct. Flaggers will be on site to safely direct motorists away from the work zone and to the ramp.

Crews will be conducting close-up visual inspections on about 70 structural members, which include various beams, stringers and girders. These so-called “arm’s length” inspections take place every two years and are part of the City’s normal, periodic review and maintenance of the viaduct. 

The deteriorating, 89-year-old viaduct is reaching the end of its useful life. Officials with the city and Hamilton County are leading a joint effort to replace it. The viaduct remains safe for travel but the city is increasing maintenance efforts, with the installation of the netting this year and the addition of weight limits for certain types of three-axel trucks last year. 

Please note: Weight limits apply to heavily loaded, single-unit trucks, not two-axle vehicles that include most buses or multi-unit trucks such as semi tractor-trailers.   

Site preparation for a new bridge is expected to begin this summer or fall. The existing viaduct will remain in place until its replacement is completed in 2028.

Read more about the replacement project at www.cincinnati-oh.gov/WHV.