Editor's Note: Please see updated renderings below showing the proposed wider deck over I-75 via Ezzard Charles Drive.

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Department of Transportation & Engineering has proposed several major recommendations to the team managing the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project to help address city goals about the configuration north of the Ohio River.

First, a recommendation to build a wider deck over Interstate 75 along Ezzard Charles Drive would be transformational. The space would allow for enhanced landscaping and potential development on the crossing while increasing connectivity and pedestrian paths.

Second, the team has recommended changes that will improve connectivity between the West End, Queensgate and the Central Business District.

"This project is a generational opportunity to correct the mistakes of the past and stitch communities back together - particularly in the West End and Queensgate," said Mayor Aftab Pureval. "With these proposals, we are building on our advocacy for the reclamation of land and better pedestrian connectivity. In partnership with ODOT and local stakeholders, we will continue to work toward the best outcome possible for residents."

The city’s recommendation for Ezzard Charles Drive doesn’t change the crossing distance but instead increases the width of the overpass to allow for more greenspace, the ability to support a small commercial or retail development and create a distinctive entryway for the Cincinnati Museum Center and the West End neighborhood.  

The other major recommendations would establish a new local street on the east side of I-75 to support the nearly 10 acres of developable land north and south of Fifth Street and increase access to and from Queensgate via a new intersection at Gest Street where West Eighth and Ninth streets meet.

"We're really excited about our recommendations," said John Brazina, director of the city's transportation department. "Our recommendations are feasible from an engineering perspective and they improve connectivity between the city's urban core and Queensgate. They strike a good balance based on the public input we've received."

Please see the renderings and maps below for more details.

The city shared its recommendations Thursday, Oct. 19, during a monthly meeting with its 15-member community advisory committee, which includes representatives from nearby neighborhood associations, business organizations, the Hamilton County Engineer and other stakeholders. 

The recommendations come now that the progressive design-build team is under contract and has received its official Notice to Proceed from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), beginning what’s known as the innovation period. 

Although the city has been collaborating with ODOT on the project’s design north of the Ohio River since the inception in the early 2000s, its feedback now reflects formal, additional input from residents, the business community and other stakeholders in the footprint of the project in Cincinnati.

The 60-day innovation period ends in early December. During this period, the project’s construction contractor Walsh Kokosing Joint Venture will analyze all stakeholder recommendations to help determine their feasibility and associated costs. 

About the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project
The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project is designed to improve approximately eight miles of Interstates 71 and 75 through Kentucky and Ohio, including the addition of a new companion bridge to the west of the existing Brent Spence Bridge to reduce congestion, improve traffic flow and safety, and maintain key regional and national transportation corridors.

More information about the project.

 

 

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