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Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee
The Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee is a joint subcommittee of the Finance, Economic Development, and Vibrant Neighborhoods Committees. The motion establishing the committee was submitted by Councilmembers Berding, Cole, Bortz, Cranley and Qualls in September 2007, and accepted by all nine members of Council.
The purpose of this subcommittee is to engage in strategic planning and coordination of the I-75 corridor. The focus includes the Interstate 75 corridor, related infrastructure and the Mill Creek. The work of the subcommittee will influence the city’s other transportation and infrastructure projects, provide a model for integrated departmental planning and community participation, and set design standards within the corridor.
Description of the I-75 corridor
In 1999 the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana (OKI) Regional Council of Governments initiated the North South Transportation Initiative. This project was a comprehensive evaluation of the transportation needs within the major north-to-south transportation corridor that spans nearly 100 miles from Miami County, through Dayton, Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
The principle transportation arteries through this area include Interstate 75 and adjacent railroad lines. Having served people and commerce since the 1950s, these arteries are essential to the economic and social vitality of our region. Today Interstate 75 and the parallel railroads are among the busiest in the nation based on the movement of people and goods.
Some of the goals of the OKI study included sustaining the operational condition of the existing system and maximizing safety, efficiency and cost effectiveness; addressing design, safety, congestion and mobility problems; supporting opportunities for economic development; and, maintaining and improving community-wide and regional quality of life. Completed in 2003, the North South Transportation Initiative established the groundwork for the redevelopment of the I-75 corridor through Cincinnati.
In conjunction with OKI’s study, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) initiated three projects within greater Cincinnati. These included the Thru-the-Valley Project (extending from Interstate 275 to Paddock Road), the Mill Creek Expressway Project (extending from Paddock Road to the Western Hills Viaduct) and the Brent Spence Bridge Project (extending from the Western Hills Viaduct to Kyles Lane in Northern Kentucky).
Goals of the Subcommittee
The Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee is a working group that meets weekly in order to engage in strategic planning and coordination of the Interstate 75 corridor. Specifically the subcommittee focuses on the corridor through the City of Cincinnati, from Galbraith Road in the north to the Brent Spence Bridge in the south. The subcommittee realizes that a comprehensive transportation infrastructure plan in this area will address a variety of issues, including connections and access to abutting neighborhoods and downtown, the existing and/or proposed street network, and expressway entrances and exits. This type of approach is essential for ensuring the full social and economic development potential of fifteen neighborhoods our downtown area.
The subcommittee understands that there are tremendous opportunities available with a project of this magnitude; therefore, a variety of city departments will coordinate their activities towards a comprehensive plan. These departments include Transportation and Engineering, Economic Development, Community Development and Planning, Office of Environmental Quality, Parks, Public Services, Metropolitan Sewer District and Water Works.
Interdepartmental coordination will focus on integrating green infrastructure, establishing urban design standards and creating opportunities for transportation alternatives, all while emphasizing economic development. One notable opportunity, for example, is reestablishing the intimate blocks, narrow streets and dense urban development of our historic land use patterns in order to reconnect the unique urban fabric. This will undoubtedly revitalize and strengthen the vibrant communities within our great city.
Download Meeting Packets from Subcommittee Meetings
(Links to uploaded meeting packets)
Download: Meeting #1: November 27, 2007
Download: Meeting #2: December 4, 2007
Download: Meeting #3: December 11, 2007
Download: Meeting #4: December 18, 2007
Download: Meeting #5: January 5, 2008
Download: Meeting #6: January 29, 2008
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