Cincinnati's Department of Transportation and Engineering on Thursday unveiled some ideas related to the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project. It's been working with the Ohio Department of Transportation to revamp bridges over I-75 and restore a few parts of the city's street grid Downtown.
The city shared the ideas during a monthly meeting of its 15-member community advisory committee.
Among the proposals: adding 50 feet to each side of the bridge carrying Ezzard Charles Drive over I-75. The extra space would host greenspace at first, but would be built to support the construction of commercial buildings up to three stories tall, DOTE Director John Brazina said. The added space would cost about $15 million, according to DOTE.
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That bridge and several others crossing the highway at 9th, 7th and 6th streets would also get shared-use paths, landscaping and visual screens to blend in with the urban environment around them and separate them from the highway.
"The purpose of this project is to reconnect the communities," Brazina said in an interview. "So these treatments on these bridges are going to reconnect the Queensgate area to the West End and also to the [central business district]."
Another proposal by DOTE would add a local street running next to about nine acres of reclaimed land east of the highway. The street would run from a highway ramp Fifth Street and connect with Winchell Avenue.
A third idea from DOTE would add improved local road connections where W. 8th and W. 9th streets meet Gest Street in Queensgate.
Brazina says the changes would help knit together the street grid disrupted by the highway in those areas.
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The ideas will go to design/build team the Walsh Group and Kokosing next, Brazina says, along with proposals from alternative design advocates Bridge Forward. The design build team will also have their own concepts they'll introduce.
Bridge Forward has advocated for plans it says would free up more space Downtown and better reconnect areas isolated by the highway. But ODOT officials have said their plans would add costs and would be unworkable in places.
The initial Bridge Forward plan claimed to free up about six city blocks worth of space by lowering I-75 in a fashion similar to Fort Washington Way and building a street grid overtop, among other measures. The group has revised its plans to respond to critique by ODOT and has garnered support from some high-profile figures, including former Mayors John Cranley and Mark Mallory.
"Bridge Forward Cincinnati appreciates the suggested changes to the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project that were submitted by the City of Cincinnati’s Administration earlier today. The City has recognized the value of a street grid, pedestrian connectivity to Queensgate and the opportunity to reclaim developable land," the group said in a statement. "While we do appreciate the changes, more can be done. Tremendous opportunities remain during the Design Build Innovation Period ending in early December, so it is incumbent on the administration to hold a public hearing within the next week to evaluate the features and benefits of both plans."
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The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor revamp got a big boost at the start of this year when the Biden administration awarded $1.6 billion toward the more than $3 billion effort to construct a companion bridge and improve surrounding roadways.
"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," Mayor Aftab Pureval said Thursday in a statement about the new proposals. "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."