Cincinnati officials say the city is doing all it can to address traffic congestion while the southbound I-471 Daniel Carter Beard Bridge remains closed.
The Cincinnati Fire Department announced four arrests in connection to the Nov. 1 playground fire that damaged the bridge, including two people charged with felony aggravated arson.
LISTEN: We talk to transportation officials about the work ahead after bridge fire
"I cannot overstate the severity of this crime," Mayor Aftab Pureval said Wednesday. "Not just the public safety crisis that it created on the night of the blaze affecting the people on and around the bridge; not just the millions of dollars that will be needed from taxpayers to repair the bridge; but also the daily frustration and disruption of millions of Tri-State residents' lives because of this brazen crime."
Here's what we know about the fire, the investigation, the bridge repairs, and traffic congestion.
Note: you can watch Wednesday's press conference on the city's Facebook page at this link.
Four people arrested and charged
Cincinnati Fire Chief Frank McKinley says four people have been arrested and charged in connection to the playground fire.
Zachary Stumpf, 23, and Terry Stiles, 39, were arrested late Tuesday and are each charged with aggravated arson. Kaitlen Hall, 24, and James Hamilton, 26, are each charged with two counts of obstructing justice. All the charges are felonies.
All four were arraigned Wednesday. Bond was set at $1 million each for Stumpf and Stiles, who are accused of intentionally setting the fire. They're both listed to be back in court on Dec. 17. Bond was set at $60,000 cash for Hall and Hamilton.
Hall is charged with lying to investigators about knowing the two men and how to contact them. Hamilton is charged with harboring Stumpf and Stiles.
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McKinely answered very few questions Wednesday about how and why the fire was started.
"We don't know right now what the intent was."Cincinnati Fire Chief Frank McKinely
It's not known if an accelerant was used to start the fire.
"There's enough material out there — combustible material — to start a playground fire without accelerant," McKinley said. "But once again, I just want to be clear that we're not ruling anything out at this point."
One cause officials say they've ruled out: people experiencing homelessness.
The fire chief said they are not currently seeking other suspects, but will not rule out the possibility of future arrests. He asked anyone who was driving on the bridge on the night of the fire to contact Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
Traffic congestion
Tens of thousands of drivers are taking alternate routes across the Ohio River daily while the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge’s southbound lanes are closed.
A traffic analysis by the Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments says two Downtown bridges are picking up most of the traffic: the Taylor-Southgate Bridge and the Brent Spence Bridge. There also are upticks in traffic on Clay Wade Bailey and Roebling bridges.
City Manager Sheryl Long says she understands the frustration of the additional traffic congestion.
"My administration — particularly [the Department of Transportation and Engineering] and the police department — is closely monitoring the effects of the bridge closure, adjusting the timing of traffic lights, and working with our state transportation partners to address those concerns as best as we can."
Long says they are monitoring traffic daily and making adjustments as needed. She says there are no plans to deploy Cincinnati Police officers to direct traffic at congested intersections.
"We have to monitor all the public safety things that are going on and looking at what is the immediate need at the moment," she said. "Remember, the same officers that do traffic enforcement are the same officers that also solve crimes, right?"
Traffic signals in northern Kentucky are also operating on adjusted timeframes to alleviate some congestion.
Jake Ryle, public information officer for KYTC District 6, says longer green lights were originally in place from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.
"We've pushed it now back to 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at those five strategic intersections along KY-8," Ryle said. "Basically what we're trying to do is flush the traffic from Taylor Southgate Bridge over to I 471 southbound through Newport and getting them onto the highway, the main line highway, as quickly as we can, as efficiently, but also as safely as we can as well."
Ryle says they have to consider pedestrian safety and major side streets such as Monmouth.
In Covington, Ryle says engineers have installed new controllers at 47 intersections throughout state routes. That allows for real-time adjustments to traffic lights.
Ryle encourages drivers to check GPS apps each day to find the quickest way to your destination during peak travel times.
Bridge repairs and timeline
The Ohio Department of Transportation says it will likely cost at least $10 million to repair the bridge that carries I-471 over the Ohio River. That cost could rise as work continues however, and ODOT stresses the number is a preliminary figure.
ODOT will seek federal reimbursement for demolition and repair costs thanks to an emergency declaration by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
Re-opening is tentatively expected in March 2025.
ODOT is posting regular repair updates on its website.
