Politics

City wins $2M+ federal grant to redesign Westwood Northern Boulevard

91.7 WVXU | By Becca Costello

Published June 28, 2023 at 12:24 PM EDT

A sign reads "Look Out for Me" on McHenry Ave. near Harrison in East Westwood. Neighborhood leaders have been asking for a crosswalk at this intersection for a few years.

Cincinnati will use a $2,275,000 federal grant to redesign four miles of Westwood Northern Boulevard.

Officials will conduct a complete streets study of the corridor from Hopple Street on the east, to the city border near Boudinot Avenue on the west. It runs through five neighborhoods: Westwood, East Westwood, Millvale, North Fairmount, and English Woods.

Westwood Northern Blvd. from Boudinot Ave to Hopple St.

Bryan Williams, division manager for the Department of Transportation and Engineering, says the city applied for this project because the road has dangerous curves and hills and drivers tend to speed.

"The purpose of this is to work with the community to come up with a plan for Westwood Northern Boulevard to address all of those issues," Williams said. "To fill in those sidewalk gaps, look at what we can do in the roadway to calm traffic and reduce crashes, and also make just crossing Westwood Northern for the pedestrians more comfortable and safer."

Williams says the city will hire a consultant to lead the design project, and a large part of the scope will be public engagement.

"We'll work with the various community councils but we will also make sure to reach out in various ways to the residents that are directly on the street as well," he said.

Community engagement is expected to start next year and wrap up by the end of 2025.

Mayor Aftab Pureval says Westwood Northern Boulevard is an important artery on the west side.

"This really is a big deal," Pureval said. "By creating the groundwork for a safer, multimodal street that everyone can access, we're making sure that some of our most underserved communities are getting the attention and investment they deserve."

The grant only covers the design phase and it’s not yet clear how the city will fund actual construction. Williams says there are several other grants that could be part of the equation.

Last year the city was awarded $20 million from the same federal grant program — the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, or RAISE. That project is for construction on new designs for Linn Street, West Eight Street and State Avenue.