The estimated cost of replacing the Western Hills Viaduct has nearly doubled since the last publicly announced projection. City officials confirmed to WVXU the total project is currently estimated at about $785.6 million, up from $398 million estimated in 2022.
The two-deck viaduct was built in 1932 and currently accommodates about 55,000 vehicles a day. Its condition is poor and local officials have been working to replace it for over a decade. The city will build a new viaduct to the immediate south, with the existing bridge remaining until the new one is open to traffic.
The city’s Department of Transportation and Engineering refused to provide the latest estimated cost to City Council members who asked during a committee meeting in mid-November.
“We don’t have an all-in, absolute number available at this time,” DOTE Director Greg Long told Council members in the meeting.
Council member Mark Jeffreys pressed Long twice more to answer the question directly: “So we don’t have a total estimate of what the bridge cost is right now?”
“I don’t have that information to share with you now,” Long replied. “We want to work with the administration on future grant funding to go through that plan. We can report back on those details.”
WVXU discovered the $785.6 million estimate in public documents posted online by OKI Regional Council of Governments; the most recent report was updated on Nov. 14, just four days before the committee meeting.
Principal Engineer Bill Shefcik confirmed the accuracy of the estimate to WVXU. Asked why city officials would not provide that information to City Council, Shefcik said DOTE wants to be confident any estimate has a "longer shelf life."
"We don't want to come back out and say, 'Oh, now it's this; now it's that,' " he said, adding that the Federal Highway Administration has not yet completed work to validate the estimate.
Higher cost for a smaller design
Shefcik says changes in the market economy, especially inflation, are primarily to blame for the large increase.
“[The project] is so long — seven, eight years — and that affects how contractors price jobs,” Shefcik told WVXU. “To give a guaranteed maximum price for a project that’s going to last seven years, not really knowing how the economy is going to be in the next even two years, it’s very risky.”
Officials say costs have increased across the board for the same reasons, but there are certain aspects unique to the Western Hills Viaduct that make it particularly expensive. Most notably, that the city has to build over 32 active rail lines.
“Right now, the only access for the contractor to get to the project site … is two miles north,” Shefcik said. “Which means they have to wind their way through the railroad yard and cross tracks and wait for trains to stop, and it’s narrow paths, and it’s not very conducive for bringing materials and equipment into the railroad yard.”
The solution? Building two temporary bridges, one on each side of the tracks, to give the contractor direct access to the build site.
The lower estimate three years ago was based on 10% design completion; the project is now at 30% design completion, giving a more accurate estimate of costs.
The design also is smaller than the last, mostly to save money. Instead of four lanes of traffic in each direction, there will be three; and instead of a protected sidewalk on one side and a shared-use path on the other, the new design features a single protected path.
Shefcik says the smaller scope saves between $100 million and $150 million on construction, but also saves on maintenance costs over time.
Construction timeline
Pre-construction work and site preparation has been going on for a few years, including relocating a Duke Energy substation.
Phase 1 of the project is set to begin in early 2026 and continue through 2028. It includes building the two temporary bridges for contractor access; building the substructure of the new bridge; and relocating a railroad track within the rail yard. Phase 1 will cost $180 million and is fully funded.
“I’m excited that we’re actually really, officially breaking ground,” Shefcik said. “To get to the point where the federal highways are in agreement, ODOT [Ohio Department of Transportation] is in agreement, and then particularly the railroad. Now we have a signed agreement with the railroad for us to build the bridge [and] that was a huge, huge milestone.”
Phase 2, starting in 2028, is to finish building the new bridge, with the goal of opening to traffic in 2031.
Phase 3 consists of demolishing the existing Western Hills Viaduct.
Funding plan
The project has about $491 million in committed funds, including about $220.5 million in federal grants.
Local funding totals $271 million, mostly from a grant from the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority. Hamilton County voters passed a sales tax levy in 2020 that primarily goes toward Metro bus service, but also funds infrastructure improvement projects in the area.
There’s also $33 million from the city of Cincinnati capital budget, and $33 million from the Hamilton County government.
That makes the total funding gap about $294 million.
Director of Grant Administration and Government Affairs Morgan Sutter tells WVXU the city is continuing to be aggressive with requests for additional funds.
“Federal grants are a primary resource for projects of this magnitude, and we recognize that the will to have the viaduct project funded through federal resources still exists,” Sutter said. “We’ll continue to advocate for that in Washington, D.C.”
City Council approved a round of new grant applications in October, totaling up to $937 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation and up to $70 million from the Ohio Department of Transportation.
“We are full steam ahead — Phase 1 is ready to go,” Sutter said. “Having demonstrated that we are already commencing construction, and we are well underway on the project, it has now unlocked other opportunities, and we're already examining those.”
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