Residents in the Oakley neighborhood live just a short distance from nearby retail areas, but a railroad yard keeps them from walking there. The proposed Oakley Pedestrian Tunnel would solve that problem. The planned tunnel would run under a nearby railroad yard, cutting the commute time between the two areas.
"A simple example: If you're at the end of 34th Street and can see the Cinemark Theatre, it's a four-minute walk as the crow flies, but you can't get there. So it takes 24 minutes to walk all the way around or get in a car for a 2.8-mile bike ride," said Dan Krohn, chair of the Tunnel Team on the Oakley Community Council.
Local officials say they've been discussing adding a bridge or tunnel to connect the area from the former Kenner factory site to the Cast-Fab site near Oakley Station since 2017. And they've been working with the Department of Community and Economic Development to make it happen.
In June, Oakley Community Council voted to use surplus funds to pay $260,000 for resources for the tunnel's design.
"It's important to our neighborhood," Krohn said. "We want to continue along the path of being a more walkable, bikeable community."
On Monday, the Cincinnati Budget and Finance Committee voted to move the issue to City Council for a final vote.
