GHOST TRACKS

The elevation of the M&E Canal was above the Ohio River and with a series of locks along Eggleston Avenue south of a turning basin which was located near Court Street. The roof of the subway is 1-3 feet below the pavement along Central Parkway. I don't think you can restore any type of water feature without removal of the subway tubes. I do think there is some hope for the restoration of Mill Creek to a more natural state but it will never serve as a "water feature".

I doubt there would ever be a stop in Covington if you had to go through the effort to get through the Millcreek valley to the a station stop in Cincinnati anyway. The CSX mainline has heavily utilized and would require a additional capacity for a terminal location. I am surprised that nobody has raise the issue of the former N&W line to Broadway Commons which had been envisiond for use as a light rail corridor. While the Baldwin Complex on I-71 is a problem, the rest of the corridor is generally in tact and NS has stated it would abandon the line between Ivorydale and Norwood. While this would be more expensive to bring back than the Oasis line etc, it could have a terminal in close proximity to the CBD which could link directly with buses, streetcar and surface parking while allowing someone to walk from the station to Fountain Square.

A significant issue to resolve for the Eastern Corridor is the potential sharing the of the corridor between transit vehicles whatever they may be and potential intercity passenger rail equipment if the 3C Corridor would use the line as well at least in the near term. ODOT has indicated it will still fund planning and design for the project despite the loss of stimulus funding but there has been little news since that announcement.

What about rail through Newtown and other parts of the Eastern Corridor?

An interesting local spin on the transit vehicle manufacturing discussion that does not receive much attention is that Siemens manufactures most of the electric traction motors used to power their transit vehicles in Norwood.

The Brent Spence project will likely require a substantial amount of state/local funding to make it happen. Just as the Louisville Bridges and I-69 in Indiana have done it raises the question of priority among local leaders on how best to allowcate a finite amount of funds. While the funding streams for I-75 and the Streetcar are distinct at the federal level they have by an large common political oppornity costs as do other competing local projects and programs. Both project will take a political and financial commitment to make them happen which I don't think is quite there at this point. Each should be viewed on its own merits.

ODOT has canceled ARRA funding for the Eastern Corridor Study

ODOT has canceled ARRA funding for the Ohio Hub PE/DEIS

There are still a few funding programs under the ARRA (stimulus) which could fund the project at least partially but its very competitive. The new transportation authorization bill is at least a year away if not longer. I doubt that SWI will establish an office locally until construction funding in place. I'm not clear on who will operate and maintain the streetcar system. The project still has a way to go before its becomes a reality but let hope progress will be made over the next couple of years so the project is positioned to receive funding when it may be available.

What happend to Veolia? If they are to operate and maintain the streetcar system as reported earlier this year I would have thought they would have been announced as part of the team.

There is no floodwall per-se for the Banks. The podium level for the streetgrid and buildings on top is well above the 100 year flood or 500 year flood for that matter but lower portions of the garages at the ground level can flood as well as portions of the park and the riverfront transit center. Even if these areas are inundated there should be little long term damage other than cleaning up the silt and debris etc.

I think the focus of interest among many of the proponents which could assist with the funding is the Uptown area and its linkage to the CBD. I'm surprised the City has not moved to complete the alternatives analysis study for the Uptown streetcar that was authorized by the City Council last year. In terms of generating trips in the near term the Univerity of Cincinnati and immediate surrounding area are viewed as more likely to sustain the streetcar than OTR. That's why the "uptown connector" was added to the initial phased late in 2008.

COAST has already filed a complaint that Waterworks funding is being used for maintenance and repairs of the subway tubes which could potentially be used for rail transit according to the City's subway study. What happened to the study that council voted to fund last spring which would have looked at the streetcar alignments in Uptown? It would be encouraging to see the City manager to update council on the status of the project instead of defending it to the media without a plan on how the project will be funded and implemented.

I believe the City may be considering using funds from the divestiture of the Water Works to potentially be used for partially funding the streetcar.

ODOT posted an advertisement for preliminary engineering for the Eastern Corridor today. It includes rail transit and SR-32.

A real key to this project will be if the railroads agree to provide trackage rights or direct access that would make the project a reality. CSX and Rail America (Central Railroad of Indiana) would need to come to some kind of agreement for the CIND to serve the site.

At this point it appears that the City manage manager not brief councilbefore the summer recess (as he was supposed to do in December) about the status of fundraising the implementation strategy for the project.

The city is looking to rehab or replace the viaduct at the same time as the reconstruction of I-75. The deadline for the City RFP was today.

SORTA has no easements east of Broadway but much of the land is controlled by the City of Cincinnati or ODOT.

The ADA issues in the RTC are related to the platforms which would be up to 6+ feet above the existing sidewalks and elevators to the surface. It could be reconstructed but it is not simple or inexpensive which is what Amtrak is looking for in the near term. There are also constraints on the track getting to the RTC from the Boathouse.

There are problems with making a passenger station meet ADA design standards work in the Riverfront Transit Center.

I think the real challenge to accommodate the turning radius of the streetcar downtown will be at Freedom Way's intersection with Walnut and Elm Streets at the Banks.

The FHWA will require a bridge type study during the next phase of the project which would examine potential configurations for the bridge including spans, type and clearances etc. I would expect that a truss or cable stayed bridge will be the alternatives to be considered. I think most would prefer a cable stayed bridge but being located immediately west of the existing Brent Spence and sandwiched between the Clay Wade Bailey and Southern Railroad bridge would make a truss with similar geometry to the existing bridge would allow the new bridge to fit in better. If is it to be a double deck span a truss is likely to be a more effective option although an Arch may also work. The approach span on the Ohio side will still be elevated to clear the CSX tracks. The Coast Guard and hydraulic analysis of the scour potential near the existing piers will likely dictate that the new piers be located in line with the exiting bridge for the most part.

I believe Council passed a resolution last spring which essentially said the fare for the streetcar could not be set less than the base fare for Metro.

I have heard rumors that the Montomery Inn may relocate from the Boathouse to a Banks location.