seangray

I think one of these to form the retail base of the garage would be quite nice:

Utility burial looks to be happening on Walnut between 12th and 13th. Anyone know if this is getting new sidewalks and lights, as well? Right now, it is completely unlit since the tops of the power poles have been cutoff the cobra heads are no longer there.

Thanks jjakucyk that is what I had in mind and the Euro-ness of it makes it look even better than what I was imagining myself. The protected bike lanes are awesome. Does anyone still think a 4-lane option is good??

In my view, these two items are non-negotiable and should not be included: 1. Have parking, or don't. But really we should have it. On/off peak parking is saying, ok, you have a neighborhood except for a few hours a day when we clear it out to make way for commuters. Permanent parking allows for access to neighborhood businesses, bump-outs, and ONLY NEEDS TO BE 8FT wide. That shaves 4 ft off the width. on/off parking is a bad 1960's idea and only a place like Cincinnati would still be considering it. Completely backwards. I'm shocked that there are urbanists on here that support it. 2. 4 lanes without dedicated turn lanes. Couple this with parking and you have a total disaster. When people are parked people taking lefts block traffic. When parking is open you have people swerving. This design has been nicknamed the "death street." 2 lanes are essentially blocked for turns. How is that a good use of space? Read more here: http://streets.mn/2014/10/28/four-lane-death-roads-should-be-illegal/ The street should be: Dedicated 8ft, all-times, parking lanes with bump-outs. 2 travel lanes in each direction. Left turn lanes where warranted, landscaped median where it isn't. 3-4ft bike lanes would be ok, but not necessary. Option 3 is the only real option to consider, in my view. None of them are perfect. Concerns about traffic tie-ups with a road diet are greatly exaggerated. The MLK interchange is going in. Central Parkway has open capacity. If some people need to wait an extra minute to get where they are going, so what. Let's take back the neighborhood from cars.

^^^ I don't think that is how it is being sold. For example, the Wasson Way leaders definitely think construction starts next year if 22 passes, go poke around on their Facebook page.

Some rough numbers to do a little fact checking on the promises being made for this money. Expected to raise $5.5M annually of which 75% goes to capital improvements = $4,125,000/yr. I'm not a municipal bond funding expert but I did some rough numbers. Assuming a 20 year issuance and a 3% discount rate (maybe it could be lower for a muni? Not sure) that could raise $61M immediately. That means there is no funding for anything new from the levy until the bonds are paid in 20 years. So, let's take a look at the promises being made here (this list from yeson22 website) and my guesstimation on costs: Burnet Woods - $8M Inwood Park - $6M King Records - $2M Lytle Park - $4M Mill Creek Trail - $5M Ohio River Trail West - $2M Oskam Park - $5M ???? Roselawn Center - $5M Smale Phase 6 - $10M Wasson Way - $20M Westwood Town Hall - $2M TOTAL = $87M. Not to mention promises of making fixes to other parks (my latest postcard said "improved lighting") Help me out here. Refine these numbers. Is this being overpromised? And if so, by how much?

Here's what another midwestern city is getting next to its University: http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/blog/real_estate/2015/09/fresh-thyme-will-join-15-story-development-near-u.html

Just a note...sidewalks and streetlights along Race St are streetscaping improvements being made by 3CDC and are not related to the streetcar. We won't be seeing these kinds of improvements along the entire route. New paving will be laid from curb to curb for the entire route and new stoplights will be added at most intersections, but that's it. New sidewalks are going in but it does not look like they made any provision for improved lighting. I don't see bases for light poles. Just 3 cobraheads on wood poles lighting the street still.

I wonder how the Paris-CDG flight affects the "most expensive" airport designation. I imagine it is just calculated by an average of all fares paid but the news outlets that report this never seem to specify. The 767-300 used on that route has 26 business class seats that sell for $4,000-$10,000 R/T and 200 coach seats that are in the $1000-$2000 range. I know it makes up a small percentage of the overall daily seats, but not too many airports the size of CVG have an international route like this, and certainly not any of CVGs competition at DAY, LEX, SDF, IND,etc. Could this skew things a tad? Looking at the top routes from CVG, CDG comes in at #8 so it is certainly not an insignificant amount of volume.

The trees on Central Parkway along the streetcar route look to be in terrible condition. Can a tree expert comment on if they are at risk of dying or just dormant? I assume the irrigation system has been out of service and that is why they are frail.

Sad to see mature street trees come down. I feel like it happens way too often. Short Vine and Race St along the streetcar are other examples that come to mind from this year. Hopefully, with new sidewalks and buried utilities the new street trees can grow tall and last a long time.

The only thing on ODOT's website I can find on this project is a little 1-pager. Are more detailed plans floating around out there somewhere? FWIW, the I-75 Mill Creek website is pretty sparse on info as well.

So the yellow represents the constructed portions? I'm waiting for a person who opposed the streetcar because it would be some sort of visual scar on the city to now argue that the system is so unobtrusive that they wonder if anyone will use the streetcar because they don't see it! Don't get me wrong, I'm a big supporter, but from what I see it will be visually obtrusive. The DC streetcar simplified the poles-- the poles tat hold the catenary are also streetlights and traffic signals. The way I am seeing the Cincinnati streetcar come together so far we will have OCS poles, traffic signal poles, light poles (in some areas) and wood poles with cobras. Seems like way too many poles. DC also included new streetscaping- building to building, not curb to curb like Cincy. Also, why not just start putting in mast arms traffic signals... We have mast arms over the streetcar, span wire over the streets, how cheesy. I really wish Cincy could standardize on a classy mast arm signal (not some silly faux historic thing....). Not burying utils in OTR is also a huge missed opp. Completely dig up the streets and at the same time put in new, even more obtrusive taller wood poles. Value engineered to the max. Just how it has to be here, I guess.

^^^ There is signal priority. That was filmed from a test train before the line opened.

The "Green Line" urban light rail line connecting Minneapolis and St Paul opens tomorrow. http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/263073721.html

If you read about the rise of Rob Ford in Toronto, it is interesting how many parallels you can draw to the rise of John Cranley.

A pause, if it were even possible not considering the federal grants, is complicated and costly, and most likely requires change orders to contracts to be done right. Anything else would be breach of contract unless there is some weird clause that allows for it. It would need to be negotiated with all the companies the city has contracts with. What, exactly, is pausing, would need to be determined. For example, stop laying rail? OK- does that also mean the rail company stops its manufacturing? The supply chain goes deep here with all the different aspects of this. The "pause" is just cancellation in disguise since it "sounds" like a reasonable position- but it just ain't possible. It would be cheaper to do the analysis while construction continues.

PG just announced on his facebook that the Port is going to cancel the parking deal. No matter your feelings on the parking deal, there goes Cranley's $ to fix the operating budget hit a streetcar cancellation will cause.

Unless there are 6 votes to cancel, it's time for a COAST move and put any cancellation legislation on the ballet for referendum. Keeps construction moving that much longer.

^^ It's an MPD staging area for the streetcar construction

ENQUIRER EXCLUSIVE: John Cranley Employer KMK Law to Set to Make Millions from Streetcar Cancellation Litigation Ok not really. But this would be much more of an expose than Roxanne's apperent conflict of interest in improving property values in the city where she is a realtor.

Here's the scoop: http://www.spncincinnati.com/?page_id=20

The Riverside Drive bike lanes now continue all the way to Friendship Park. Tons of people were out there today, its such an improvement. 2 lanes of traffic seems to have slowed car speeds down too. Hooray! (the city might want to go after the contractor who did the paving tho.... pretty bumpy for brand new)

The span wire traffic lights drive me crazy. They should be abolished city wide. They belong on country roads in the sticks.

Was that the really ugly windowless building that was done in the 1970s? Yes it was pretty nasty 70's crap. Here is some background on it, 3CDC is the owner: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2010/05/03/story7.html?page=all