about a Week ago the Sibenthaller bridge in Dayton Fianlly open after ebing closed for about 2 or more years.

Really?!?!

 

I know the old green thing was a monster but I do like this new bridge. Thanks!

yeah, the new bridge is nice looking, and bigger, 4 lanes wide bigger.

I finally drove on it today while I was out taking pictures. Glad to see it is back open, cuz it was a pain getting around that area with the bridge out--which was out forever. What took them so long to replace it?

 

The old bridge was definitely a monster, but I remember as a kid thinking it was the coolest thing.

Oh you like simcity too huh? here is some pics fro mmy old city with mods i have edited.

 

 

 

 

Accidents can happen on freeways

 

 

oops got off topic..;)

Would you happen to be dirk from simtrop. But any way, the bridge took awhile to build because of Dayton's bad money managment.

nope. same username on that site.

The bridge was out for a solid 4 years. While there are probably other reasons why it took so long, I know that a) all the money was not available at once, and b) high water periods would seem to hit at crucial stages of constuction, setting them back weeks & months on at least a couple of occasions.

 

If you liked the old bridge, the old Rip Rap Rd. bridge, which was also of the narrow truss type still exists and is now part of the bike trail.

anyone have pictures of the new or old one?

This is kind of dated, but i can't find any postings on it...

 

 

Downtown Dayton Street Grid

Street Direction Conversion Study

 

Parsons Brinckerhoff Ohio Incorporated (PB) has been commissioned by the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) to prepare a transportation study to assess the traffic-related effects of converting the existing one-way street grid system in downtown Dayton, Ohio, to a two-way street grid system. The proposed conversion to a two-way street grid system would coincide with the proposed improvements to I-75 and State Route (SR) 4. The traffic planning implications of the proposed conversion to a two-way street grid system are focused on the following issues:

 

-The ability of the proposed two-way street grid system to operate at acceptable Levels of Service during the daily AM and PM peak hours;

-The effects of converting to a two-way street grid system on the on-street parking supply; and

-The effects of converting to a two-way street grid system on pedestrians in downtown Dayton.

 

Four separate configurations of two-way service were developed, and each was analyzed for operations under future-year traffic demand. A one-way (no-build) scenario was also modeled for current and future years. By way of summary, the report concludes that the conversion of the existing one-way street grid system to the proposed two-way street grid system would operate at acceptable Levels of Service. There would be increases in congestion under each of the two-way systems, as well as varying degrees of loss of parking spaces, but the level of delay was found to be acceptable. Two-way operation could also enhance traffic flow between I-75 and downtown Dayton, and between US-35 and downtown Dayton.

 

 

http://www.mvrpc.org/daytonGrid/

The proposed conversion to a two-way street grid system would coincide with the proposed improvements to I-75 and State Route (SR) 4.

I didn't get a chance to read the report, but do they say what sort of timeframe they are looking at for this? I also read in the DDN that they are currently in the middle of rewiring the downtown traffic light and crosswalk signal system using fiber optics. They said the new system would be able to accommodate the change to 2-way streets (but I assume the old copper wire one would as well because it was installed before they changed the streets to one-way.)

I haven't seen any timeframe, but I will keep my eye open. I for one would be glad to see this done. I hate one way streets. :roll:

While obviously not handling as many cars, Hamilton, OH, once had a series on one way streets in their CBD similar to Cincinnati and Dayton. (High Street was always two way) Probably less than five years ago they changed to two-way streets. When home for visits I always felt weird going southbound for instance on a road that since before I was born was northbound only. Now that it has been done I like the change. I guess they felt the two-way systems could handle the anticipated traffic.

The movement to revert to two-way street systems is gaining momentum. I figure that about twenty years after all the other cities in the midwest have made the change, Fort Wayne will start to discuss studying it. Then, they'll spend about a million dollars on consultants who will tell them to go ahead. One or two influential suburban developers will protest, and they'll scap the whole thing and go on with the status quo.

I caught this info on channel 7 last night.  Apparently they are closing the Findlay St. bridge over the Mad River, demolishing it, and building a new one.  It's supposed to cost $4.5 million and be open some time in 2006.

 

More info later....

 

 

 

is that the really old and crumbly one leading north out of downtown?

It's the one by the metropark/reservoirs, etc. if that's the one you mean.

Findlay St. is not downtown, so it's probably not the bridge you're thinking of.  Maybe it's Webster Street that you're thinking of, but there's no good reason to believe me on that.

Okay...I was looking this up.  So the report was presented in FEBRUARY 2004.

 

Now isn't the MVRPC supposed to take some sort of action on it?  It's now a year later and not a thing.  Probably because the website says it hasn't been updated since August 2004.

I-75 ramp relocation plan to shut down some Main Street businesses

 

By Anthony Gottschlich

Dayton Daily News

 

DAYTON | For 35 years, shaggy-haired, hungry customers have filed into the Chili King Restaurant on North Main Street for a bellyful of biscuits and gravy or a bowl of chili, then strolled a few steps next door for a haircut and jokes with Bob Bowman at Bowman's Hair Design.

 

Those days are coming to an end for the Chili King and Bowman's, as well as several other businesses just north of downtown that lie in the way of the proposed Interstate 75 widening and realignment project, which is slated to begin in 2007.

 

An Ohio Department of Transportation official said Wednesday the building housing Chili King and Bowman's at 614-616 N. Main St. would have to come down. Under the state's eminent domain laws, the government can seize private property for public use and compensate the owner. The same fate awaits the 34,000-square-foot building across the street at 635-637 N. Main St., home to Burhill Leasing Corp. and the Dayton Wasserstrom Superstore, a restaurant supply company.

 

"I feel like an empty shell, just sick to my stomach," said Bowman, 61, owner of the two-story, brick and frame building just north of Harmon Cadillac and the White-Allen automobile dealerships. "This is the saddest thing that's happened to me since my wife died."

 

 

:x

 

fuckin' shit, damnit, bastards!

 

 

 

I think there's another thread about this topic, but I couldn't find it.  I'll merge it if I do.  From the 6/12/05 Dayton Daily News:

 

 

Local planners look at some of the routes not being taken

By Anthony Gottschlich

Dayton Daily News

 

DAYTON | On a clear day in reasonable traffic, Audrey Drake's 20-mile trek home from her job in Vandalia should take about 25 minutes, she said.

 

But because of the rush-hour traffic that snarls motorists on Interstate 75 through downtown Dayton, the trip usually takes about 45 minutes.

 

That's 20 minutes a day the Centerville resident loses to traffic delays during the workweek. Put another way, that's 83 hours a year Drake could be spending on activities more pleasing than sitting in her Saturn sucking exhaust fumes from the semi in front of her.

 

"I guess I'm used to it, but there are times it's very frustrating," said Drake, a secretary for Crown Lift Trucks in Vandalia.

 

Drake and motorists like her in Montgomery, Miami and Greene counties lose a combined 5,000 hours a day to traffic jams, according to the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission.

 

The redesign and widening of I-75 through downtown Dayton should bring some relief, transportation officials say. But that project isn't scheduled to start until 2007.

 

 

http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0612trafficlocal.html

The problem area on I 75 is really between Edwin C Moses and Wagoner Ford Road, and the issues are number of lanes and poor weave patterns at interchanges.  Nonstop express lanes through this area would help.

 

 

UPDATE:

 

As of June 10, the MVRPC has been accepting letters of interest on the project.  They must all be received by June 27.  Here's the info from the MVRPC site:

 

 

Request for Letters of Interest

Dayton Two-Way Street Conversion: Preliminary Development Phase

Central Business District, Dayton, Ohio

ODOT PID # 78823

Posting Date: June 10, 2005

 

Dayton CBD Two-Way Street Conversion: Preliminary Development Phase

Central Business District, Dayton, Ohio

Response Due Date: June 27, 2005

 

The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) is accepting Letters of Interest to obtain professional consulting services for preparing a preliminary development phase document regarding the proposed one-way to two-way street conversion in downtown Dayton, Ohio. The design area is generally comprised of the Central Business District of Dayton, bounded by Monument Avenue to the north, Keowee Street to the east, Fifth Street to the south (with some extension to US 35), and Edwin C. Moses Boulevard to the west.

 

As concluded in the Dayton Two-Way Street Grid Planning Study completed by MVRPC, it has been determined that the downtown street system could be converted to a two-way system without a significant increase of traffic congestion during the morning or evening peak hour. The purpose of the preliminary development phase document is to outline a plan of implementation for the preferred alternative, determined by the Dayton Two-Way Street Grid Planning Study, to be the conversion of all north-south and east-west roadways within the design area from one-way to two-way operation while minimizing the impact to on-street parking. However, some roadways may be retained as one-way streets to minimize motorist confusion, maintain on-street parking, and reduce potential conflicts with surrounding land uses (e.g., parking garage entrances/exits). The proposed plan of implementation will include a draft signal, signing, and marking plan, and associated public involvement, transportation concerns, and functional design plans.

 

The duration of the preliminary development phase is expected to be approximately 18 months. It is anticipated that the selected consultant will be authorized to proceed August 2005. Follow-on contracts will be addressed at a future date. The successful bidder will not be precluded from bidding on final design. This project shall be developed in accordance with ODOT’s current Project Development Process (PDP). ODOT has tentatively classified the proposed project as a Major Study, with a possibility of reclassification to a Minor Study. The successful bidder will complete the ODOT PDP process for Major projects through Step 8, or if reclassified to a Minor project, to Step 4.

 

... Following the due date for Letters of Interest, MVRPC will review the letters received and determine those firms that are most qualified. Those firms selected by MVRPC shall be requested in writing to submit Technical Proposals.

 

http://www.mvrpc.org/daytonGrid/daytonCBD_LOI.php

 

 

I totally agree with changing them back to 2 way streets.  Most one way streets in a smaller city like Dayton aren't neccessary and are just sewers of traffic running through Downtown.  Columbus needs to get a clue from Dayton on this one...every street is really wide...and one way!

 

I still think part of what killed the Flats was changing Old River rd to one way. 

I don't know if any of you have seen this, but here are the aesthetic standards that MVRPC came up with for I-75 through Dayton.  It features bridges, walls, landscaping, etc., and also shows how these relate to Dayton's current architecture with bridges, etc.:

Renaissance Plan Aesthetic Concepts (PDF, 33 pages)

 

The images at the bottom were taken from here (if you'd like to see larger ones):

http://www.mvrpc.org/pdf/nsti/nstiDaytonRampConfig.pdf

 

The final image was taken from here:

http://www.mvrpc.org/pdf/nsti/nstiPhotoRender.pdf

 

 

^columbus already has the clue, and a plan is in place to switch the 1ways to 2ways.

there might be a thread about it somewhere

Awesome!

I rather like the one-ways; I find them easier to drive.  I guess it's true, though, that they're not really necessary.

I rather like the one-ways; I find them easier to drive. I guess it's true, though, that they're not really necessary.

 

That's just the point, sort of. They expedite traffic flow, leading to faster, more aggressive driving, more pollution and less pedestrian-friendly environments. One way to calm traffic and make downtowns more attractive to alternatives to driving, without destroying necessary access by motorized traffic, is to revert the one-way streets to two-way.

From the DDN, 6/30/05:  A retrospective article on the debate over I-675 and the highway's effects, nearly 20 years and (soon to be) 3 malls later.

 

Express lane to progress

 

By Amelia Robinson

Dayton Daily News

 

BEAVERCREEK | In its infancy, some saw Interstate 675 as a curse that would doom the center city economically as it tore a path through cherished neighborhoods.

 

Others saw the highway proposed to improve access to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as a blessing that would foster economic growth regionally and ease travel.

Nice article!  You could almost write this story for any belt or spur highway.

Urban flight is complicated - the interstates only were part of the equation, they sure helped.

 

BTW, my old boss (rest his soul) worked on the design of I-675 by WPAFB, and on the EIS for the south portion, he told me that it was first large scale EIS prepared for a highway project.

From the 8/10/05 Dayton Business Journal:

 

 

City approves transportation project

 

The city of Dayton approved the next phase of the $500 million Ohio Department of Transportation road improvement project that stretches from Keowee Street to Stewart Street.

 

The phase approved at Wednesday's city commission meeting is a $46 million project that will add a third lane to Interstate 75 under U.S. Route 35. The project will be bid in 2009 and will take one and a half years to complete.

 

Another project discussed at the meeting is a $46 million rehabilitation of Steve Whalen Boulevard slated to begin next year. Stoplights will replace merging traffic lanes at the interchange of U.S. Route 35, and the road will add a third lane.

 

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2005/08/08/daily12.html?from_rss=1

 

From the 8/11/05 Dayton Daily News:

 

 

Stewart bridge may take on new look

City, UD talking about span's reconstruction

By Jim Bebbington

Dayton Daily News

 

DAYTON | It's still a few years off, but Dayton is getting closer to rebuilding its Stewart Street bridge, a project city and neighborhood anchors have likened to putting a new "front door" on the city's downtown.

 

The Stewart Street bridge crosses the Great Miami River on the city's southern edge, connecting Edwin C. Moses Boulevard and Patterson Boulevard.

 

It is a busy conduit and connects the University of Dayton Arena with the rest of campus and provides NCR and other businesses on the city's southern edge with access to Interstate 75.

 

http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0811stewart.html

 

I read in the paper the other day that they're already doing survey work between US-35 and Edwin C. Moses.

From the 1/13/06 Springfield News-Sun:

 

 

Route 68 bypass gets new boost

 

New businesses could be started, existing businesses could earn more profit and trucks could avoid Urbana’s Monument Square if Champaign County’s U.S. Route 68 bypass could get done. And it might.

 

The $54.7 million project was given Tier II status and high priority for funding by the Transportation Review Advisory Council on Thursday. The agency distributes Ohio Department of Transportation money to highway projects throughout the state.

 

County Engineer Fereidoun Shokouhi said he is more optimistic than he was last year when TRAC rejected the bypass after projected costs doubled and a traffic study stated it would not ease truck traffic in Urbana.

 

Read More...

 

Can you tell if this is supposed to go east or west around the city ?

Probably west.

   

ODOT delays I-75 construction

Businesses in area able to remain open little longer

By Anthony Gottschlich

 

Dayton Daily News

 

DAYTON | — The project to widen and realign Interstate 75 through downtown Dayton has been delayed 10 months until 2008, extending the life of "malfunction junction," the Chili King restaurant and other businesses along North Main Street, state highway officials said Thursday.

 

A shortfall in federal funding for 2007 has forced the Ohio Department of Transportation to adjust highway construction schedules across the state until the feds kick in more funding next year, said Bill Harrison, ODOT's District 7 deputy director.

 

ODOT expected $158 million for the first phase of the I-75 project, but received just 85 percent of that amount, he said.

 

Harrison said the project should begin in March or April 2008, adding the delay could be beneficial to ODOT and the businesses, giving each more time to plan.

 

"This gives us a window of opportunity to do a really good job," he said.

 

 

http://www.daytondailynews.com/traffic/content/localnews/daily/0217odot.html

 

I once saw a plan to use decorative details in the concrete if the new bridges (something like Dublin) and even period lighting instead of standards w/ cobraheads. Do we know if this materialized in the actual plan?

Planning, teamwork converge at Austin Center

 

By Stephanie Irwin

Dayton Daily News

 

MIAMI TWP., MONTGOMERY COUNTY | Austin Center, the new name given to the three road projects and the prime available real estate surrounding the Austin Pike/Interstate 75 interchange, should start its commercial transformation in 2007.

 

But Austin Center will not be a massive strip center.

 

Any big-box store that comes knocking will get a "No thank you" from the five townships and counties and other project partners that wrote a major land use plan to develop the 1,200 acres of open land southwest of the Dayton Mall that are criss-crossed by Austin Pike, I-75, Springboro Pike and Byers Road.

 

Center's goals

• Relieve traffic congestion at the following intersections: Ohio 741 and Ohio 725; I-75 and Ohio 725; I-675 and Ohio 725.
  
• Improve access to I-75.
  
• Build up Wright Brother Airport in Miami Twp.
  
• Economic develoment of prime, vacant land.
  
• Protect and build Montgomery County tax base.
  

Good question.  I think it was demolished, at any rate (I think Jeff had some pictures), but I haven't seen anything since then.  Somebody here must know, though.

Dayton bridge replacement plans...

 

The Washington Street Bridge will be the next to be replaced. The Dayton Expressway (Rt. 4) Bridge over Keowee Street will be bid in April-May 2006. The Monument Avenue (Dayton View) Bridge will be bid in 2007. The Paul Laurence Dunbar Bridge over Wolf Creek will be bid in 2007. In 2008, the Edwin C. Moses Bridge, the Bridge Street Bridge (perhaps), and the Stewart Street Bridge will be bid

 

Regarding the Stewart Street Bridge...  a contract would be awarded in mid-late February 2006 to a consultant for the project. Public meetings on the project will begin in April 2006. It is a two-year design process for the bridge; the project will be bid in March 2008. Key components for the consultant to address are that the bridge be a signature bridge, it have sufficient capacity, that traffic will be maintained during construction, that the public be involved in the project and that the project gets through ODOT’s environmental review process quickly. The bridge is estimated to cost $15 million, of which $12 million will come from ODOT. The City will seek Issue I (formerly Issue II) funding for some of the shortfall and City capital dollars may also be used. The project will be coordinated with the UD Master Plan.

 

Its looking like the Strewart Street Bridge will be built south of the current bridge...how far south I don't know.

The history behind the project is interesting, the back and forth decisions, etc. I don't know why we even have to question Fairfield Commons was a result.

 

I sure wish they'd continue the third lane from 725 SB to 75, I've never understood why the last two miles are left to bottleneck like they do.

 

Interesting what guests are looking at.

From the 4/21/06 Dayton Daily News:

 

 

Taking U.S. 35? Expect to go slower

Construction on 3.5-mile stretch of highway will continue through 2008.

By Joanne Huist Smith

Staff Writer

 

DAYTON — Expect traffic delays as reconstruction of U.S. 35 gets under way through Dayton this spring. The question is, for how long?

 

The 3.5-mile project on east and westbound lanes extends from Interstate 75 to Steve Whalen Boulevard including ramps that provide access to Miami Valley Hospital and Fifth Third Field.

 

http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0421web35.html

35 is probably my favorite urban freeway, but I don't really know why. Many times I take 75 to 35 to 675 than just 75 to 675 just because I enjoy it. I'm sure it wasn't too good for some of the neighborhoods as there are several streets that end extremely close to highway, I've have a couple streets of bungalows in mind right now, they are in pretty decent condition from what I remember.

 

I guess this is a good project, but I hope all the "newness" doesn't ruin it.

Blah.  I take 35 and Steve Whalen Blvd. all the time since they are right by my house...but luckily not to work so I won't have to deal with rush hour.  Also, is it really better to redesign and build new ramps than maintain what is already there?  I know the interchange is overbuilt, as was discussed in the Steve Whalen Blvd. thread, but it just seems like a waste to replace them unless they are at the point where they need some significant work.

 

I'm not a big fan of 35.  Divided neighborhoods (wonder how things would be different if the Oregon District and South Park weren't divided by the highway)  and feel it was poorly designed: unnecessarily takes up too much land, entrances and exits on left, crossing over a couple lanes of traffic quickly to be able to exit, etc.

Expect more delays even after this project is done.....my office is currently redesigning the I-75/US35 interchange (including tearing down the old Reynolds+Reynolds building/clocktower).

From the 4/27/06 Springfield News-Sun:

 

 

Bypass forum seeks support

 

Champaign County officials and residents hope to gather grassroots support for the proposed U.S. Route 68 bypass at a 7 p.m. public forum today in the Champaign County Community Center.

 

“Squeaky wheels are going to get the grease, and if you’re going to be silent, you won’t get anything,” said John Ridder of St. Paris, who helped organize a local grassroots effort, Champaign County Citizens for a Fair Shake.

 

He said $3 million secured for construction from Urbana and county officials and U.S. Rep. Mike Oxley helps the group’s cause, but a persuasive grass-roots effort will convince state officials that a four-lane highway is as important as larger interstate projects.

 

Read More...