I can't see the Calhoun and McMillan area ever going to 2 way streets. There is so much congestion there already, and all of the U Square garages require left turns. That would create total gridlock, I think.

They need to get the motorcycle gangs and the cruising out of Calhoun/McMillan.  It's getting out of control and it occurs every Fri-Saturday night during mild or better weather. 

I could see Calhoun/McMillan switching from one-way to two-way at Vine Street. Calhoun and McMillan aren't too difficult to cross between Vine and Clifton. People aren't flying down those stretches as much as they are going to/from the highway.

Switching them to 2-way would discourage the cruising and motorcycle nonsense. 

^ A couple cops should be able to do the same thing. Or just tear down the Shell Station, as that seems to be where they all congregate.

The motorcycle thing happens downtown too. A few times a week they are driving down Race St revving their engines to impress each other and no one else. It's getting really old, especially when it wakes up my infant son after we just put him down to sleep.

​It will soon be easier for this Cincinnati neighborhood to get to Interstate 71

 

Residents in Uptown who live east of Interstate 71 soon will have an easier time getting to the highway.

 

As a part of the I-71/Martin Luther King Jr. interchange project, the city will convert McMillan Street to a two-way street between May Street and the I-71 on-ramp, allowing people traveling westbound from and through Walnut Hills to access the northbound I-71 on-ramp.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/09/20/it-will-soon-be-easier-for-this-cincinnati.html

^That already happened.  Strange that that story was published 3 weeks after the fact. 

Why are they tight lip on the final cost of this project?

Probably because they blew through the budgeted plan and didn't finish on time either. Where's the pearl-clutching like we had with the streetcar?

Does anyone know when they'll finish the paving between MLK and the tunnel? They still need replace the old pavement on the Reading and Gilbert exits. I believe the construction north of Ridge, including re-doing the Ridge exit starts this spring.

Last week I noticed that Google Maps was still not displaying McMillan was two-way up to the I-71 North ramp. So it was not routing any traffic west on McMillan to the new ramp. I submitted a correction and yesterday got an email saying that they had made the change.

After years of construction, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive complete

 

The $6 million overhaul of the Clifton-to-I-75 stretch began in March. It widened and shifted the street to the north, improved the intersection at Dixmyth and Clifton avenues, put in a new storm water line and added a shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists from Central Parkway to Clifton Avenue. But that new bike facility remains unconnected to the Central Parkway protected bicycle lane.

How would bikes get down to Central, anyway? Would they have to go off the path and into traffic to turn left onto the jughandle? Would you just illegally ride your bike on those narrow sidewalks? Ideally I think a bike-ped bridge that swings off of MLK from the north and slopes to Clifton would be ideal to connect to Central, but heaven knows this administration would never consider it.

There is a switchback trail down to Central Parkway from this path.  But the protected bike lane ends about a half mile south of this point. 

Demolishing housing units close to the urban core so that roads can be widened to make life easier for people who choose to live further away from the urban core.

^And every 1960s-era 4-8 family building that is demolished will be replaced by a new building that is much larger an inevitably more expensive.  All of those humble small multifamlies contribute to Cincinnati having relatively low rents. 

I had a doctor's appointment at UC on Thursday.  I thought I was going to get out of there by 4pm but I ended up hitting the road at 4:45, so I was right at the cusp of the rush hour rush out of the area.  The sheer volume of cars that were moving and not gridlocking as they made their way to the new interchange was a sight to behold.  Then everything merged smoothly onto I-71N.  But I'm sure by 5:15 the place was a mess. 

Although I guess it's not yet a "fair" comparison since MLK west is still being widened and there's a lot of construction over there, did it seem like the I-71 interchange has helped traffic out more or less than the Hopple interchange? I still haven't gotten on/off at it yet, other than the now-ridiculously-long offramp to Taft.

Although I guess it's not yet a "fair" comparison since MLK west is still being widened and there's a lot of construction over there, did it seem like the I-71 interchange has helped traffic out more or less than the Hopple interchange? I still haven't gotten on/off at it yet, other than the now-ridiculously-long offramp to Taft.

 

Yeah I don't get the sense that the Hopple interchange was really a profound game changer, even though it removed one of Cincinnati's craziest road quirks.  It made a bigger difference for northbound traffic than it did southbound.  It got rid of the weird Bates to I-74 ramp, where people couldn't resist the temptation to cross two lanes of traffic and get on 75 north.  Plus, the weird ramps right by Cincinnati state were always kind of fun. 

 

 

 

Dong:

That's the most SNES Sim City-looking plan I've ever seen.

?

17 minutes ago, GCrites80s said:

That's the most SNES Sim City-looking plan I've ever seen.

 

Plus, more of the same coming for the opposite side of I-71. 

 

 

The designers of Sim City- 

Quote

 

Geoff Manaugh: While you were making those measurements of different real-world cities, did you discover any surprising patterns or spatial relationships?

 

Librande: Yes, definitely. I think the biggest one was the parking lots. When I started measuring out our local grocery store, which I don't think of as being that big, I was blown away by how much more space was parking lot rather than actual store. That was kind of a problem, because we were originally just going to model real cities, but we quickly realized there were way too many parking lots in the real world and that our game was going to be really boring if it was proportional in terms of parking lots.

 

Manaugh: You would be making SimParkingLot, rather than SimCity.

 

Librande: [laughs] Exactly.

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/05/the-philosophy-of-simcity-an-interview-with-the-games-lead-designer/275724/

Well, when you make people take up 120 square feet wherever they go rather than the 2 square feet they normally are you'll get that.

It looks like the reconfiguration of the I-71/Norwood Lateral/Ridge Road interchange is well underway, but I can't find any information about it on ODOT's website. From what was discussed earlier in this thread, it sounds like ODOT will be adding a third thru lane on I-71 North; turning the "Ridge Ave - South" exit to just a general Ridge Road exit; removing the "Ridge Ave - North" exit (which is redundant since you can access both directions of Ridge from the aforementioned "Ridge Ave - South" exit); and adding a new ramp for Kennedy Avenue where the previous "Ridge Ave - North" exit was located.

1 hour ago, taestell said:

It looks like the reconfiguration of the I-71/Norwood Lateral/Ridge Road interchange is well underway, but I can't find any information about it on ODOT's website. From what was discussed earlier in this thread, it sounds like ODOT will be adding a third thru lane on I-71 North; turning the "Ridge Ave - South" exit to just a general Ridge Road exit; removing the "Ridge Ave - North" exit (which is redundant since you can access both directions of Ridge from the aforementioned "Ridge Ave - South" exit); and adding a new ramp for Kennedy Avenue where the previous "Ridge Ave - North" exit was located.

 

Plan is attached below.

1. 3 lanes on N71 to eliminate bottle neck that causes back ups to Dana every afternoon rush.

2. Ridge North exit will now go to Kennedy 

3. 2 lanes on Ridge Road plus a sidewalk from Duck Creek to Jack in the Box north bound.

4. Re-building Kennedy on ramp to N71 and having it create a lane all the way down to the Red Bank exit. 

 

Edited May 7, 20196 yr by cincydave8

6 minutes ago, cincydave8 said:

 

Plan is attached below.

1. 3 lanes on N71 to temporarily eliminate  bottle neck that causes back ups to Dana every afternoon rush, until this induces more people to move to Warren County and the traffic problem becomes worse than it ever was in just a few years.

 

 

Fixed number one for you. 

^ Warren County?? That bottle neck effects many people in Hamilton County, including neighborhoods within the city limits. Are you trying to say this fix isn't needed? The interstate abruptly goes from 4 lanes down to just 2, which causes massive backups literally every day. The fix is pretty simple and cheap, too. I don't see what's not to like about this. It's not like they're adding additional lanes to try to increase capacity, thus inducing more traffic. It's just eliminating a pinch point that doesn't need to exist.

cincydave8 beat me to it.  One correction though, the Kennedy onramp isn't a continuous auxiliary lane to Red Bank, it merges into the actual auxiliary lane that they're adding from Ridge to Red Bank. 

 

So the project doesn't affect the Lateral at all.  The extent of the project goes back almost to Smith-Edwards but only because of modified signage.  Also because of the way the Lateral's ramp comes in on the left, there's still a lane drop, it just happens at Red Bank instead of Ridge North.  So for example these signs will technically only need slight modifications:

 

"I-71 North Columbus" two left lanes doesn't change

"Exit 8C Ridge Ave North 1 Mile" becomes "Exit 8C Kennedy Ave" and "Exit 9 Red Bank Rd 2 Miles Exit Only"

"Exits 8A-B OH-562 Norwood Ridge Ave South Exits Only" becomes "Exits 8A-B OH-562 Norwood Ridge Ave Exits Only" 

 

As to edale's comment, it absolutely affects the Warren County contingent since they have to drive through here.  Do you think traffic jams only affect people who live near them?  It's like saying the Brent Spence Bridge only affects Covington and not Florence. 

9 hours ago, jjakucyk said:

As to edale's comment, it absolutely affects the Warren County contingent since they have to drive through here.  Do you think traffic jams only affect people who live near them?  It's like saying the Brent Spence Bridge only affects Covington and not Florence. 

 

Yeah, it absolutely affects commuters from Warren County. It also affects a lot of people in Hamilton County. @DEPACincy was making it sound like this project was being built to ease the commute of people to the exurbs, and I was saying that it affects a lot of people in the region's core county, and a fair amount of people in the city limits, too. I never said that traffic jams only affect people who live near them- where did you get that from? 

Edited May 8, 20196 yr by edale

Point is, if traffic is free-flowing for Hamilton County residents, that means it's free-flowing for Warren County residents too, and it encourages more exurban development since "commutes are short."  So no, this "fix" isn't needed.  It's not a safety issue like blind turns or narrow shoulders, it's entirely a capacity increase, which we've known for more than 50 years are self-defeating and yet we keep trying make them work. 

No, The fix is absolutely needed or at least making it 3 lanes instead of 2 lanes. Its very dangerous as is. It may help with suburban sprawl but it also helps with safety. I live in Pleasant Ridge and drive this stretch every day. Every single day cars gun it up the Ridge North exit and then slam on their brakes and cut into traffic to stay on the highway. Also the Metro Express Bus does this too every day. I've seen cars drive along the shoulder after the Ridge exit before forcing their way in. Making a highway go from 4 lanes to 2 lanes is a safety issue. It doesn't increase capacity - it keeps capacity at the same rate or at least -1 lane instead of -2 lanes.

Edited May 7, 20196 yr by cincydave8

So now they'll just do that at Red Bank instead. 

If you have a choke point, removing that choke point is absolutely an increase in capacity since the choke point itself determines the capacity.  It may not matter at off-peak times, but it certainly matters when volumes are heavy. 

29 minutes ago, cincydave8 said:

No, The fix is absolutely needed or at least making it 3 lanes instead of 2 lanes. Its very dangerous as is. It may help with suburban sprawl but it also helps with safety. I live in Pleasant Ridge and drive this stretch every day. Every single day cars gun it up the Ridge North exit and then slam on their brakes and cut into traffic to stay on the highway. Also the Metro Express Bus does this too every day. I've seen cars drive along the shoulder after the Ridge exit before forcing their way in. Making a highway go from 4 lanes to 2 lanes is a safety issue. It doesn't increase capacity - it keeps capacity at the same rate or at least -1 lane instead of -2 lanes.

 

Well it never goes down to two lanes because a lane comes in from the left, keeping it at three. I-71 is never just two through lanes anywhere in the region as far as I know? 

 

But yes this is a capacity increase, as jjakucyk pointed out. And yes, it will cause induced demand and more sprawl. And yes, your newly shortened commute will be be worse than it ever was just a few years after the project is finished. I agree that the interchange improvements are needed for safety, but adding another lane doesn't accomplish anything. I know the intent is not to induce more sprawl, but that's the practical outcome. You cannot fix congestion with more lanes. 

Edited May 7, 20196 yr by DEPACincy

1. It's 2 through lanes on 71N...See. It creates a dangerous back up that typically reaches Dana Ave every afternoon. The addition of the lateral lane is doesn't help the congestion on 71N for a few miles back. 

2. I'm not concerned about my commute or commute time, but I am concerned about the safety of drivers who drive into the 4-lane-to-2-lane bottle neck everyday. I've seen plenty of wrecks and countless near wrecks because it. 

3. I'm well versed in induced demand and sprawl but not every highway project is bad. This a good one from a safety point. I'm not sure how you would fix it without making it 3 lanes continuous instead of just 2.

Edited May 7, 20196 yr by cincydave8

I live in Clifton but am never there during the work week.  Last week I had a vacation day and ran errands in the uptown area, then over to Rookwood via MLK, then back an hour later.  

 

The sheer volume of traffic the new MLK interchange handles is a sight to behold.  I have the hunch that the new I-71 MLK interchange is pulling some people on to I-71 that would have instead taken I-75.  For example, someone who lives in West Chester but headed to UC Hospital might take I-75 south and then switch over to I-71 south either at 275 or Norwood, whereas that same person in the past would have exited at Mitchell or Hopple.   

Also, I now see GPS routinely tell me to take I-71N from McMillan to MLK.  Like if I'm going from Corryville over to Woodburn at Madison.  That's right -- not even merge into the traffic lanes, just stay in the extra lane.    

39 minutes ago, cincydave8 said:

1. It's 2 through lanes on 71N...See. It creates a dangerous back up that typically reaches Dana Ave every afternoon. The addition of the lateral lane is doesn't help the congestion on 71N for a few miles back. 

2. I'm not concerned about my commute or commute time, but I am concerned about the safety of drivers who drive into the 4-lane-to-2-lane bottle neck everyday. I've seen plenty of wrecks and countless near wrecks because it. 

3. I'm well versed in induced demand and sprawl but not every highway project is bad. This a good one from a safety point. I'm not sure how you would fix it without making it 3 lanes continuous instead of just 2.

 

Agree to disagree. I drive it during rush hour all the time and it doesn't feel any less safe than other parts of the highway. I haven't seen the crash numbers but I'd be shocked if there are more here because of the lane dropping. If anything, the safety issue is created by having too many ramps in too short a distance. You could fix the safety issues without adding a lane, but adding a lane will ABSOLUTELY create more sprawl. 

47 minutes ago, jmecklenborg said:

I live in Clifton but am never there during the work week.  Last week I had a vacation day and ran errands in the uptown area, then over to Rookwood via MLK, then back an hour later.  

 

The sheer volume of traffic the new MLK interchange handles is a sight to behold.  I have the hunch that the new I-71 MLK interchange is pulling some people on to I-71 that would have instead taken I-75.  For example, someone who lives in West Chester but headed to UC Hospital might take I-75 south and then switch over to I-71 south either at 275 or Norwood, whereas that same person in the past would have exited at Mitchell or Hopple.   

 

Is it a lot of traffic? I've never actually seen a traffic count or if it's anywhere near the projections. Imagine doing a transit project and years later never bothering to count riders and no one in the media or government even asking about it. 

1 hour ago, DEPACincy said:

 

Well it never goes down to two lanes because a lane comes in from the left, keeping it at three. I-71 is never just two through lanes anywhere in the region as far as I know? 

 

But yes this is a capacity increase, as jjakucyk pointed out. And yes, it will cause induced demand and more sprawl. And yes, your newly shortened commute will be be worse than it ever was just a few years after the project is finished. I agree that the interchange improvements are needed for safety, but adding another lane doesn't accomplish anything. I know the intent is not to induce more sprawl, but that's the practical outcome. You cannot fix congestion with more lanes. 

Operationally, I-71 operates as 2 lanes at this choke point. The 2 right lanes are drop lanes as we all  know, so the 2 left lanes funnel thru I-71 traffic well before the gore of left on-ramp from the Lateral.  Yes, there will still be a weave for the drop lane to Red Bank Road; however, the weaving length will be made much longer and traffic  will have more space to merge. 

 

1 hour ago, jjakucyk said:

If you have a choke point, removing that choke point is absolutely an increase in capacity since the choke point itself determines the capacity.  It may not matter at off-peak times, but it certainly matters when volumes are heavy. 

This is not the only choke point along I-71 NB, the Kenwood Cut and the Cross County Loop Ramp still limit capacity.  Inasmuch as it will remove the bottleneck , the main issue is safety. I cant pull it up ATM, but the section of I-71 NB from Dana to Smith/Edwards probably has a higher than predicted crash rate due to the queues that extend back into the freeflow  section further back.  

12 minutes ago, thomasbw said:

 

Is it a lot of traffic? I've never actually seen a traffic count or if it's anywhere near the projections. Imagine doing a transit project and years later never bothering to count riders and no one in the media or government even asking about it. 

 

The capacity is so massive that a mild level of traffic feels like a blip.  

 

I think the capacity is helped significantly because traffic approaching from either Reading or Gilbert slopes downward to the big MLK bridge.  This means everyone gets a sense for the lane layout well before they have to take action.  This is the complete opposite of a the Union Center interchange on I-75, where traffic from each direction climbs to the bridge over I-75, and it's hard to tell what you're going to have to do.  

 

 

ODOT has completed the south bound I-71 from what I can tell. North bound now has been cut to two lanes. The far left lane that the lateral creates is now a counter flow lane that is not accessible to north bound 71 traffic. Basically if you're taking the lateral to 71N you won't really enter 71N until after the Steward Rd bridge. 

 

Has the title of this thread always been MJK instead of MLK? How did none of us notice it over the course of 16 years?