October 24, 20231 yr On 10/23/2023 at 4:20 PM, Rabbit Hash said: That's puzzling. You say it never used to back up NB? Have driven it consistently since the late 90s and NB has always been an issue. Morning commutes are markedly better since pandemic and the Texas Turnaround. Anecdotally, I will say that it seems that the Texas Turnaround and elimination of the 4th Street entrance ramp to NB really improved the dynamic of that stretch. However, it seems pretty obvious that the short Kyles Lane accel to NB is now the bottle neck. It seems to have helped overall, but also has moved the bottleneck a couple miles south. In my feeble mind, I could see NB issues being almost completely resolved if there was a combo accel/decel lane from Kyle to 12th/MLK. Nb was always crowded in the morning but never in the afternoon back then. Weekends also. NB never had back ups on weekends now it's every weekend.
October 25, 20231 yr 13 hours ago, unusualfire said: Nb was always crowded in the morning but never in the afternoon back then. Weekends also. NB never had back ups on weekends now it's every weekend. Yeah I just don't agree with this. NB at the cut in the hill I feel like has always been backed up every day in the morning and afternoon for as long as I can remember.
October 25, 20231 yr On 10/25/2023 at 9:14 AM, Cincy513 said: Yeah I just don't agree with this. NB at the cut in the hill I feel like has always been backed up every day in the morning and afternoon for as long as I can remember. Been in NKY for nearly 30 years. NB has always had a rhythm of backing up and the just completely random backups due to events, etc. I will concede that it does seem in the past ten years that the "Sunday PM return from the lake" crowd has created more and longer NB backups than there were back in the day at that time. It reminds me of the backups you get on 40/75 west of KNX and 65 south of Birmingham, AL. Edited October 26, 20231 yr by Rabbit Hash
October 25, 20231 yr I've said this a million times, but a new BSB isn't going to solve that issue anyway. The 400 foot tall hill isn't going anywhere and people hit the brakes as they go down the hill, and trucks struggle to make it up the hill.
October 25, 20231 yr 2 hours ago, ucgrady said: I've said this a million times, but a new BSB isn't going to solve that issue anyway. The 400 foot tall hill isn't going anywhere and people hit the brakes as they go down the hill, and trucks struggle to make it up the hill. There's also a lot of sightline issues, as that section has fairly sharp curves considering how fast people are driving.
October 30, 20231 yr Ohio to buy Longworth Hall for Brent Spence Bridge project By Tom Demeropolis – Editor, Cincinnati Business Courier Oct 30, 2023 The Ohio Department of Transportation has a letter of intent to purchase Longworth Hall in Queensgate as part of the $3.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project. MORE
October 31, 20231 yr "The new companion bridge is an 84-foot-wide" "ODOT plans to purchase the building because it needs to demolish 200 feet" This is frustrating, I get that they have to demolish the 'L' shaped portion, directly under the new span, but 200 feet of the building feels like complete overkill and makes me upset.
October 31, 20231 yr ^If you measure in Google Earth, it appears the "L shaped potion" is about 185 feet, so maybe they are going beyond that point to the next logical bay. The building will still be close to 1000 feet long. I've always assumed the "L shaped" thing came about to replace the square feet demolished when it was originally shortened, but that is just a guess.
October 31, 20231 yr ^For reference purposes, here's what 200' looks like from the eastern edge of Longworth Hall. It only extends a little bit past the "L-shaped portion" at the eastern end of the building. The entire length of Longworth Hall is ~1,165'. From this perspective, the 200' doesn't seem excessive to me. I don't know if 200' is an exact number or just a rough guess. They probably need to find a good spot for a relatively "clean break" in the building, based on the structure and interior conditions (elevator shafts, etc).
November 11, 20231 yr Isn't this putting the horse before the cart? 40 years to get the money and it's held up because of 185 ft. And if they don't buy the building, they have to redesign the entire project. Sweet. Edited November 11, 20231 yr by RJohnson
December 14, 20231 yr Lame-o reporter on 700WLW claiming that ODOT hasn't figured out if they're doing an arch bridge or a "cable" bridge.
December 17, 20231 yr Wouldn't they make it to look almost like the current bridge. Either one will look out of place next to each other.
December 17, 20231 yr 4 hours ago, unusualfire said: Wouldn't they make it to look almost like the current bridge. Either one will look out of place next to each other. Through truss bridges don't get built anymore in part because of the high cost of repainting them. A cable-stayed bridge is mostly concrete and a tied arch bridge is much easier to paint than a through truss.
December 17, 20231 yr 8 hours ago, Lazarus said: a tied arch bridge is much easier to paint than a through truss I don't know anything about bridges or painting... why is tied arch bridge easier to repaint than a through truss?
December 17, 20231 yr 3 hours ago, jwulsin said: I don't know anything about bridges or painting... why is tied arch bridge easier to repaint than a through truss? On a design like the Brent Spence (or the old Jeremiah Morrow Bridge over the Little Miami), the complexity of the truss pattern means that the crew has to set up elaborate work platforms and continuously reshape them while moving to different parts of the bridge. A tied arch like the Big Mac Bridge can be painted in a much more systematic way and it's probably much easier to predict how long the work will take.
December 20, 20231 yr I think I like the symmetry of an arch on either side of downtown, but I think the arch design is also concrete so either way I don't think it will get painted. Trusses have thousands of bolts (or rivets if it's older) and thousands of nooks and crannies and welds so it's not just a painting issue but it's a maintenance issue in general to keep up with all those mechanical connections vs a cast in place structure which is more of a 'set it and forget it' type structure assuming that the rebar is properly embedded. Both the cable stayed towers or the cable arch would be concrete so the only maintenance would be the cables themselves.
January 4, 20241 yr Came across this front page Cincinnati Post call to vote for approve bonds to create Queensgate "The City of Tomorrow"
January 4, 20241 yr Great job '50s. Everything single story. Looks like old schools that have already mostly been torn down.
January 4, 20241 yr It looks like so much more was planned for Queensgate. On a related note, work has begun on demolition and land clearing for the new companion BSB bridge.
January 5, 20241 yr On 1/3/2024 at 10:14 PM, seicer said: On a related note, work has begun on demolition and land clearing for the new companion BSB bridge. Where exactly?
January 9, 20241 yr Some work starts tonight. https://linknky.com/news/infrastructure/2024/01/08/i-71-i-75-overnight-closures-begin-monday/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_LINK_nky&fbclid=IwAR2VOR9TLQECj4Gebq-xz1nI-KIRA8dXOvBfZdR4ghZ7FtHDjs7h1PqrMPg
January 11, 20241 yr 'We defer to the people of Cincinnati': Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine weighs in on Brent Spence Bridge design Some key quotes Quote Construction on the Brent Spence Bridge project is expected to begin sometime this year, but the design is not yet finalized. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said while he's seen some of the proposals and talked with local leaders, he's deferring to the community the project will impact most. "Here's how I've approached this. Whatever is occurring as far as the off-ramps and the other roads in Cincinnati, we defer to the people of Cincinnati," DeWine said. "We defer to the mayor, we defer to council, and the other business leaders of the community. So we're willing to work with them. What we don't want to do is see the building of the bridge slowed up appreciably. We want to continue to move forward on that bridge." - Gov Dewine .. Quote WCPO relayed DeWine's comments to two members of Cincinnati City Council, and they felt it was an opportunity to be more vocal about what the city wants the future bridge to look like — specifically when it comes to reclaiming land that connects downtown to Queensgate. "Great to hear the governor state that and confirm for us that our opinions do matter as a transformational project is happening," council member Seth Walsh said. "There had been that concern ... is that what we're locked in on? Or is it too late for our opinion to matter? Or are we going to have to start this whole process over? So what he's saying is no, it's not." Fellow council member Meeka Owens said the city council's job is to work on projects exactly like the corridor. She said she wants to focus on local opinions, including those of Bridge Forward, whose latest design plan for the project focuses on improving walkability, enhancing public safety and reconnecting neighborhoods. ... Quote "We are decision makers. People have elected us to tackle the big things, and this is one of them," Owens said. "This is a moment for us to think about what that means while working with and really looking at advocates like Bridge Forward, who have even allowed us to think about something different." Interesting tidbit in the article is this - Walsh said it is expected council will take up a formal vote about the project "sometime in the next month or so." The city can have a say and it is not too late for that say. Its time for council to step up and make their priorities fully known for this once in a generation project.
January 14, 20241 yr This seems like an incredibly big step for Bridge Forward and the project to be truly transformational.
January 14, 20241 yr This project has been going on so long, I think a lot of people aren't aware of some of the original alternatives that were considered. Several of the alternatives included building a new bridge to the west of the current one which would have moved the I-75 thru lanes further away from the CBD and into Queensgate. In this one, "Alternative 5", the current bridge would also be demolished, pushing all of the interchanges further west and clearing up far more land on the west side of the Cincinnati CBD (and along the riverfront west of the CWB bridge) for development: This option was eliminated from consideration in the year 2004.
January 15, 20241 yr ^ That would probably confer a lot more safety and efficiency upgrades but I can see why they dropped it. The estimate cost of land acquisition must have been staggering.
January 31, 20241 yr In case people here aren't subscribed to Bridge Forward, they are asking people to contact the Mayor's office to show support for their alternative. It's incredibly easy and just takes a few seconds to send pre-written email, or call and leave a message: https://www.bridge-forward.org/action
February 20, 20241 yr Just as an FYI there are multiple public meetings regarding the BSB this week if you want to learn more or speak your piece. Today from noon-3:30 and again from 4:30-8:00 at the Radisson in Covington. Tomorrow at the same time slots at Longworth Hall and then a third virtual meeting on Thursday at 5:30.
February 26, 20241 yr I went to the Covington one, talked with a few of the ODOT and KYTC people who were milling around but I had to leave before the presentation since that didn't start until 2 hours later. I left public comment in person and online so I certainly tried to get them to hear what I have to say; which was basically that the current plan won't actually help traffic or safety on the Southbound lanes as the thru traffic comes in on the left lanes where it joins it with the local traffic then immediately is met with the +5% grade of the cut-in-the-hill as all the semitrucks in the thru lanes need to now cross 7 lanes of traffic to get to the right where they can go slow, and all the local traffic people who are trying to get from the two right lanes over to the left crossing the opposite way. This is not safe and also will cause just as many delays, congestion and accidents as we currently have going southbound if not more because of the extra lanes of traffic that are both inducing demand and making it more difficult for the slower moving vehicles to get over. I was met with mostly blank expressions and a couple guys said something to the effect of "yeah we've talked about how trucks will still have trouble with the hill and what to do with them but it's tough..." but there appeared to be no solutions and it was treated as someone else's problem like they were just there to talk about the bridge itself and the connecting highways were just an afterthought.
February 26, 20241 yr I went to the one at Longworth Hall but after the presentation had already started. It's clear this is just institutional inertia and political willpower. I think the only thing that can make a difference at this point is inflation and political gridlock in Washington. I was told on the side that they never bothered to pay to install traffic counters on the bridge and the only updated counts they have is for truck traffic. They then estimate total vehicle volume based on that. If that is true then going from 4 lanes to 5+3 is pure conjecture, even more so than typical modeling already is.
February 26, 20241 yr Fast forward to 2030 and none of the stated complaints about BSB Corridor are solved. We can only hope the one net-positive from this is Bridge Forward reclaims the max amount of new land on the west end of downtown. Get ready for you 100' tall flyovers, NKY! The view from Devou will be the sides of ramps.
February 26, 20241 yr They will add shoulders, which will help if you get a flat tire or your car breaks down in this stretch of highway which admittedly is terrifying. Other than that, you're right, I don't see any of the any congestion or safety problems being solved so we might as well get some developable land back where we can.
March 4, 20241 yr Just wait until 20 years after the new bridge opens when ODOT/KTC claim that the shoulders are a waste of space and say we should turn them into new lanes to alleviate congestion. Then — boom — the new bridge is "functionally obsolete".
March 6, 20241 yr On 3/4/2024 at 9:53 AM, taestell said: Just wait until 20 years after the new bridge opens when ODOT/KTC claim that the shoulders are a waste of space and say we should turn them into new lanes to alleviate congestion. Then — boom — the new bridge is "functionally obsolete". Thus will begin the next 30 year cycle for the new Brent Spence Bridge Companion Companion. We will have fraternity of bridges for 71/75.
May 9, 20241 yr Has there been any news recently about ODOT's response to the Bridge Forward proposals during their "innovation" period? Seems like there has not been further discussion publicly since early this year.
May 9, 20241 yr Potential final look of Brent Spence Companion Bridge released The Brent Spence Companion Bridge is a $3.6 billion project that will be built next to the already existing Brent Spence Bridge. The City of Cincinnati released an animated flyover showing what the final outcome could look like, but the bridge is still being designed. More below: https://local12.com/news/local/potential-final-look-brent-spence-companion-bridge-released-construction-project-animated-flyover-designed-funded-economy-traffic-travel-congestion-northern-kentucky-cincinnati "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 13, 20241 yr New Brent Spence companion bridge project gets key federal environmental approval The Federal Highway Administration has finished its environmental review of the $3.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge corridor project and approved the plan, a key milestone that will allow the new bridge to be designed and built. The project will add another companion bridge alongside the existing one and add lanes to the highway on both sides of the river. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, hailed the decision in a news release. “The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project is a testament to what can happen when we work together to get things done,” Beshear said. “We look forward to completing this project, which will further boost our economic growth and create more good jobs for our families.” More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/05/10/brent-spence-bridge-environmental-approval.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 27, 20241 yr 7 minutes ago, GCrites said: Never know when you're going to need a backup 15 cabinets but no heads. They probably rented these things since they probably cost $500/ea back in the late 80s and nobody had $7,500 back then. If you did, you were into disco.
May 31, 20241 yr Ohio, Kentucky add back more land in new Brent Spence Bridge project design By Chris Wetterich – Staff reporter and columnist, Cincinnati Business Courier May 31, 2024 Updated May 31, 2024 4:25pm EDT Ohio and Kentucky have added back another 1.25 acres of land to the west side of downtown and restored some of the street grid across Interstate 75 to Queensgate under the latest changes to the design of the Brent Spence Bridge project. The amount of land added back between I-75 and Central Avenue will go from 9.85 acres to about 11 acres. The Ohio and Kentucky transportation departments unveiled the changes at a hastily called news conference Friday, May 31. The alterations also brought some praise from the Bridge Forward citizens group, which has been mounting a full-court press to overhaul the design to add back more developable land and create a more urban area near the $3.6 billion project. MORE
June 6, 20241 yr Of the Queensgate blocks I could maybe see potential future re-development on the following blocks in order starting with 1. There would need to be pedestrian oriented streets in the block interiors dividing up these superblocks. I could also see a relocated District One police station ending up in this area. I wonder if a highway cap is possible in this area. Will the Brent Spence Bridge project be complete and development be happening in Queensgate before Lot 24 at the Banks is developed? Edited June 6, 20241 yr by thebillshark www.cincinnatiideas.com
June 6, 20241 yr 13 hours ago, thebillshark said: I wonder if a highway cap is possible in this area. We absolutely need to fight for as much capping and complete street bridges as we possibly can. This is a once-in-a-century chance to change the city. All people in power need to be pulling every resource they can to integrate this behemoth to the city, increasing the city's livability. I'm working on a sketch. It is close to being sharable, but I think that in the screenshot that you captured, we need to be fighting for two complete street bridges at Linn and 9th, a land bridge cap between 7th and 8th, and a retail/restaurant saddled bridge along 5th Street. I think that those 4 bridges, which will be bridges, need to be some of the most substantial, architecturally significant bridges along the entire length of I-75 and they will need to communicate Cincinnati's identity and culture. Linn and 9th Street Bridges look and function: Long Street Bridge in Columbus 7th and 8th Street Alternative 1: Lytle Park Cap 7th and 8th Street Alternative 2: Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge in San Antonio 5th Street look and function: High Street Bridge in Columbus ^Using styrofoam and plexiglass to render timeless, romantic, architecture is so dorky to me. I think it came at a time when Columbus was really leaning into its Italian roots. Anyways, I would expect Cincinnati to have a contemporary, culturally connected response to this type of building. It will be curious to see what happens as a result of a more connected interchange there west of I-75. I tend to think that the area along 5th Street will redevelop before the area along 8th Street, but I don't really base that on much other than intuition. Edited June 6, 20241 yr by Chas Wiederhold
June 6, 20241 yr I really appreciate Brian and the whole Bridge Forward group that have been persistent enough that ODOT actually has a design document slide responding directly to a citizen lead effort. It's still not perfect, but its great to see the street level intersections, increased developable land and the increase in East/West connections between CBD and Queensgate. Good work everybody.
June 6, 20241 yr 1 hour ago, Chas Wiederhold said: ^Using styrofoam and plexiglass to render timeless, romantic, architecture is so dorky to me. I think it came at a time when Columbus was really leaning into its Italian roots. Anyways, I would expect Cincinnati to have a contemporary, culturally connected response to this type of building. The I-670 Cap required light buildings (thus, Styrofoam and plexiglass) in order to actually be constructed on that bridge. Also, the Cap is an homage to what was once at the site: Union Station. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 17, 2024Jun 17 On 6/8/2024 at 12:43 PM, unusualfire said: I wonder why? NYC has a highway going under a multi storybuilding. They didn't design for it to support that kind of weight. Aka that didn't want to pay for that level of engineering.
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