I went ahead and split the topics.  Mill Creek Expressway (Paddock to Western Hills Viaduct) is now here:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3870.0

 

Since I split the posts and the link is in the other post, I'll re-post the link cincybearcat's talking about here:

http://www.i75millcreekexpressway.com/

 

The Alternatives are online for the project:

 

http://www.thruthevalley.com/exhibits2.html

I fixed the link for you.  The [/url] has to go at the end.

Grasscat:  Thank you for fixing the link, I posted very quickly and did not realize I had a mistake.

 

From looking through the plans and their costs, express lanes will not happen, not at a cost of $600 million.  I see 4-5 lanes with aux between the exits.  If the express were tolled, then I could see it happening, but the project has $135 million right now.  Perhaps the revenue from bonds for a toll road could cover the cost of the express lanes, who knows.

I always liked the idea of express lanes, but I agree with you about the feasibility.  Tolls would deserve looking into, but I'm not sure how well they'd go over in a part of the country where "free" roads are considered a birthright.

Perhaps the revenue from bonds for a toll road could cover the cost of the express lanes, who knows.

 

Personally, I think they should look at the possibility of HOT lanes as a method of funding the express lanes. Looking at the display boards shows that every option with the exception of express lanes would only give the highway a Level of Service of D-F. Four lane continuity, at 153 Million Dollars would fit with this. Alternatively, Alternative 4B (At-Grade Express Lanes) has a estimated cost of 221 Million Dollars, and brings a level of service of C-D. Making the express lanes HOT or tolled would allow bring in some of the funding not there, and would give 75 a more acceptable LOS. 

*Edit* Plans changed, Roundabout no longer considered.

Well, here is another photo showing the future I-75/275 interchange.  This should happen during or right after the current project is finished.

 

Original Photo By: Larry Stulz

^ Good enough.

 

So am I correct in that the roundabout (traffic circle) will be two lanes?  Also, I worry about the scale and the tightness of the circle given the high traffic volumes.

 

I think this is a pretty nice concept though and finally gets rid of that horrible left exit.  Plus, like you mentioned, it would create a great opportunity to expand on the Hopple Crossing concept and to further connect to the residential neighborhood to the north.

I am guessing that the roundabout will have 2 lanes, but a third inside lane could be added.  Modern roundabouts are different than older traffic circles or rotaries.  At the enterence into the roundabout, there will be a yield sign, so if the roundabout is busy, traffic will back up on the ramps, but traffic will be moving, not at a stop like at lights or signs.  Scale looks to be small, just large enough to keep traffic moving, unlike large traffic circles where fountains and small plazas are located in the center, these will have grass and flowers I would guess.  My drawing is not perfect, so allow the roundabout to expand west on Hopple, but not too much more because I don't think the properties to the south are going to be purchased.

I was just wondering because I worry about backups on Hopple at the roundabout, especially in the eastbound lanes.  The Hopple/Colerain intersection is already bad enough and a long line of cars waiting to get onto a roundabout could be a problem.

From the 6/26/05 Enquirer, there is a whole special section: I-75: The Big Fix:

 

 

INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC: The Potential Fixes

---

PHOTO: If nothing is done, congestion and danger on I-75 only will get worse. Planning for a massive overhaul moves ahead with a public meeting this week.  The Enquirer/Glenn Hartong

 

I-75: The Big Fix

Crowded, confusing and unsafe, our main drag needs massive body work

By Dan Sewell

Enquirer staff writer

 

Interstate 75 will get worse before it gets better.

 

That's the outlook as traffic planners and engineers prepare for the biggest overhaul of I-75 since it was built in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky a half-century ago.

 

Over the next two decades, planners expect to spend at least $1.5 billion improving I-75 from Warren County in Ohio to Grant County in Kentucky. Replacing the Brent Spence Bridge would be the biggest part of the work.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050626/NEWS01/506260360/1056/rss02

---

PHOTO: I-75 / I-275 interchange

 

On I-75: problems, solutions, costs, disruptions

By Dan Sewell

Enquirer staff writer

 

This is the future of Interstate 75: Years of dump trucks and dirt, orange barrels and backups. Lost lanes and closed exits. Delays and detours, broken concrete and constant noise.

 

And that's just a start.

 

IF YOU GO

 

Hundreds of homeowners, businesses, schools and communities await decisions that will affect them. Give your input on I-75 proposals on Wednesday. Plans will be on display, feedback forms will be offered and project representatives will answer questions.

 

Where: Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road.

When: Noon to 7 p.m.

Also: The Ohio Department of Transportation has a Web site on the "Thru the Valley" project: www.thruthevalley.com. For information on a related I-75 project, see www.i75millcreekexpressway.com.

 

WHAT THE I-75 PROJECT WILL MEAN ...

 

To drivers

Work will improve safety and keep traffic from worsening to daily gridlock. But drivers will endure years of detours, delays and dust.

 

To business

Improvements will help trucks move interstate commerce, and help tourists reach downtown and riverfront attractions on both sides of the Ohio.

 

To communities

Better interstate access could boost redevelopment and spark new interest in older, declining communities along I-75 - after the ordeal of construction.

 

To the region

Work over the next decade should help the economic and tourism corridor from Northern Kentucky to northern Warren County. Better flow could increase links among the region's booming suburbs.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050626/NEWS01/506260359/1056/rss02

---

PHOTO: Truck driver Chuck Haviland of Nashville travels I-75 daily to deliver automotive parts to Detroit.  The Enquirer/Tony Jones

 

Trucks still will be able to go through during work

By Dan Klepal

Enquirer staff writer

 

Trucks will continue to travel up and down Interstate 75 during construction. That's because lanes will be narrowed only from 12 feet to 10 feet during work - still wide enough for big trucks to navigate.

 

"The only time that really creates a problem is if there is a breakdown, because there's not much room to pull off to the side. In that case, the only thing we can do is hope law enforcement gets a tow truck out there quickly," says Jay Hamilton, an engineer with the Ohio Department of Transportation.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050626/NEWS01/506260361/1056/rss02

---

A decade in the making

 

What’s been done

 

October 2003: Ohio, Kentucky and regional transportation officials ranked improvements as high priority.

Spring 2004: Ohio Department of Transportation formed project team.

Spring/summer 2004: Technical studies were conducted.

Fall 2004: Two-year process began to identify alternatives, get public input.

 

 

Still to come

 

Late 2005: Decision due on which fix to pursue; final project design begins.

Late 2008: Design finalized; right-of-way acquisition begins.

Spring 2010 to fall 2013: Construction.

 

Source: Ohio Department of Transportation, Enquirer research

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050626/NEWS01/306260001

Trucks are a problem, but i would not send them to I-275 creating even more problems on that over congested interstate. I would create a mini bypass some where around the Monroe area connecting over too I-71 and expand I-71 to over I-471 and extend I-471 to the I-71/I-75 split. It would be much cheaper since I-71 have alot more room to expand than I-75 does.

I agree that I-471 should connect back to the I-71/75 split, this would be worthwhile and would make trucks take this route to I-275 and then up to I-71 or 75.  The connector on the north side between I-71/75 will be built, I can't understand why the farmers are upset about a highway taking their land, because in 5-10 years, it will all be housing anyways, so heres an idea, plan ahead and build the highway now.  I am glad our freeway system is getting fixed, its a piece of junk.  It is in terrible shape, very dangerous, and needs the expansion badly.  After this is done, then I say Cincinnati should move foward with light rail, but not until the freeways are in good shape.

I'd like to add to this thread the other stuff, like the homes, businesses, industries, etc. that may have to make way for a better-functioning highway.  I'm supportive of the use of eminent domain for this project if it is necessary.  This story appeared in the 6/27/05 Enquirer:

 

 

PHOTO: The elevated portion of I-75 in Reading is reflected in the window of the Bridge House Restaurant in Reading. Maj Mousa says rebuilding the road “could be a disaster” for the 5-decade-old business.  Photos by Glenn Hartong/The Enquirer

 

PHOTO: Northbound Interstate 75 crosses over Shepherd Avenue in Lockland just north of the old Stearns & Foster factory. Nearby residents already suffer noise and vibration. Some homes could be taken by eminent domain for a massive project a few years from now.

 

PHOTO: The roar of traffic on northbound I-75 is hard to ignore for Crystal Penny, 8, sitting on the front steps of her Lockland home. Two hundred homes were demolished when the elevated section was built in 1963.

 

Threatened neighbors

Alongside the highway, there's a valley of worry; I-75's neighbors wonder what road project means for them

By Dan Sewell

Enquirer staff writer

 

Ray Cook picks his way through his cluttered, rustic garage, bantering with customers and wondering whether his 6-decade-old family business will make it into a seventh.

 

Jim Beam Brands manager Paul Houston oversees the manufacture and bottling of cordials and liqueurs, worried that parts of his parking lot could be lost.

 

D-Day veteran Cooper Barrett relaxes on a wooden bench outside his house, fretting that his tranquil retirement might soon be lost in construction din.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050627/NEWS01/506270346/1056/rss02

 

From the 6/30/05 Enquirer, on yesterday's presentation at the SCC:

 

 

PHOTO: Celia Mills (left) of Wyoming and Anna Maple Taylor of Hartwell examine how the different options for altering Interstate 75 would affect them.  The Enquirer/Sarah Conard

 

Some residents baffled as to impact of I-75 fix

Six alternatives detailed in maps, charts and graphs

By Dan Klepal

Enquirer staff writer

 

SHARONVILLE - Homer and Shirley Brock sit squarely on the Interstate 75 bubble.

 

The Brocks may lose their home in Lockland in a few years, depending on how the Ohio Department of Transportation decides to expand the interstate beginning in 2010.

 

The couple, who live about a block from Lockland High School, left more confused after they spent an hour Wednesday poring over maps, charts, graphs and other materials that detail the six alternatives for fixing the region's busiest and most clogged transportation artery.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050630/NEWS01/506300351/1056/rss02

300 people is peanuts to how many people that uses the highway..lol

300 people is peanuts to how many people that uses the highway..lol

Probably mostly retired folks there.

Should make the meeting from 3pm to 9pm..most of the commuters are at work, and/or stuck on I-75 from 6-7pm ;-)

those elevated express lanes are wild looking

 

i think if you live right on the edge of the freeway you would just have to assume this would happen at some point. yeah it sucks, but i also would bet that most people in that position would be glad to get away from the road. as long as they are fairly compensated for their move and home/business/whatever

 

75 can't be left as is, so in the end they aren't going to have a choice anyway

 

this will be a big mess of a project though, glad i don't have to drive 75 that often.

^Especially with the new eminent domain law.

Another take from the 7/6/05 Tri-County Press:

 

 

I-75 meeting elicits responses from public

By Andrea Reeves

Staff Reporter 

 

SHARONVILLE - Terry Talbert is tired of the congestion on Interstate 75.

 

"Almost anything is better than what's there now," the Lockland resident said. "(The current configuration) was thought of 50 years ago, before everyone in the country owned cars. Now that the congestion is here we need to do this right so 30 years from now we won't be doing the same thing."

 

Several conceptual alternatives for the I-75 Thru the Valley construction project were presented in a public meeting last Wednesday at the Sharonville Convention Center to obtain feedback from the public in the process of narrowing down the options.

 

http://www.communitypress.com/EvendaleOH/News.asp?pageType=Story&StoryID=15325&Section=Main%20News&OnlineSection=Main%20News&SectionPubDate=7/6/2005%202:59:19%20AM&RefDate=7/6/2005%202:59:19%20AM

 

Send all through trucks around I-275 NOW. They do it in Atlanta and their businesses is not suffering except overall bad traffic..

Ok, well building a brand new freeway would cost a whole lot of money, bridges along the route will be easy to widen and/or eliminate.  I agree with sending trucks around 275, but Ohio is afraid to push truck traffic on 275 to Kentucky.  I don't know why this is such a big deal, I was also told that it would be to hard to enforce the by-pass.  I say bullshit!  I don't think all the trucks that go through Cincy are local, just send the police after trucks instead of commuters.  I like the at-grade express lane option the best, but I would also like to see what happens with the C-D system being extended.  If the express lanes were built, does anyone know where they would end?  The drawings show them continuing under 275. 

Is there any plan to rebuild the entire I-75/I-275 merge?  The cloverleaf has got to go.

Is there any plan to rebuild the entire I-75/I-275 merge?  The cloverleaf has got to go.

 

I think upgrades are planned as part of an I-275 project, but am not sure...

The interchange is supposed to happen after the widening of 275, which starts in 2007.  Who knows what will happen with it.  I would guess something like the I-70/75 interchange in Dayton would look like what the I-75/275 interchange would look like.  I am a fan of the hugh stacks in Texas, so I think that would be cool to see.  I can't find a website on the 275 upgrade, so I don't know what it will look like.  I guess I could call my buddy at ODOT and see what he knows.

A few points:

 

1. I don't have the stat, but MOST of the trucks on I-75 in this area are coming or going from somewhere in the area.  A truck ban can't ban local trucks, and so tons of long haul trucks will risk getting a ticket.  Tons of trucks slipped through Ft. Washington way during the truck ban.  I think people are making it up in their head that traffic was better during the truck "bans" -- statistically, it simply couldn't have been much better.  Look at the fine print on www.i75millcreekexpressway.com and you'll see that dedicated truck lanes and truck-only express lanes were eliminated from consideration because there simply aren't as many long haul trucks passing through Cincinnati as people think there are. 

 

2.  Express lanes aren't too expensive.  Alternatives 5 and 6 essentially turn I-75 south through Lockland into express lanes.  In fact, alternative 4B is cheaper (if the given stat is correct) than either alternative 5 or 6 and only $100 million more than alternative 3.  Alternative 3 won't do jack diddle do to improve traffic flow on I-75.  Only 4, 5, or 6 will make a noticible difference.  As indicated below, the only differences between 5 and 6 are the location of the Galbraith Rd. interchange and the configuration of the Cross County Highway ramps.

 

These official web sites are typically mediocre.  Why PDF files are favored on these kind of sites compared to regular jpegs and text we'll never know.  Here are the 6 (8 actually) alternatives for this area with some commentary:

 

 

#1 No Build

 

#2 No Build + Minor Improvements

 

#3 Four Lane Continuity

$152 million

 

#4A Express Lanes

Cost Estimate: $607 million

At grade express lanes between Glendale-Milford Rd. and I-275, on deck above existing viaduct through Lockland, on center T-structure between Cross County Highway and Paddock Rd.

 

#4B Express Lanes

Cost Estimate: $221 million

At grade express lanes in existing median between Lockland and I-275, express lanes constructed adjacent to current northbound viaduct through Lockland, at grade express lanes between Lockland and Paddock Rd.

 

#4C Express Lanes

Cost Estimate: $605 million

At grade express lanes between Lockland and I-275, new viaduct above existing southbound lanes through Lockland, on center T-structure between Lockland and Paddock Rd.

 

#5 Lockland Parkway

Cost Estimate: $294 million

"The existing soundbound I-75 between Shepherd Lane and Ronald Reagan Highway would become the I-75 mainline in both directions.  The existing northbound I-75 alignment through Lockland would become a two-way parkway serving local traffic and connecting to I-75 north of Shepherd Lane and an exit from I-75 and Paddock Rd. from the south.  Local connections at Davis Street and Galbraith Rd. would be accessed from the parkway."

 

The Parkway scenario positions the Galbraith Rd. interchange where I-75's northbound lanes currently pass above the street, enabling a lower profile interchange between I-75 and Cross County Highway.

 

#6 Divided Interstate

Cost Estimate: $348 million

Essentially the same as the parkway concept, but by positioning the Galbraith Rd. interchange in a diamond orientation where I-75 southbound now passes under it necessitates a more grandiose Cross County Highway interchange, including an I-75 southbound to Cross County eastbound ramp that would require demolition of two dozen homes. This ramp would possibly be the longest and highest in the Cincinnati area.

I think they should look at other freeways across america that has 200k per day traveling on  it. and go from there. They are usually 10 lane highways with hov lanes.

 

I think it would be cheaper to build the entire highway at grade instead of widening the already long bridge going northbound.

My bet is on 4-cont. lanes, but with aux lanes along much of the stretch.  This gives 2-4 more lanes.  I think this should be enough. The project already has enough money to cover this construction.  If more money comes in, put it toward a 75 light rail line.

With no exit for 8 mile or more in the express lane. What happens if a car or truck  breaks down? ow will you get off of there?Expresslanes will not happen unless it's a toll to help pay for it.

According to the diagram on www.thruthevalley.com there will be two express lanes and two emergency shoulders for both north and southbound traffic.  Totaling 48 feet in width, only catastrophic accidents could entirely block one side of the express lanes.

 

<img src="http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/75new-3.jpg">

 

Semi trailers are I believe 48 and 54 feet long, so you could pretty much fit two of them sideways (sans the cabs) on these elevated lanes.   Also breaks in the barrier walls between the two directions of emergency lanes along with through traffic when they are at a similar grade would allow cars to get off or around.    

I mean look at the time it would take to get to someone if there was an extreme emergency. One just get get on the express lane at any interchange. The emergency  vehicle  would have only 2 or 3 interchanges to use just like everyone else.

 

I doubt sharonville would not want to bring their crews down to where Arlington heights  is if there was an emergency. And i doubt that Arlington height would send an emergency vehicle all the way north bound to _I-275 and then turn around  at an exit then goback to the interchange to go southbond to the accident or evergency. that would be TONS of time wasted.

 

With only 3 exits in a 17 mile stretch that will be an safety hazard. Maybe it just me thinking there will be problems.

^ It doesn't seem to be a major problem in other places with express lanes.

 

JAKE--good point on the first thing you said.  People sometimes seem to forget that the I-75/Mill Creek corridor is heavily industrialized and produces a ton of truck traffic.

The express lanes that would be built are ABOVE I-75. Every other express lane highway i have seen are at-grade with the main lines seperated by jersey barriers.

 

Like this.

 

Orange county.

 

Here is a shot of one that would be build here. But in this picture it's an HOV lane, which has an an exit at all the interchanges instead of just 2 or 3 interchanges..

An accident on these elevated express lanes would be both a) rare and b) would never approach the worst-case monorail scenario.  Without frequent merging and lane shifting, there would be far fewer accidents than typical expressway lanes.  Ice might present a problem, since overpasses freeze faster, and I'd imagine the express lanes would be a lower priority for snow removal.  But these are small prices to pay for what would make for a cosmic improvement in traffic flow and safety. 

 

I can't imagine the elevated lanes being built on a large scale in Cincinnati -- the purchase of adjacent properties is surely lower than the price of buidling a 100ft. wide, 17 mile long bridge and maintaining it for 100 years.  In places the express lanes would be elevated for a bit but I'm not going to speculate too much as to where those spots would be.  At the at grade sections, breaks in the barrier walls would allow emergency vehicle access. 

 

Alternative 4C is a joke:

<img src="http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/75-lockland4.jpg">

I simply can't imagine that the double-decking proposed in alternative 4C is really cheaper than just buying the two dozen properties either to the left or right of the existing roadway.  That can't be more than $10 million worth of property, and express lanes elevated 16 feet above the height of the overpasses would erode the quality of life in the area even more.  I've walked around the area and there's nothing remarkable about it.  For some reason the "Lockland Canyon" is this big thing in people's minds, but looking at an aerial photo reveals it to be not much of anything.  Reconstructing the channel with express lanes in a quarter mile tunnel under the existing lanes seems the only way to maintain some sense of decency for the neighborhood, but come on -- just tear that crap down.  It's going to happen by itself in the next twenty years anyway.  The maintenance of that proposed viaduct would be more than the mainenance of those old houses.  Nobody wants to live right next to an interstate and those industrial buidlings are obsolete.  No hipster is going to redevelop those into trendy lofts.             

 

Also, I saw no mention of the Western Hills Viaduct on those sites.  Almost surely the "new" part over I-75 will be torn down and the ramps reconfigured express lanes or no express lanes.

 

<img src="http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/75-westernhills2.jpg">

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Building an elevated highway would be a disaster for anyone who lives within a mile or two of it.  I hate that option and I hope it goes away.

Well I don't think the project is going to get the $600 million needed to build the elevated express lanes, so I don't think we have to worry.  I believe the Western Hills Viaduct is going to be covered by the Brent Spence Bridge Project.  It is important to end a project at an interchange, that way the lanes can match-up better when one project ends and other begins.  By the end of the Ohio 75 projects, the Brent Spence will hopefully be started or about to begin.  I read the date of 2015, I don't know if that is a starting date or completion date.

Some excerpts from the public comments, from the 7/31/05 Enquirer:

 

 

Public weighs in on I-75 plans

No consensus, except that something must be done

By Dan Klepal

Enquirer staff writer

 

Doing nothing is not an option on Interstate 75.

 

That's the only clear consensus found in the 430 comment cards filled out during an open house on the project in June, during which the public was free to review exhibits and maps detailing the alternatives being considered to make a seven-mile stretch of the interstate from Paddock Road to I-275 safer, less congested and easier to navigate.

 

The Ohio Department of Transportation is considering six alternatives - one of which has three variations - to fix the thoroughfare.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050731/NEWS01/507310391/1056/rss02

 

 

  "Doing nothing is not an option on Interstate 75."

 

  I don't like when people say such things. Doing nothing IS an option. Depending on who you are, doing nothing might be the BEST option, even.

 

  I agree with grasscat in that I don't like the double decker highway idea.

 

   

I guess we find out in a month what the two final options will be.  If I were a betting man, I would guess 4 cont. lanes and at-grade express lanes.  These options are closest to the budget, with 4 cont. lanes under the $159 million budget, express lanes a little over $200 million.  I hope maybe some money could be saved and put toward a new 275 interchange.  And a "No Build" is not an option.  Freeways are here and will be for a very long time.  You can be anti-freeway, but roads will continue to get bigger.

Question for you guys...

 

Some of you have mentioned the 75/275 interchange.  What was all the construction that just finshed around there in the past few years?  Is something now planned that is going to make that have been all for naught?  Or was it just widening?  (Sorry, I haven't been following things closely.)

Question for you guys...

 

Some of you have mentioned the 75/275 interchange.  What was all the construction that just finshed around there in the past few years?  Is something now planned that is going to make that have been all for naught?  Or was it just widening?  (Sorry, I haven't been following things closely.)

 

From I-275 Northward. Exit and Entrance Ramps pointing north on I-275 were reconfigured as auxillary lanes (e.g. no merge), becoming the 4 lane NB and SB. A portion of the existing CD lanes at the interchange were also reconstructed, esp the EB I-275 to NB 75 clover merge with the WB to NB 75 Ramp where a merge area was added (it was a one lane ramp tha handled both ramps and did not function well.).

 

The new I/C works well, However I think they should have striped the SB 75 exit ramp for WB/EB 275 ramps to have the outside new 4th lane exit for 275 WB only, and the inside lane for 275 EB/ and or continue on 75 SB. The one lane exit ramp backs up, and if you look at the signs right at the gore there, it almost looks like that was supposed to be the case (side by side signs EB 275 pointing down right to the painted gore)

 

Otherwise the interchange footprint was largely unaffected by the most current 75 project (2k4)

Plus the Thru the Valley Project will change the interchange with either express lanes and/or additional lanes.  I am not sure about funding on putting in non-looped ramps.  I would guess that the plan for the I-70/75 interchange would be used, as I have seen it in several interchange upgrades around Columbus.  I don't understand why Ohio lacks the major road improvements the rest of the country is having.  Would add some good jobs for a while.

Stretch of I-75 to get 4th lane

Widening to cost at least $159 million

 

By Dan Klepal

Enquirer staff writer

 

 

Ohio Department of Transportation officials have decided that adding a fourth lane in each direction on Interstate 75 between Paddock Road and I-275 is the "feasible" way to overhaul the seven-mile stretch of interstate that more than 160,000 drivers use daily.

 

The next step is to perform more detailed engineering, cost analysis and evaluation of how many homes and businesses will be bulldozed to make room for the wider interstate. That work will take about a year.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050820/NEWS01/508200370/1077

While I respect ODOT's decision to work within the budget, I thoroughly disagree with their decision to pick an alternative that would only secure a level of service of D-F. If cars remain the dominant mode of transportation in the next 20 years, and I am sure that they will for Cincinnati, we shall see people complaining about gridlock shortly after the reconstruction is completed. I hope this implies that ODOT cares about some sort of mass transit, since this alternative will not make the gridlock go away.

 

Upon closer inspection of the article, it could be interesting to see how much the plans diverge from the poster boards presented on the site. I think it would be wise to complete the RR interchange, given the confusion involved in traversing local roads to get onto the highway if travelling south on 75.

Well I knew it was between express lanes and the 4-lane cont. thing.  Well I guess we wait and see what the final plans include.  I would hope this means the feeder roads along GE will be taken out and replaced with the local roads.  Interesting that RR interchange isn't included right away, but I would guess it will be added as more jobs shift northward.  Hopefully there are numerous aux. lanes between interchanges, otherwise gridlock might be a possibility before 2030.  But other cities have gone back and added capacity, mainly Atlanta, but I guess it should wait until this actually gets done.  Too bad it doesn't start for another 4 1/2 years.  I wish HOV was considered, because I would guess as gas prices go up, more people would be interested in car pooling.  Hopefully high gas prices push for a light rail lines to the north and to the east side of Cincinnati.  Maybe thats why freeway expansion has been so lack luster, or because our politicians in Columbus and Washington suck and don't bring any "Pork" back to our area.

New Updates on the Thruthevalley website, showing what is going to built and what optional things could also happen.  Looks like 8-12 lanes in most of the project.

Traffic solutions confound

Widening Interstate 75 won't ease congestion

 

By Dan Klepal

Enquirer staff writer

 

CLASSIFICATIONS

Ohio Department of Transportation's levels of service ratings for roadways:

 

Level A: Free-flow traffic at 60 mph and above.

 

Level B: Stable flow 60 mph and above.

 

Level C: Congestion starts, but traffic flowing at 45 mph and above.

 

Level D: Unstable flow, 35 mph.

 

Level E: Unstable flow, 30 mph.

 

Level F: Forced flow, or stop-and-go traffic, speeds less than 30 mph.

 

 

 

Even after spending more than $1.3 billion on a new Brent Spence Bridge and widening projects on Interstate 75, the highway around Greater Cincinnati is expected to be more congested and crowded than it is today.

 

The Ohio Department of Transportation is planning to widen I-75, in two separate projects, from Paddock Road to I-275. Those projects - dubbed Thru the Valley and the Mill Creek Expressway - are not likely to meet federal requirements for reducing traffic by the time they are built.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051031/NEWS01/510310340/1077/NEWS01

Looks like 75 S to Cross County E isn't going to happen.