Comments on: Hidden Assets of Fort Washington Way Saving Taxpayers Millions of Dollars

By: Gordon Bombay

Gordon Bombay — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 08:33:19 +0000

Great post, especially about the Transit Center. I just wished it was used to a more frequent capacity, even if it was for buses. It’s an amazing piece of infrastructure. Excellent writeup, David. I also really like the picture of the Transit Center portal at top left.

By: Fred Craig

Fred Craig — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:13:16 +0000

The RTC connects to the Oasis line on the east and the CIND line on the west. The north wall of the RTC is a flood wall and there is a pump station that pumps FWW out if it floods. The RTC replaced the old freight line that ran through the riverfront. If it were under 3rd, it could not connect through FWW due to the Lytle tunnel on one end…plus the cost to dig up 3rd would have been astronomical. We looked at 25 alternatives over a month to get the RTC concept refined. We provided for the current streetcar lines and the Eastern Corridor connections, as well as to Ky over the Taylor Southgate and Clay Wade Bailey bridges. There is a 48 in water main under the RTC which goes to a tunnel west of town to provide water to NKY. We did not have a lot of time to think about it. The original highway project was on time and on budget. The city and others added the floodwall, the water main, the CSO interceptor, the RTC, the Level 3 system, and still built it on time to open for the Bengals. I have appreciated your comments about this project. Roxanne Qualls, John Deatrick and John Schneider, as well as hundreds of engineers and contractors deserve the credit for getting this done. It was the most intense fun I’ve ever had.

By: David C. Ben

David C. Ben — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 03:26:11 +0000

Justin, thank you for your kind words on my article. It is comments like yours and 5chw4r7z’s that help keep us motivated to write what we write.

The writers from UrbanCincy got together this evening to talk about some feature stories we are working on over the next couple of weeks. We thank you for reading and hope that you’ll continue to read, to comment, and to be energized by what we do. We hope we can live up to your expectations.

By: Justin

Justin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 01:58:18 +0000

I can’t express enough how great this post is and echo 5chw4r7z’s call for more like it in the future. It is frustrating to hear some in (and out of) our community call every major project a “boondoggle.” This word, along with phrases like “trolly folly” and “choo-choo” train, have become extremely frustrating to hear from those with extreme views on taxes and spending. This article provides the facts on a common target for the cries of “boondoggle.” I too am extremely impressed with the foresight of the planners of FWW to envision a Cincinnati with a complete transportation system.

I was reading an article on Urbanophile that mirrors the last part of this article. It’s about Columbus, Indiana. http://www.urbanophile.com/2010/07/11/the-columbus-indiana-values-proposition/. It’s a great read and a perfect example of how valuable long-term planning and vision is from our local leaders.

By: John Schneider

John Schneider — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:42:53 +0000

^ The Riverfront Transit Center was never considered for Third Street. The reason is, the narrowed “trench” of Fort Washington Way gave up an already-excavated right-of-way that would have been very expensive to dig on Third Street. And had the RTC not been built where it is, that mile-long, 85-foot wide cavity would have had to have been filled to bring Second Street up to grade. So siting in at Second Street solve two problems.

Plus, however hard the connections are at the ends of the RTC, they would have been much harder anywhere north of there.

By: David C. Ben

David C. Ben — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:39:09 +0000

Jake –

250 feet closer to the CBD would have been nice I guess, but the Transit Center being close to the stadia and the Banks makes more sense, I think. Sure, compared to it’s capacity, it may have been under-used over the past decade, but its current location is ideal for the development that is happening south of Second right now.

By: Jake Mecklenborg

Jake Mecklenborg — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:00:50 +0000

Someone needs to ask Fred Craig if construction of the Transit Center was ever planned for Third Street instead of the new Second Street. It was impossible to see what they were doing when the combined sewer overflow was being built so I don’t know if its design precluded construction of the equivalent of the Transit Center in that location. Third would have placed the Transit Center entrances about 250 feet closer to the CBD.

By: David C Ben

David C Ben — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:46:37 +0000

CityKin- it is my understanding that the storage is for the combined sewer and stormwater runoff. The issue is that our system treats stormwater runoff, so they combined it with the sewer because both are going to the treatment plant. Unfortunately, hen it rains, the system cannot process the volume quickly enough, so it has to dump into the Ohio and it’s tributaries like Mill Creek.

From what I gather, this feature of FWW simply increases the storage capacity for the combined system. I’ll ask the engineer and let you know if that is not the case.

By: Joe M

Joe M — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:56:12 +0000

I said this briefly on Twitter, but this series continues to highlight that rather than being a boondoggle, this remaking of the Ft. Washington Way is showing the incredible foresight of the designers, allowing for a versatility that would have been impossible if required later. Even the transit center, while underused now, is showing it’s worth when games are being played and buses are using the center instead of clogging up the Second Street area. This series should be required reading for those who believe this revamping was a mistake. And that’s without even consider how much more easily the highway traffic moves through this road to the two interstates and the various exits (the northbound entrance to I-75 alone is one of those where you think, why didn’t someone think of this a long time ago?).

By: 5chw4r7z

5chw4r7z — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:00:13 +0000

I’m liking this series.
I hope you can find more subjects after this one runs its course.