Preferred alternative for Harrison Avenue reconstruction presented

A preferred alternative for the reconstruction of Harrison Avenue through South Fairmount and Westwood was presented at a public open house at Midway Elementary School on Thursday.

The $6.8 million project will include the building of consistent lane widths, intersection improvements, the addition of left-turn lanes, the smoothing of sharp curves, and signal operation changes along the four miles of roadway between Queen City Avenue and the Cincinnati corporation line.

According to studies by the Department of Transportation and Engineering, the accident rate on the stretch of roadway is nearly twice the City average, with some locations, such as the S-curve between White and Biegler streets, approaching a rate of nearly five times the City average.

Andrea Henderson, project manager for the City of Cincinnati, says that the selection of a preferred alternative design was based on comments received from the City and community members since the last community input session, held last November.

"Of course we'll still take comments and are still asking for suggestions and further comments," Henderson says.

The preferred alternatives are available for viewing and comment on the project website.

Henderson also says that the project remains on schedule.

"Even though the design schedule has changed slightly we still anticipate construction in 2012," she says.

In May, Cincinnati City Council approved an ordinance allowing the City to enter into a local public agency agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation, making $5.44 in federal Surface Transportation Program funds available.

The remaining local match will come from Department of Transportation and Engineering capital budget accounts, Ohio Public Works Commission funding, and Hamilton County Municipal Road funds.

Previous reading on BC:
Cincinnati on board with Harrison Avenue safety improvements (5/27/09)
Harrison Avenue improvements could begin in 2012 (4/9/09)