Brent Spence project releases amended schedule

The Ohio Department of Transportation, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, and the Brent Spence Bridge advisory committee have released an updated project schedule that will keep construction from starting until 2011 at the earliest - assuming that funding for the $3 billion project can be found by that time.

The original project schedule, which was released in 2005, has been modified to allow for some aspects of engineering and design work to proceed concurrently, rather than in their previous step-by-step fashion.

Delays were also caused by the performance of a travel lane study in which traffic volumes were estimated for the expansion to five, six and seven continuous lanes, which showed no appreciable increase in volume for each lane added.

A study of certified traffic data has been bumped up in the process and is now due on June 16. This study will take into account estimates of daily traffic, hour volumes and truck traffic to determine the number of lanes necessary for the project.

Other changes include:

* Conceptual alternatives study: Due October 24, 2008, was originally planned for November 2006. This will combine design and environmental data to produce a list of feasible alternatives.

* Assessment of feasible alternatives: Due August 9, 2009, was originally planned for August 2007. This provides a more detailed document of the feasible alternatives for presentation to stkeholders, agencies and the public.

* Preferred alternative verification report: Due August 16, 2010, was originally planned for September 2008. This document further refines data given for the preferred alternative.

* Draft environmental document: Due September 2, 2010, was originally planned for February 2009. This is a document detailing the preferred alternative's impacts and mitigation procedures and coordinating activities with other agencies.

* Final environmental document: Due April 21, 2011, was originally planned for August 2009. This is a revision of the draft environmental document that also includes comments from regulatory agencies and input received from the public during a 45-day comment period.

Google mashup identifies Cincinnati's public steps

A new Google Maps mashup on the Community Walk website provides information on Cincinnati's numerous public steps, including those that are closed to the public.

The interface gives the name and address of each set of steps, directions on how to find them, and photos of what you'll find when you get there.

The City maintains nearly 400 sets of hillside stairways, which were a key transportation shortcut for pedestrians looking to traverse the City's often rugged terrain.

The steps are still heavily used today, though their presence is not without controversy.

In 2006, the Dayton Street Neighborhood Association successfully lobbied for the closure of the Horace Street steps, which connect Horace Street with the intersection of Bank and Linn streets. The residents claimed that the steps caused drug dealers and prostitutes to come down and use Horace Street, which is basically an alley for Dayton Street residents, as a place to conduct criminal activity.

And in March 2007, City Council voted to close the Collins Avenue steps - a major connection for residents and students from Taft Road to O'Bryonville - after Keys Crescent residents complained that the steps brought crime onto their street.

Despite the closures, the City sees some value in retaining pedestrian connectivity. This spring, work will begin to replace the public steps between Holy Cross-Immaculata Church and the Adams Crossing condominiums.

This map is a fantastic tool for people like me who like to do a little urban exploring, and it's helpful in finding the public steps that may be hidden from plain view or that are in unfamiliar neighborhoods.

Bids close on Eighth Street Viaduct

Eighth Street Viaduct in the foreground

Bidding for the reconstruction of the Eighth Street Viaduct concluded yesterday at noon.

The $20-$25 million project will rebuild much of the superstructure and will result in a new roadway with a width of 70 feet - including four vehicular lanes, two bike lanes, and six-foot sidewalks on each side.

Construction will be done in two phases:

* A complete replacement of the Eighth Street Approach Bridge and the Burns Street ramp as well as the replacement of 22 piers, which will require closure of the entire viaduct; then,
* On the viaduct structure, rehabilitation and replacement of the concrete deck and roadbed, and the installation of new sidewalks, railing and lighting.

Work will likely begin this spring and should take about two years to complete.

The current viaduct, which opened in 1928, is 2,730 feet in length and is composed of 79 reinforced concrete and concrete-encased steel spans.*

During its last inspection, the Hamilton County Engineers' Office gave the viaduct a rating of 3 out of a possible 10, or "serious" condition.

Funding for the project comes from federal, state, and county highway sources as well as City capital funds.

* The entire length of the project site is 3,500 feet.

Qualls submits OKI 2030 recommendations

City Councilmember and Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee Chair Roxanne Qualls has submitted the City's updated priority list for the OKI 2030 plan, and it's currently in Council's Economic Development Committee.

The Ohio-Indiana-Kentucky Regional Council of Governments (OKI) adopted the OKI 2030 Regional Transportation plan in 2004 as a comprehensive, long-range planning document outlining how more than $7 billion will be spent to address the existing and future transportation needs of the region.

The plan is updated every four years, with each jurisdiction assigning a priority ranking to projects located within their corporate limits.

Plan recommendations are scheduled for public review in April, with possible adoption by OKI in June. The plan update will then be submitted to the federal highway and transit administrations for their approval.

These numbers will be subject to some debate in the coming months as communities seek to optimize the amount of transportation funds they receive.

Recently, Cincinnati City Council passed a resolution asking OKI to include updated population and employment numbers in its updated plan.

The OKI 2030 allocation model uses population figures as one of the main factors in deciding which jurisdiction receives funds.

OKI's 2004 formula projects that Cincinnati will lose 50,000 residents by 2030.

In 2006, the City successfully challenged a 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimate that had undercounted the City's population by 22,582.



The numbers

Priority rankings are assigned on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.

Several projects listed here are part of larger efforts, such as the Eastern Corridor project, Thru the Valley and the I-75 Mill Creek Expressway project.

Projects without priority rankings have been omitted.

Priority 10
* I-75 ($481M), Ohio River to Hamilton-Butler line, four to five continuous lanes in each direction
* Red Bank Rd ($200M), US-50 to I-71, grade separation and frontage roads
* Western Hills Viaduct ($120M), replace
* I-71 ($80M), Reading to Dana/Duck Creek, add one lane in each direction, improve access
* Mitchell Ave ($22M), Spring Grove to Vine, add two lanes
* Ohio River Trail ($20M), Lunken to Downtown, bike/hike trail
* I-75 ($18.1M), OH-562 interchange improvement
* Colerain Ave ($15M), Virginia to Spring Grove, add one lane and geometric improvements
* I-75 ($12.6M), Towne St interchange improvement
* Dana Ave ($10M), Victory to I-71, add one lane
* Delhi Pike ($10M), Fairbanks to Greenwell, widen to four lanes
* I-75 ($10M), OH-4 interchange improvement
* Ancor Connector ($9M), OH-32 to Broadwell, two lanes
* Montana Ave ($9M), Farrell to Boudinot, add one lane and widen, intersection improvements
* Ridge Rd ($9M), I-71 to Madison, add one lane
* W McMillan St ($7M), reconstruct by widening and preparing for possible future interstate access
* Blue Rock St ($5M), Colerain to Spring Grove, add one lane
* Freeman Ave ($5M), replacement of bridge over Sixth Street
* Northside ($5M), small SORTA transit hub
* Walnut Hills ($5M), small SORTA transit hub
* Westwood ($5M), small SORTA transit hub
* Reading Rd ($4M), Clinton Springs to Paddock, add one lane and intersection improvements
* Ridge Rd ($4M), I-71 to Highland, add two lanes
* US-27 ($4M), I-74 to Washburn, interchange improvements
* Cincinnati Zoo ($2M), small SORTA transit hub connected to pedestrian bridge
* Reading Rd ($1.9M), Elsinore to Forest, provide five lanes and intersection improvements
* Evanston/Xavier ($0.3M), small SORTA transit hub
* Lower Price Hill ($0.3M), small SORTA transit hub
* Glenway Ave (?), Cleves Warsaw to Parkcrest, intersection improvements and turn lanes

Priority 8
* Oasis Line ($411M), rail transit as part of Eastern Corridor plan
* I-71 ($20M), I-471 to Reading, eliminate left entrances/exits

Priority 6
* Over-the-Rhine/Uptown ($82M), streetcar Phase IB
* I-275 ($65M), US-52 to Five Mile, add two lanes
* Delta/Eastern/Kellogg ($25M), bridge replacement and intersection improvements
* Reading Rd ($15M), Victory to Langdon Farm, add one lane
* Martin Luther King Drive ($12M), Central Pw to Reading, widen to five lanes from Central to Clifton and to eight lanes from Clifton to Reading
* Clifton Ave ($10M), McMillan to Spring Grove, improved traffic operations and intersections
* Duck Creek Rd ($10M), Kennedy to Red Bank, add two lanes in each direction
* Harvey Ave ($10M), MLK to Forest, add one lane
* Uptown ($6.93), two SORTA transit hubs
* Hamilton Ave ($6M), Glen Parker to Ashtree, geometric improvements and walls
* Wilmer Ave ($6M), add one lane and geometric improvements
* Little Miami Trail ($6M), Lunken to Old Beechmont, bike/hike trail
* Eden Ave ($5M), William Howard Taft to MLK, extend Eden to McMillan and improve traffic operations
* Vine St ($4.9M), McMicken to Erkenbrecker, extend Short Vine to Taft and McMillan, improve intersections, widen lanes, restrict parking and add bike/pedestrian facilities
* Highland Ave ($3M), MLK to McMillan, improve traffic operations and intersections, add turn lanes, restrict parking
* Ohio River Trail ($2M), Lunken to Salem, bike/hike trail
* Uptown ($1.25M), wayfinding signage
* Oakley ($0.8M), small SORTA transit hub
* Avondale ($0.5M), small SORTA transit hub
* Bond Hill ($0.5M), small SORTA transit hub
* Uptown ($0.4M), signal coordination at 69 locations
* Commuter rail from Cincinnati to Lawrenceburg (?)

Priority 4.5
* Wasson Line ($309M), rail transit as part of Eastern Corridor plan
* I-74 Corridor ($205M), rail transit
* River Rd ($17.5M), Addyston village line to Fairbanks, add one lane in each direction with center turn lane
* Riverside Dr ($15M), add two lanes and geometric improvements at railroad overpass
* OH-32 ($15M), improvements to OH-125/Wilmer/Wooster interchange
* Ridge Rd ($7M), Highland to Woodford, add one lane
* Werk Rd (?), Westbourne to Glenway, improve intersections with turn lanes

Priority 3
* OH-562 ($212), I-75 to I-71, add two lanes
* Union Terminal/Broadway Commons ($60M), streetcar Phase II
* Ohio River Trail ($20M), State to Central Ave, bike/hike trail over Mill Creek
* Colerain Ave ($11.9M), Kirby to Springdale, widen to six lanes with access and signal improvements
* Boudinot Ave ($5M), Glenway to Harrison, improve intersections
* Burnet Ave ($5M), Reading to Forest, street widening, turn lanes and parking restrictions
* Auburn Ave ($0.7M), Dorchester to William Howard Taft, improve traffic operations, remove some parking and improve intersections
* Madisonville ($0.5M), small SORTA transit hub
* Ohio River Crossing Study (?), investigate a new river crossing in western Hamilton County

Vine and Erkenbrecher project to begin spring 2008

Work on a new segment of the Vine Street Improvement Project will begin next spring and should wrap up by December 2008.

The $4.6 million project will rebuild Vine Street between Nixon and Erkenbrecher avenues.

A major portion of the job will be the realignment of the Vine-Erkenbrecher intersection. Other work includes the widening of Vine Street to five lanes with a continuous left-turn lane, and new curbs, sidewalks, trees, lighting and traffic signals. Curb lanes will be bike-friendly.

Recently, City Manager Milton Dohoney submitted to Council a resolution declaring the City's intent to acquire portions of six properties along the eastern side of Vine Street for the project.

Land to be appropriated includes portions of the following*:

* 3250 Vine St: 20,258 square feet of 16.66 acres (4 parcels)
* Vine St: 1,546 square feet of 0.419 acres (1 parcel)**
* 15 Erkenbrecher Ave: 195 square feet of 0.173 acres (1 parcel)

The project is funded by a $2.61 million Ohio Public Works Commission grant and City capital funds.

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW
GOOGLE AERIAL MAP

* Source: Hamilton County Auditor records
** Parcel ID 103-0001-0138-00

Newport quite walkable

For the last three weeks, I have been publishing Walk Score results for the purposes of determining which local communities are the most pedestrian friendly.

Further explanation is available in my previous posts. The links to those can be found at the bottom of this post.

This week, I tackle Campbell County.

The numbers show that Newport has a really solid foundation for dense, pedestrian-friendly infill development. Also, the numbers for the city's western neighborhoods would likely be higher if the vacant Thriftway were still in operation.

As a refresher, here is what the numbers mean:

* 90-100: Can live fairly easily without a car
* 70-90: It's possible to get by without a car
* 50-70: Some businesses within walking distance, some require the use of a bike, public transportation or a car
* 25-50: Few destinations are within walking range, most require the use of a bike, public transportation or a car
* 0-25: Forget about walking

Areas marked with an "*" are Newport neighborhoods.

Thank you to Emily Jarzen, historic preservation specialist with the City of Newport, for assistance on the neighborhood boundaries.

(NEXT WEEK: Butler County)

Car-free living
Taylors Landing* (7th and Saratoga): 91

Borrow a car every now and then
Two Rivers II* (8th and Isabella): 83
Gateway* (8th and Park): 82
Mansion Hill* (4th and Monroe): 82
Newport on the Levee: 80
Two Rivers I* (4th and Central): 75
Buena Vista* (11th and Central): 74
Bellevue (Fairfield and Taylor): 72
Cote Brilliante* (Park and Grand): 71

You should own a car, but you won't always need it
Cliffview* (21st and Monmouth): 69
Dayton (6th and Berry): 68
Clifton* (Main and Home): 63
Alexandria (Main and Riley): 60
Southgate (Alexandria and Willow): 60
Fort Thomas (N Fort Thomas and Highland): 52
Woodlawn (Water Works and Crescent): 51

Buy a gas discount card
Cold Spring (Alexandria and Old Alexandria): 46
Highland Heights (Alexandria and Johns Hill): 40
Northern Kentucky University: 26

Help...I'm trapped!
Melbourne (Melbourne and Latonia): 14
Silver Grove (KY-8 and KY-547): 9
Crestview (100 Pine Hill Dr): 3
Wilder (Licking and Johns Hill): 3

Previous reading on BC:
Outside of Covington, Kenton largely unwalkable (8/27/07)
Hamilton County suburbs moderately walkable (8/20/07)
Most City neighborhoods require a car (8/13/07)

Mount Adams Pedestrian Path set for 2008

Plan aerial: Click to enlarge

The Mount Adams Pedestrian Path project is expected to break ground in February 2008.

The project's goal is to repair and rebuild the pedestrian connections between Holy Cross-Immaculata Church and Adams Crossing.

The upper portion of the project involves the rehabilitation of all 85 Guido Street steps. These are the infamous steps used by Roman Catholics to "pray the steps" every Good Friday.

The lower portion of the project will restore a stone archway and public plaza next to Adams Place. The historic stone arch, which was moved for construction, was put into storage in 1990. The foundation for the plaza is buried under overgrown weeds.

Sections from Celestial/Hill to the Columbia Parkway pedestrian overpass and from the overpass to the new plaza will also be improved.

In late June, the City voted unanimously to accept one-eighth acre from the Adams Place Condominium homeowners association and AP Parking Company, LLC, putting the entire project area under City control.

The project is expected to be completed by September 2008.

In April 2006, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that costs were estimated at $1.5 million. A more current estimate is not available, as the project has not yet been put out to bid. Bids will be accepted later this fall.

Funding will come from City Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) Steps and DOTE Gateway funds and federal ISTEA funds. DOTE has also applied for federal TCSP grant.

Thank you to Matthew Andrews, DOTE Project Architect, for the aerial and the photo.


The "Good Friday" stone arch: Click to enlarge

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW
GOOGLE AERIAL MAP

Outside of Covington, Kenton largely unwalkable

For the last two Mondays, I have been publishing Walk Score results for the purposes of determining which local communities are the most pedestrian friendly.

Further explanation is available in my two previous posts, which featured Cincinnati's neighborhoods and Hamilton County's suburbs.

This week, I tackle Kenton County.

Three discoveries jump out:

* Many Northern Kentucky communities are amorphous blobs with no center at all, or multiple smaller centers. This trend grows the farther out you go.
* The "mall" influence allows Crestview Hills to appear somewhat walkable, which it is not.
* The east side of Covington (Austinburg, East Side and Helentown) is vastly under-retailed.

As a refresher, here is what the numbers mean:

* 90-100: Can live fairly easily without a car
* 70-90: It's possible to get by without a car
* 50-70: Some businesses within walking distance, some require the use of a bike, public transportation or a car
* 25-50: Few destinations are within walking range, most require the use of a bike, public transportation or a car
* 0-25: Forget about walking

Areas marked with an "*" are Covington neighborhoods.

(NEXT WEEK: Campbell County)

Car-free living
Mutter Gottes/Old Town* (6th and Washington): 94
Ohio Riverside* (Garrard and 2nd): 94
Covington DT* (4th and Scott): 92
Covington Arts District (Pike and Banklick): 91

Borrow a car every now and then
Licking Riverside* (Garrard and 6th): 88
MainStrasse* (6th and Main): 83
Seminary Square* (11th and Scott): 83
East Side* (12th and Greenup): 78

You should own a car, but you won't always need it
Crescent Springs (Crescent Springs City Building): 66
Latonia* (Decoursey and Winston): 66
Linden Grove* (15th and Holman): 65
Crestview Hills (Crestview Hills Town Center): 63
Lakeside Park (Dixie and Turkeyfoot): 63
Fort Mitchell (Dixie and Highland): 62
Lewisburg* (Pike and Western): 60
Thomas More College (Turkeyfoot and Thomas More Pkwy): 57

Buy a gas discount card
Erlanger (Erlanger City Building): 48
Kenton Hills* (Edgehill and Sunset): 46
Taylor Mill (Taylor Mill and I-275): 46
Botany Hills* (Highway and Parkway): 45
Austinburg* (19th and Maryland): 43
Elsmere (Elsmere City Building): 43
Peaselburg* (19th and Howell): 43
Helentown* (18th and Maryland): 42
Kenton Vale (3100 Madison): 42
Villa Hills (Buttermilk and Collins): 42
Fort Wright (Dixie and Kyles): 40
Wallace Woods* (Greenup and Wallace): 37
Levassor Park* (Madison and 26th): 35
Park Hills (Amsterdam and Park): 35
Monte Casino* (Benton and Janes): 31
Bromley (Pike and Main): 28

Help...I'm trapped!
Edgewood (Edgewood City Building): 25
Latonia Lakes (Cedar and Clubhouse): 23
Independence (Madison and Independence): 18
South Covington* (Madison and Hands Pike): 15
Ryland Heights (Decoursey and Stewart): 6

Hamilton County suburbs moderately walkable

Last Monday, I posted about Walk Score, an online tool that tries to approximate the walkability of any given neighborhood. I won't rehash the entire explanation here, so please click on the link to catch up.

As part of the experiment I tried to compute numbers for all of Cincinnati's neighborhoods.

This week, I will attempt to do the same with Hamilton County.

A couple of caveats:

* Some of these suburbs are large in size. So places like Blue Ash score high near the center but lower as you go farther out.
* Shopping malls skew the numbers because they feature a lot of shops in a small space. But have you ever tried to walk down Colerain Avenue?
* Economically depressed areas bereft of shopping options tend to sink to the bottom of the list.

As a refresher, here is what the numbers mean:

* 90-100: Can live fairly easily without a car
* 70-90: It's possible to get by without a car
* 50-70: Some businesses within walking distance, some require the use of a bike, public transportation or a car
* 25-50: Few destinations are within walking range, most require the use of a bike, public transportation or a car
* 0-25: Forget about walking

(NEXT WEEK: Kenton County)

Car-free living
None

Borrow a car every now and then
Blue Ash (Cooper and Kenwood): 88
Kenwood (Kenwood Towne Centre): 86
Madeira (Euclid and Miami): 83
Deer Park (Plainfield and Matson): 82
Finneytown (Brentwood Plaza): 80
Montgomery (Montgomery and Cooper): 80
Northgate (Colerain and Springdale): 80
Norwood (Montgomery and Smith): 80
Reading (Benson and Jefferson): 72
Mariemont (Village Square): 71

You should own a car, but you won't always need it
Cheviot (Harrison and Glenmore): 69
Anderson Township (Anderson Towne Center): 68
Columbia Township (Ridge and Highland): 68
Covedale (Glenway and Cleves Warsaw): 68
Silverton (Montgomery and Plainfield): 68
Dent (I-74 and Rybolt): 66
Mount Healthy (Hamilton and Compton): 66
Harrison (Harrison and Vine): 65
Madison Place (Bramble and Plainville): 65
Monfort Heights (North Bend and I-74): 63
Forest Park (Winton and Kemper): 62
Groesbeck (Colerain and Cross County): 62
Wyoming (Wyoming and Burns): 62
Evendale (Reading and Glendale Milford): 60
Plainville (Wooster and Walton Creek): 60
Sharonville (Reading and Creek): 58
Cleves (Miami and State): 55
Elmwood Place (Vine and 61st): 55
Lockland (Wyoming and Mill): 55
Glendale (Depot Square): 54
Delhi (Delhi and Anderson Ferry): 52
Springdale (Princeton and Kemper): 52

Buy a gas discount card
Fairfax (Wooster and Watterson): 49
Golf Manor (Bremont and Hammel): 49
Bridgetown (Harrison and Race): 48
White Oak (Cheviot and Jessup): 48
Saint Bernard (Vine and Washington): 45
North College Hill (Galbraith and Savannah): 43
Woodlawn (Springfield Pike and Glendale Milford): 42
Greenhills (Greenhills Shopping Center): 40
Lincoln Heights (Leggett and Medosh): 38
Arlington Heights (Elliott and Erkenbrecher): 34
Hooven (Hooven and Madison): 34
Newtown (OH-32 and Church): 34
Terrace Park (Elm and Marietta): 32
West College Hill (Simpson and Lincoln): 29
Amberley Village (Ridge and Section): 28
Northbrook (Pippin and Adams): 28
Miamitown (Harrison and OH-128): 25
North Bend (Miami and Taylor): 25

Help...I'm trapped!
Highpoint (4th and Cincinnati): 23
Pleasant Run Farms (Mill and Hazelgrove): 18
Addyston (200 Main): 17
New Baltimore (Main and Locust): 15
Camp Dennison (Glendale Milford and Lincoln): 14
Indian Hill (Village Administration Office): 14
New Haven (New Haven and Oxford): 8

Most City neighborhoods require a car

Walk Score is a web-based tool for researching real estate to find out the walkability of a property's neighborhood.

The interface allows you to enter any address into its search engine. It then calculates the distances from that address to shopping, restaurants, bars, schools, etc. and combines them all into a formula to calculate a "walk score".

The site breaks down the scores it computes as follows (paraphrased):

* 90-100: Can live fairly easily without a car
* 70-90: It's possible to get by without a car
* 50-70: Some businesses within walking distance, some require the use of a bike, public transportation or a car
* 25-50: Few destinations are within walking range, most require the use of a bike, public transportation or a car
* 0-25: Forget about walking

The site does admit its faults. It doesn't include factors such as street width, block length, crime, traffic, the availability of sidewalks, topography, the availability of public transit, freeways, bodies of water, or weather in its calculations.

It's fun anyway.

One thing that I noticed right away is the influence an adjacent neighborhood can have on the score. For example, Hopple and Colerain in Camp Washington is home to few walkable amenities, but the software draws into the formula destinations from both Clifton and Clifton Heights. Queensgate scores as moderately walkable, but I wouldn't try it.

Also, the score seems to have a socioeconomic aspect. Some neighborhoods near the bottom of the list are completely walkable, but the lack of economic investment lowers the number of available destinations.

And it's pretty clear that the public housing projects are little isolated islands, built without taking into account the residents' needs to actually go and buy things--or work--in a nearby commercial district.

I have tried my best to approximate the "center" of each neighborhood*, which is listed after the neighborhood name. These are subject to debate of course, and please feel free to post your findings.

The purpose of this project is to find out how walkable an area would be for someone living near one of these centers.

(NEXT WEEK: The rest of Hamilton County)

Car-free living
Downtown (Fountain Square): 97
Over-the-Rhine (Vine and Liberty): 91

Borrow a car every now and then
Oakley (Oakley Square): 88
Pleasant Ridge (Montgomery and Ridge): 86
Northside (Hamilton and Blue Rock): 85
Prospect Hill (Sycamore and Milton): 83
Clifton Heights (Clifton and McMillan): 82
Hyde Park (Hyde Park Square): 82
Clifton (Clifton and Ludlow): 80
East Price Hill (Warsaw and St. Lawrence): 80
Corryville (Corry and Short Vine): 78
Walnut Hills (Peebles Corner): 78
Mount Adams (St. Gregory and Pavilion): 77
Mount Auburn (Auburn and Dorchester): 77
Fairview (Ravine and Warner): 71
East Hyde Park (Erie and Marburg): 71
O'Bryonville (Madison and Cinnamon): 71
West End (Linn and Liberty): 71

You should own a car, but you won't always need it
Mount Lookout (Mount Lookout Square): 66
Roselawn (Reading and Summit): 65**
East Walnut Hills: (DeSales Corner): 63
College Hill (Hamilton and Cedar): 62
Mount Washington (Beechmont, Corbly and Sutton): 58
West Price Hill (Glenway and Cleves Warsaw): 58
Bond Hill (Paddock and California): 57**
Carthage (Vine and 70th): 57
Westwood (Harrison and Montana): 57
Avondale (Avondale Towne Center): 55
Hartwell (Vine and Galbraith): 55
Lower Price Hill (Eighth and State): 54
University Heights (McMicken and Marshall): 54
Madisonville (Madison and Whetsel): 52
Queensgate (Union Terminal): 52

Buy a gas discount card
South Cumminsville/Millvale (Beekman and Dreman): 48
Columbia Tusculum (Columbia Pkwy and Delta): 46
Camp Washington (Hopple and Colerain): 45
Kennedy Heights (Montgomery and Kennedy): 43
East End (Eastern and Setchell): 42
Paddock Hills (Paddock and Tennessee): 40
Sayler Park (Gracely and Monitor): 40
Evanston (Five Points): 38
North Fairmount (Beekman and Hopple): 37
Mount Airy (Colerain and North Bend): 35
Winton Terrace (Dutch Colony and Winneste): 32
Linwood (Eastern and Linwood): 32
Spring Grove Village (N Edgewood and Epworth): 31
Sedamsville (River and Delhi): 29
South Fairmount (Queen City and Grand): 29
North Avondale (Reading and Paddock): 28
East Westwood (Baltimore and McHenry): 26
English Woods (Community Center): 26

Help...I'm trapped!
Fay Apartments (3800 President): 23
Riverside (River and Anderson Ferry): 18
California (Kellogg and Eldorado): 15

* Winton Hills doesn't really have a center. I have included Winton Terrace instead. Also, I've included the subneighborhoods of East Hyde Park, O'Bryonville and Prospect Hill. Generally, I will put the "center" in the middle of a business district or at the busiest intersection.
** Jordan Crossing (Swifton Commons): 72

City bridge safety

On Friday, Joe Wessels reported in the Post about the condition of the City of Cincinnati's bridges.

In the article, Wessels gives details of the 2005/2006 Annual Bridge Condition Report, which was prepared by the City's Department of Transportation and Engineering. Some of the findings are rather frightening.

On the same day, the City posted the 20-page report on its website. On it you can find ratings for the city's bridges as well as details on future plans for their maintenance and/or replacement.

Read the report (PDF)