Bike trail would need $4M (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Garrison Hilliard
By Steve Kemme • September 22, 2008
The proposed temporary hike/bike trail from Lunken Airport to downtown
Cincinnati has arrived at a critical juncture.
The route has been set. The kinks appear to have been worked out in
the lease agreement with Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority to
use the abandoned railroad tracks, which SORTA owns.
Whether the project moves toward construction in the next year or two
or loses the air out of its tires depends on money.
The project will cost $17 million to $18 million. Local, state and
federal funding will cover all but $4 million.
Ohio River Way, a nonprofit group that sponsors the annual Paddlefest,
has begun trying to raise $4 million privately. The official
fundraising campaign will be launched in November, said Rick Greiwe,
co-chairman of Ohio River Way.
Cincinnati officials gave Ohio River Way permission to try to
establish the temporary trail while the city staff works on a
permanent route closer to the river. But Ohio River Way members say
the temporary trail easily could become the permanent trail.
"The permanent route has geological, economic and eminent domain
issues," said Wym Portman, who along with his wife, Jan, heads the
group's fundraising committee. "I think this will evolve into the
permanent trail. It could handle commuter and recreational traffic."
The goal is to open the Lunken-to-downtown trail by spring 2010. No
one knows when the permanent trail might be built. It faces many more
challenges than the temporary trail and might not be built for 10 to
20 years or longer.
Its cost would be considerably higher than the temporary trail's
because of the need to stabilize the riverbanks, to build along a more
meandering route and to acquire property from owners who might not
want to sell.
The five-mile bike trail would give the eastern suburbs better access
to the riverfront and such destination points as the Banks, the
Theodore Berry International Friendship Park and the planned
Cincinnati Riverfront Park.
"It's all about the revitalization of the downtown core," said Charles
Baylis, an Ohio River Way volunteer. "It would help get people
downtown who are not just there to go to work."
For six years, Baylis has commuted between his Mount Lookout home and
his downtown workplace. He said he'll be glad when he can use a bike
trail and avoid traffic on Victory Parkway and Riverside Drive.
"It's pretty dangerous, especially during rush hour," Baylis said.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati has completed plans for a half-mile bike trail
segment from Wilmer Avenue near Lunken Airport to Carrel Street.
Construction will start later this year and be completed next year,
said Martha Kelly, acting city traffic engineer.
The city is also considering building a bike trail segment from Carrel
to Congress Street and a bike/pedestrian bridge over the Little Miami.
The bridge would connect the Little Miami Trail with the Ohio River
Trail, which someday may extend 150 miles from Madison, Ind., through
Cincinnati to Maysville, Ky.
The Lunken-to-downtown trail will encourage more people to move
downtown, Portman said. "I think it's a great thing for the city."
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080922/NEWS01/809220313/1055/NEWS
SMS
> Other projects in works to make city more accessible
> By Steve Kemme • September 22, 2008
>
>
> The proposed temporary hike/bike trail from Lunken Airport to downtown
> Cincinnati has arrived at a critical juncture.
<snip>
Yesterday we did a loop around the San Jose area, including a long
section that goes right along the airport road. A lot of it is unpaved.
"http://www.sjparks.org/Trails/GRiver/GRiverMapLowerS.asp"
This route goes to the major employment centers of San Jose, it'd be a
great bike to work route if it were paved, and extended at the south end
into some of the suburbs.
In this area they do trails like they do mass transit. A half-a$%ed,
disconnected network. They prefer spending money on show-case freeway
crossings, i.e.:
"http://www.byrobert.com/myphotos/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=4913&g2_serialNumber=2"
which is almost completed, and essentially goes nowhere that existing
bicycle-friendly freeway crossings go.
Ben Pfaff
> Yesterday we did a loop around the San Jose area, including a long
> section that goes right along the airport road. A lot of it is
> unpaved.
There's a sign along the road that circles the San Jose airport
that always makes me laugh. Among all the heavy traffic trying
to merge together, just off the freeway, with an inadequate
shoulder and no bike lane, the sign says: "Bike Route".
--
Ben Pfaff
http://benpfaff.org
Dan...@gmail.com
That reminds me of this
http://failblog.org/2008/08/19/bike-fail-2/
possiblty a repost here, but funny nonetheless.