Tuesday, June 11, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Ursula Miller, ursula.miller@cincinnati-oh.gov, or 513-352-3417

Cincinnati - Construction related to the Cincinnati Streetcar route as well as Ohio Department of Transportation work to the Lytle Tunnel will take place this weekend,  requiring the closure of several local roads downtown and I-71 south at the tunnel.

The map below shows detour routes for both projects from 7:00 p.m. Friday, June, 12 through 6:00 a.m. Monday, June 15. Detour signage will be posted to help guide motorists. 














For the streetcar: Third Street will be closed between Main and Broadway from 7:00 p.m. Friday, June 12, till 6:00 a.m. Monday, June 15, so crews may install track on Main Street. One through lane of Main Street will remain open and local access to businesses, residences and parking will be maintained from Sycamore, as well as pedestrian access. Motorists traveling to Third Street will be detoured either north or south via Broadway, depending on their intended destination.

• For motorists heading north on Broadway, the detour will be west on Fourth, south on Walnut to Third Street. 
  
• For motorists heading south on Broadway or exiting U.S. 50/Columbia Parkway, the detour will be south on Broadway, east on Pete Rose Way, south on Mehring Way, north on Joe Nuxhall/Main Street at The Banks.
  

See the release below from ODOT for details about the closure of I-71 south at the Lytle Tunnel.

Ohio Department of Transportation: Traffic Advisory
District 8  • Gary Middleton, P.E., Acting District Deputy Director
505 S. State Route 741
Lebanon, Ohio  45036
http://www.transportation.ohio.gov/dist8

UPDATED June 11, 2015

Single lane closure of southbound Interstate 71 at Lytle Tunnel begins 7 p.m. on June 12
                                            Complete southbound closure at 9 p.m.

 

Hamilton County (Thursday, June 11, 2015) – Bridge work will require a single lane closure of southbound I-71 at the Lytle Tunnel beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, June 12. A complete closure of southbound I-71 at this location will be begin at 9 p.m. All lanes will reopen by 6 a.m. Monday, June 15. The Third Street exit from I-71 south will also be closed during this time.

Crews will be performing bridge deck repairs on I-71 over Eggleston Avenue.

Detour information:

• Through traffic: I-71 south to westbound State Route 562/Norwood Lateral (Exit 7) to I-75 south (Exit 7).
  
• Local traffic: I-71 south to Reading/Gilbert exit (Exit 2) to Reading Rd. (south) to Central Parkway (west) to Race St. (south) to Third St. (west) to I-75 south.
  
• For motorists traveling to I-471 from I-71 south: use Reading/Gilbert exit (Exit 2) to Reading Rd. (south) to Central Parkway (west) to Sycamore St. (south) to 5th St. (east) to I-471.
  

The $30 million tunnel project will upgrade lighting, repair concrete and tiles, and modernize mechanical and ventilation systems. In addition cameras and a fire detection system will be installed to allow more efficient and safer response time to incidents within the tunnel.

The public can receive ongoing project status information by providing an email address to d08.pio@dot.ohio.gov or via the ODOT District 8 social media pages:

• https://www.facebook.com/ODOTDistrict8
  
• https://twitter.com/ODOT_Cincinnati

Lytle Tunnel carries I-71 under Lytle Park and Fourth and Fifth streets on the eastern edge of Cincinnati. The tunnel carries three lanes of northbound I-71 traffic, two lanes of southbound traffic and a single lane, southbound exit ramp to Third Street. The tunnel opened to traffic in 1970.

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For more information contact: Brian Cunningham, Communications Manager, at (513) 933-6517, Sharon Smigielski, Public Information Officer, at (513) 933-6511, Liz Lyons, Public Information Specialist, at (513) 933-6534 or email D08.PIO@dot.ohio.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Ursula Miller, ursula.miller@cincinnati-oh.gov, or 513-352-3417

CINCINNATI – Third Street will be closed between Main and Broadway from 7:00 p.m. Friday, June 12, till 6:00 a.m. Monday, June 15, so crews may install track on Main Street for the Cincinnati Streetcar. One through lane of Main Street will remain open.

Motorists traveling to Third Street will be detoured either north or south via Broadway, depending on their intended destination.

For motorists heading north on Broadway, the detour will be west on Fourth, south on Walnut to Third Street.

 For motorists heading south on Broadway or exiting U.S. 50/Columbia Parkway, the detour will be south on Broadway, east on Pete Rose Way, south on Mehring Way, north on Joe Nuxhall/Main Street at The Banks.

Local access to businesses, residences and parking will be maintained from Sycamore, as well as pedestrian access.

Detour signage will be posted.

MOTORISTS BE AWARE: There will be additional detours in the southeast area of downtown this weekend due to the Ohio Department of Transportation’s planned closure of southbound I-71 at the Lytle Tunnel. Additional detour information will be forthcoming.

Other streetcar work
To the west of Main Street, crews are paving Walnut from Third to Fourth, and are grinding and milling in preparation for paving from Fourth to Seventh. The paving work in this stretch is expected to be finished later this month.

Construction activities will continue on Walnut through this fall, though the impact to motorists will be limited to periodic, short-term lane closures. Crews are on schedule to finish paving the entire Walnut Street leg of the streetcar route from Central Parkway to Second Street by August. Other work on Walnut during the same period includes the installation of traffic signals, sidewalk and paver restoration, as well hanging overhead wire that will power the streetcar.

Crews are expected to finish track work on Main Street from Central Parkway to Second Street by November. This is the last, major stretch of the route whose track is still under construction.

Crews will finish construction of the northern part of the route, known as the Over-the-Rhine loop, next month. Vehicle testing for the OTR loop is scheduled to begin this September.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Ursula Miller, ursula.miller@cincinnati-oh.gov, or 513-352-3417

CINCINNATI – Property owners, contractors, utility companies and others working near high-voltage wires that power the Cincinnati Streetcar are now required to complete a request form as part of the process to obtain a right-of-way permit from the City of Cincinnati.  The information gathered on this form will help insure both safe work in the right-of-way as well safe streetcar operation in the future.

The overhead wire, which carries a 750-volt DC electric current, must be de-energized before anyone can work within 10 feet below, beside or above it. The lines are suspended 20 feet above the streetcar track and will stretch along the entire 3.6-mile route to provide power for the streetcar.

“Safety is critically important for anyone working near any high-voltage wires,” said Michael Moore, Director of the Department of Transportation and Engineering. “This form adds oversight in our permitting process to make sure that work in the right-of-way near the wire is done safely.”

Now that MPD, the joint venture building the streetcar route, has installed the track, wire, power substations and other major components in Over-the-Rhine, it is preparing to test the power supply for the full loop. The OTR loop runs from Elm and 12th streets at Washington Park north to Henry Street north of Findlay Market and south on Race to 12th Street and back to Elm and 12th.

The downtown loop, still under construction, will run south on Walnut from Central Parkway to Second Street at The Banks and north on Main to 12th Street.

Streetcar Construction Countdown
The Cincinnati streetcar’s 3.6-mile route will carry passengers from The Banks on the riverfront north, through Downtown to north of Findlay Market in Over-the-Rhine. A major portion of the route’s construction is complete. Following is the estimated time table for what remains to be built before the streetcar goes into service for passengers in fall 2016:

·         Construction and testing of OTR loop: July 2015

·         Power Testing of OTR loop: Underway

·         First streetcar vehicle arrives on site and begins testing on OTR loop: Fall 2015

·         Track installation on the downtown loop: November 2015

·         Remaining construction of downtown loop (stops, shelters, power poles, and wires, paving, signage and signals): Winter/Spring 2016

·         Final testing of downtown and OTR loops: Spring/Summer 2016

·         Passenger service to begin: September 2016

About The Cincinnati Streetcar
The Cincinnati Streetcar is a modern streetcar rail transit system intended to stimulate development, expand transportation options, and enhance livability by connecting key communities in and around the center city. The system, which is scheduled to begin passenger service in September 2016, consists of a 3.6-mile loop extending from The Banks to Findlay Market through Downtown and Over-the-Rhine.  

Construction for the Cincinnati Streetcar is being carefully coordinated by the City of Cincinnati with its contractor, utility companies, Metro, and other partners to minimize disruption to residents, businesses and workers along the route. This transportation system seeks to bring more residents and more jobs to Cincinnati, creating a broader tax base to fund city services.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Ursula Miller, ursula.miller@cincinnati-oh.gov, or 513-352-3417

    Seventh Street to Close Between Main & Walnut for Track Installation                                      
CINCINNATI – Seventh Street will be closed between Main and Walnut from 7:00 p.m. Friday, June 5, till 6:00 a.m. Monday, June 8, so crews may install track on Main Street for the Cincinnati Streetcar. One through lane of Main Street will remain open.

Motorists traveling east on Seventh Street will be detoured south on Walnut, east on Fifth, north on Main and east again on Seventh.

Local access to businesses, residences and parking will be maintained on Main and Seventh streets, as well as pedestrian access.

Detour signage will be posted.
Other streetcar work
To the west of Main Street, crews continue to grind and prep for paving on Walnut Street from Sixth to Third. The paving work in this stretch is expected to be finished later this month.

Construction activities will continue on Walnut through this fall, though the impact to motorists will be limited to periodic, short-term lane closures. Crews are on schedule to finish paving the entire Walnut Street leg of the streetcar route from Central Parkway to Second Street by August. Other work on Walnut during the same period includes the installation of traffic signals, sidewalk and paver restoration, as well hanging overhead wire that will power the streetcar.

Crews are expected to finish track work on Main Street from Central Parkway to Second Street by November. This is the last, major stretch of the route whose track is still under construction.

Crews will finish construction of the northern part of the route, known as the Over-the-Rhine loop, this month. Vehicle testing for the OTR loop is scheduled to begin this September.

About The Cincinnati Streetcar
The Cincinnati Streetcar is a modern streetcar rail transit system intended to stimulate development, expand transportation options, and enhance livability by connecting key communities in and around the center city. The system, which is scheduled to begin passenger service in September 2016, consists of a 3.6-mile loop extending from The Banks to Findlay Market through Downtown and Over-the-Rhine.  

Construction for the Cincinnati Streetcar is being carefully coordinated by the City of Cincinnati with its contractor, utility companies, Metro, and other partners to minimize disruption to residents, businesses and workers along the route. This transportation system seeks to bring more residents and more jobs to Cincinnati, creating a broader tax base to fund city services.