Cincinnati City Council last week passed an emergency ordinance authorizing the City Manager to apply for two federal transportation grants, an application that is due today.

The Surface Transportation Program and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grants, to be awarded by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, would be applied to:

• Phases one and two of the Kennedy Connector: Construction of a new roadway between the Kennedy/Duck Creek and Madison/Camberwell intersections, the realignment of Ibsen Avenue and new connections to the Norwood Lateral (OH-562).
• Kellogg Avenue improvements: New pavement, sidewalks and curbs between Salem Road and Sutton Avenue, as well as the construction of a portion of the Ohio River Trail.
• 3C rail station enhancements: Enhancement to the funding for a "minimal" station provided in the state's $400 million passenger rail earmark.

No matching funds are required for the grants, but the City's Department of Transportation and Engineering plans to use capital project dollars for project management and development costs, including preliminary and final design, community involvement, environmental reviews, inspections, and right-of-way acquisitions.

Previous reading on BC:
ORDC study: 26,000 Ohioans employed due to rail, with more to come (3/30/10)
Ohio rail groups propose $32 million for safer crossings (12/16/09)
Cincinnati approves LPA with ODOT for Ohio River Trail segment (11/18/09)
Oakley open house shows Kennedy Connector preferred alternative (6/25/09)
Harrison Avenue improvements could begin in 2012 (4/9/09)