Representatives from the City of Cincinnati Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) and HDR Engineering, Inc. unveiled the recommended alternative for a Clifton road improvement project Thursday evening during a public open house at Fairview-Clifton German Language School.

The $9.9 million is meant to address safety and capacity issues identified on the stretch of roadway .

More than 330 crashes have occurred along the corridor over the past three years, a crash rate far exceeding acceptable City and --> --> --> thresholds.

Further study showed restricted sight distances around the curve of the W MLK/Dixmyth intersection, unacceptable decreased capacity due to on-street parking during non-peak hours, and left-turn lanes deemed far too short.

Suggested improvements include road widening, straightening the S-curve on the roadway's western portion, adding a median/center turn lane, building a combined bike lane/pedestrian path, and reconstructing the W MLK/Clifton Avenue intersection.

A traffic signal would be added at the intersection of Clifton Avenue and Probasco Street, and Riddle Road would be converted to "right in, right out" only.

Preliminary alternatives were presented to the public during open houses held last March and last June.

"The biggest challenge has been weighing the various opinions," says Andréa Henderson of DOTE's Design Services. "We had four alternatives between McMicken Avenue and Dixmyth, three alternatives from Dixmyth to Clifton Avenue, and 6 alternatives at the intersection of West MLK and Clifton Avenue."

Public comments on the preferred alternative will be accepted through February 17 and can be made through the project website or by contacting City of Cincinnati DOTE; Attn: Andréa Henderson; 801 Plum St, Suite 450; Cincinnati, OH, 45202.

"There have been several community meetings and three public meetings during which we were able to narrow down the planning alternatives and finally choose a preferred design," Henderson says. "Public input has a large role in the final design as we have not made a decision without it from the very beginning."

Design plans will be finalized this summer, and right-of-way acquisition will begin by the end of this year.

Previous reading on BC:
Cincinnati to enter LPA with ODOT on MLK project (11/19/09)
Cincinnati taking action on roadway improvements (11/3/09)