The $127 million federal INFRA grant announced for Cincinnati's Western Hills Viaduct will get traffic moving more smoothly through the area.
The viaduct replacement will have ramifications for decades to come, Mayor Aftab Pureval said in the city's news release issued Sept. 9.
"This project is going to change the face of our city for a generation," Pureval said in the news release. "Reconnecting our neighborhoods to the jobs and everyday destinations they depend on is essential to our growth as a city that works for everyone. The Biden-Harris administration continues to prove that they have the backs of Cincinnatians, and I am extremely grateful for the Department of Transportation and our state and local leaders for collaborating to make this possible."
New bridge construction funded by DOT's INFRA Grants Program is expected to begin by 2025, according to the city's news release. The relocation of a Duke Energy substation and transmission line, railroad track relocations and other utility relocations and construction of foundational supports for roadway ramps on the west end of the project footprint is included in the site preparation.
"The $127M investment we're making in Cincinnati will replace an 85-year-old viaduct, eliminating supply chain bottlenecks and improving critical freight movements," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an Oct. 30 post on Twitter.
Cincinnati and Hamilton County have been leading a joint effort to replace the 90-year-old viaduct that long has connected to I-75 and through which 55,000 vehicles a day travel over the Mill Creek Valley and the area's large, active railroad yard, according to the release.
"This catalytic investment will advance the replacement of the Western Hills Viaduct project and will create a safer connection to the western side of the Mill Creek for over 55,000 drivers," Hamilton County Engineer Eric Beck said in the news release. "This is a beautiful example of how government is supposed to work; the city, county, state and our federal government officials from all sides of the aisle, as well as the voters, came together to push this project forward."
Site preparation began earlier this year when the first six buildings in the new bridge's footprint were demolished, according to the release. The new bridge is expected to be built 50 feet south of the existing viaduct.
