BY LUCY MAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Have no fear, Reds fans.
Despite the orange barrels, concrete barriers and closed ramps, most of the usual routes to Cinergy Field remain open.
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GETTING TO THE GAME
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Popular routes to Cinergy Field:
From Interstate 75 north and south -- the Pete Rose Way exit from Fort Washington Way is open.
Alternate route from I-75 south -- exit at Freeman Avenue and follow it until it ends. Turn left on Mehring Way, then left onto Pete Rose Way.
From I-471 -- exit Sixth Street.
From I-71 south -- exit Third and Elm streets. Turn right on Third and right on Race Street. When Race dead-ends, turn right to Pete Rose Way.
Source: Cincinnati Reds
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"The favorite exits from virtually every direction are still there," Reds spokesman Charles Henderson said. "I think we can just assure people the way they're used to coming is still there."
That's important since today marks the Reds' first home game since major Fort Washington Way work began this month.
Certainly, fans should be aware the massive highway project could result in some delays, Mr. Henderson said.
But orange barrels and traffic delays aren't enough to keep Dorothy Eiben from going to see her beloved Reds.
Mrs. Eiben, a Rosie Red from Anderson Township, has been going to see Reds games for 60 years, she said. She expects to take her usual route of Interstate 471 to Sixth Street for Saturday's game against San Diego, she said.
She has relatives on the west side of town who typically take Mehring Way to the stadium. "I don't know how in the world they'll get there," she said.
But Gary Schatz does. Mr. Schatz, of Colerain Township, typically goes to games from work on the west side of town. He takes I-75 south to the Freeman Avenue exit, snakes around to Pete Rose Way and takes that all the way to the stadium.
He used to take Mehring Way, but that's closed for football stadium construction.
"The stadium's really easy to get to if you know your way around the back roads in the West End," he said.
The $146.9 million Fort Washington Way reconstruction continues to keep Cincinnati police busy.
As of Thursday night, police had issued 334 tickets to vehicles wider than 7 feet defying the ban on the highway, police said.
During reconstruction of the east-west connector, lanes have been reduced to 9 feet, so trucks and other vehicles wider than 7 feet can present a danger on the roadway, planners say.
