BY LISA DONOVAN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The city administration wants residents to examine a detailed study on the contentious issue of whether to convert one-way Vine Street
A year-old 20-member task force, composed largely of city and Over-The-Rhine neighborhood and business leaders, recommended several street-improvement options, which are contained in a report released Thursday.
According to the city administration, the recommendations include:
Immediately convertnorthbound Vine Street into a two-way road and keep street parking on both sides of the street; "streetscape" improvements, which could range from improved sidewalks to lighting; speed the completion of an urban design plan for the corridor within two years.
Convert Vine Street to a two-way street in phases as streetscape improvements are constructed. This approach would take at least five years.
Keep Vine Street as a one-way road, completing an urban design plan and begin a two-phase streetscape project.
According to the report of the Vine Street Task Force, the direction of Vine Street has been an issue since 1974 when the road was converted from a two-way to a one-way.
Several years ago, city council revisited the issue, after discussion of converting it back to a two-way street. The administration and a local consulting firm studied the issue and recommended against making it a two-way street.
After rejecting the report, council instructed the administration to do a more detailed study, resulting in the task force and its study. Final results of the study are expected to be considered by City Council's public works committee in the next few weeks.
