Thursday, July 15, 1999
FIVE STEPS TO LIGHT RAIL
For a light-rail line to open between Covington and Blue Ash, the plan has to survive five steps. Regional planners are in the third step: preliminary engineering. Here's what's happened so far and how things could progress:
• 1993: First mention of pursuing rail as an option to improve mobility in Greater Cincinnati. Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments' long-range transportation plan, Managing Mobility: Year 2010 Transportation Plan, recommends corridor studies in the six most congested areas. Interstate 71 chosen as the top priority.
• 1995-1998: Major Investment Study (MIS) in the I-71 corridor starts in April 1995. About 80 representatives from local and state government agencies, businesses, citizen groups, environmentalists and people from the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration meet monthly for about three years to review technical analysis on possible ways to solve congestion. Everything from dedicated bus lanes to light rail and High Occupancy Vehicle lanes to highway widening are examined. Public meetings are held.
• Spring 1998: MIS complete. Committee decides light rail is the best option. Members vote to further study an estimated $600 million light-rail line running from 12th Street in Covington through Blue Ash. Study called preliminary engineering.
• Winter 2000/Spring 2001: Preliminary engineering finished. Decision to be made on whether to enter fourth step, final design.
• Spring 2001: If planners decide to go into final design, voters will be asked to help pay for the system through some kind of tax, such as a gas tax or sales tax.
• Fall 2002: Construction would begin.
• Fall 2008: Light rail would open.
• Future: Covington-Blue Ash line could be extended to run from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to Paramount's Kings Island. Other spokes from downtown through the I-75, Northern Kentucky and eastern and western corridors could be built.
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FIVE STEPS TO LIGHT RAIL
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