Tuesday, December 21, 1999
Traffic not hustling with Pete Rose Way closed
Partial shutdown snarls downtown
BY TANYA ALBERT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Commuters who cut across downtown on Pete Rose Way may want to give themselves a little extra time again this morning.
Drivers trying to find their way around the portion closed between Stadium Drive and Central Avenue made a mess of Monday's morning rush hour when the detour started.
Traffic was so backed up on the Fifth Street exit off Interstate 75 southbound that Donna Menkhaus bailed out at Seventh Street to avoid the mess about 8 a.m. She wound her way though downtown to her parking spot off Pete Rose Way.
“I just have to remember to give myself some extra time,” said Ms. Menkhaus, of West Chester.
About 4,500 people park on the riverfront and thousands of others use Pete Rose Way daily.
This three-month closure affects commuters coming from the west side who park on the riverfront and drivers from both sides of town who use Pete Rose Way to cross downtown. Drivers coming from the east side who park on the central riverfront won't have to change their driving patterns. Pete Rose Way will be open to Stadium Drive.
For commuters who need to get around the area, Mehring Way, which reopened Monday, is the best route.
West-side commuters who park on the riverfront will see detour signs that take them south on Central Avenue to west on Pete Rose Way. Drivers will then go south on Smith Street and east on Mehring Way. The same route can be used to exit parking lots, using Rose Street to go north to reach Pete Rose Way.
Commuters can use Mehring Way to get to Pete Rose Way on the east, near Firstar Center. It also connects to Gest Street and Freeman Avenue on the west so drivers can get to northbound Interstate 75.
The first few days of a detour are always the worst and this one is no different, said Don Gindling, Cincinnati's Fort Washington Way construction manager.
Pete Rose Way is closed so the Paul Brown Stadium stadium plaza level can be built and so Elm Street can be connected to the new Second Street and the stadium.
Pete Rose Way is scheduled to reopen before the Reds' Opening Day in April.
Rain Monday morning didn't help make the riverfront commute any easier, Cincinnati police Capt. Vince Demasi said. But part of the problem was drivers who used streets north of the riverfront to cut across downtown.
“When they weave their way around it affects the whole street grid,” Capt. Demasi said. If one street slows, the others back up, too, he said.
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