By Reid Forgrave
The Cincinnati Enquirer

GREEN TOWNSHIP - The simple solution would be to widen the entire road.

But a traffic study for a 51/2-mile stretch of North Bend and Cheviot roads in the western half of Hamilton County said the simple solution isn't necessarily the right solution.

As development in Green and Colerain townships increases traffic flow on the already congested stretch of North Bend that intersects with Interstate 74, a recent study of the corridor indicates planners should try to limit points of access - such as driveways or minor intersections - on that stretch in order to plan for future development.

"The traffic builds up considerably from Westwood Northern Boulevard up to the interchange (with I-74)," said John Niehaus, a transportation engineering consultant and professor of civil engineering at the University of Cincinnati. "That's only anticipated to continue to increase with all the potential for development in Green Township."

The year-old study has included public meetings in the two townships and the city of Cheviot. It aims to control congestion and decrease accidents on the road by encouraging new commercial and residential developments bordering the road to spill traffic onto other arterials, not North Bend and Cheviot roads.

During the next 30 years, traffic in the area will increase by 50 percent, Niehaus said.

Niehaus said some of the increased traffic on the roads comes from drivers trying to avoid Colerain Avenue, and planners need to save North Bend and Cheviot roads from becoming as congested as Colerain Avenue.

Instead of widening the entire stretch, Niehaus told Green Township trustees and residents at a meeting earlier this week, planners should widen only selected parts of the road where traffic is the worst.

The study said one of the main issues on the stretch of road is that the increasing traffic problems and congestion might hurt businesses along the road if drivers begin to avoid North Bend and Cheviot roads.

E-mail rforgrave@enquirer.com