Street Paving, Bike Improvements on Different Paths in Cincinnati

Randy Simes reports on the commencement of a six-year, $109 million Capital Acceleration Plan in Cincinnati, which represents a strategic policy shift and "a large infusion of money into road repair." Adds Simes: "The new focus on preventive maintenance is particularly noticeable as it represents an eight-fold increase in spending on that front."

Simes also details the types of project funded by the program, including $10.6 million for street rehabilitation and $4 million for preventive maintenance in the next year, as well as improvements for 940 center-line miles of streets over the next six years.

The article is not entirely focused on celebrating the program as a win for the city and for transportation infrastructure. Rather, Simes elaborates on the plan as a missed opportunity for bike infrastructure. Despite the city of Cincinnati’s Bicycle Transportation Plan "[calling] for incremental improvements to the city’s bike network as road resurfacing projects take place," the city "has fallen woefully behind on the implementation of the recommendations made in the Bicycle Transportation Plan." In fact, according to Simes, the priorities of mayor John Cranley are focused on off-street recreational bike trails, rather than on-street bike infrastructure.