Public sees ideas for Montana safety improvements

A public meeting at Midway Elementary School presented several alternatives for improving the safety along a 1.8-mile stretch of Montana Avenue, a principal arterial road that cuts through Westwood.

Montana Avenue, which carries an average of 18,000 vehicles per day, is currently a four-lane road with on-street parking during off-peak hours.

Between 2004 and 2007, the stretch of Montana Avenue between Farrell Drive and Boudinot Avenue has seen 624 accidents, with the majority occurring at its major intersections.

For the past year, the City of Cincinnati Department of Transportation and Engineering and consultants from Parsons Brinckerhoff have been working with the neighborhood to address problems caused by nine-foot lane widths and excessive speeding along the corridor, all while retaining its residential and business character.

Among the alternatives presented:

• A no build option
• Four lanes, adding six feet to the total width
• Three lanes, including a center turn lane
• Three lanes, adding six feet to the total width and providing one lane of on-street parking
• A hybrid of four lanes from Farrell Drive to Westwood Northern Boulevard and three lanes – plus one lane of on-street parking – from Westwood Northern Boulevard to Boudinot Avenue

At the meeting, residents suggested speed humps, the timing of traffic lights to allow residents to get out of their driveways, and a tree-lined median.

City engineer Don Rosemeyer says that he hears and understands residents’ concerns, and is trying to balance them with much-needed improvements.

"It is what it is," he says.  "Our job is to improve safety for residents and through traffic, and to present a number of alternatives for the community."

Comment forms provided at the meeting and online are being accepted through August 29, and another public meeting is expected later this fall.

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Source: Don Rosemeyer, city engineer, City of Cincinnati Department of Transportation and Engineering

Images are courtesy of the City of Cincinnati Department of Transportation and Engineering and Parsons Brinckerhoff