New alternatives for Hopple interchange could eliminate ramps

Representatives from American Structurepoint presented two more alternatives for the reconstruction of the I-75/Hopple Street interchange to the Cincinnati City Planning Commission on Friday morning, and to the Camp Washington Community Board in the afternoon.

The redesign came about after Cincinnati City Council approved a resolution opposing the Ohio Department of Transportation's (ODOT) proposed alternative, which included a series of ramps and bridges that they said would cause visual destruction to a major city gateway.

Both options eliminated the ramps by keeping the Hopple/MLK/Central Parkway intersection at-grade, and one option included a series of three roundabouts.

Employing roundabouts could actually shave nearly $20 million off of the $119 million cost.

"The roundabout and the new look at Hopple Street is exciting," says Joe Gorman, community organizer with the Camp Washington Community Board.  "I'm optimistic that the future of Camp Washington will be positively affected by the interchange and I-75."

As a living and working neighborhood, Gorman says that Camp Washington is mainly concerned about retaining truck access to Spring Grove and Colerain Avenues and ensuring that pedestrians will be able to navigate the roundabouts.

"With no traffic lights, will cars stop for pedestrians?" he says.  "Three-hundred thousand cars using Hopple Street and I-75 every day is a lot of traffic.  How's that going to work?"

Over the next several months, ODOT will test the proposals to determine whether they can safely handle traffic flows.

Results will then be offered to the public for feedback.

"To me, the process is more important than the project, because it can make or break what happens in the neighborhood," Gorman says.  "It affects the quality of life and the civic fabric."

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2013.

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Source: Joe Gorman, community organizer, Camp Washington Community Board
Aerial of ODOT alternative with flyover ramps courtesy of ODOT