Cincinnati Streetcar Project gets an environmental assessment

Despite the state removing $51.8 million intended for it, the Cincinnati Streetcar project is driving forward, thanks to anenvironmental assessment prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) and HDR. Backed by the City of Cincinnati and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the downtown and Blue Ash firms, respectively, presented their study at public hearings held at Cincinnati City Hall last week. They're gathering public comments through April 21 in order to comply with federal laws, offering copies of the study via the city's website and public libraries and community centers.

Councilman Cecil Thomas spoke at the 5:30 p.m. public hearing last Wednesday. He was one of two audience speakers, both of whom supported the study.

"I truly believe that we should continue to march forward with the project," he said. "Unfortunately, the state has chosen to do what they did, but that shouldn't be disappointing … we need to continue on."

After filing those comments, PB and HDR will submit the study to the FTA. Discussions of funding come later, says PB's streetcar project manager Fred Craig. "This is simply to quantify the environmental impact of the project so that the feds can actually put money into the project."

The study began soon after the FTA awarded the city approximately $25 million through an Urban Circulator Grant. It reports that the streetcar system, encompassing the riverfront, Over-the-Rhine and the University of Cincinnati area ("Uptown"), would present minimal or no impacts to the air quality, water resources, noise and visuals of the aforementioned areas. The community impact, it reports, would be limited to the displacement of Volunteers of America's halfway house, located at 115. W. McMicken Ave, one proposed site for a streetcar maintenance and storage facility.

"This is a critical turning point," Craig says, "because what it says is that the environmental impacts of the project are positive and that it shouldn't have an adverse impact on the community." 

The Cincinnati Streetcar Project timeline includes construction of a maintenance and storage facility and streetcar tracks beginning this Fall, 2011, with an opening in 2013.

Writer: Rich Shivener