CINCINNATI — City officials announced Thursday how it plans to allocate $58 million in funds from the trust created after the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway.
Cincinnatians voted to sell the railway to Norfolk Southern in November 2024.
During a press conference, city officials said this year the trust gained $2 million more than last year, which gained $56 million.
Here's what Mayor Aftab Pureval said the city plans for that funding to go towards:
- Street rehabilitation projects
- Fleet garage, a location we have reported on for years
- Renovations to Dunham Recreation Center in Westwood, spread out between the current budget and into 2027
Details about those spending items were not given; officials said they will finalize those details when they discuss the city's budget for fiscal year 2027. In the past, city officials have said they plan to spend most of the money in neighborhoods with a median income below $50,000.
However, Pureval said the goal is to use $22 million on street rehabilitation, such as fixing potholes and paving roads.
"That commitment to roads is going to continue," Pureval said.
Learn more about where Pureval said some of the money could go in the video below:
Pureval said the money they are receiving for the upcoming fiscal year is more than double the revenue that the city brought in from Norfolk Southern’s annual lease payments on the railroad.
He said plans to fix roads with this money are easier said than done.
"It costs a million dollars to pave one single mile of road," Pureval said.
We understand potholes are a hot topic in the city, so we set out to Price Hill. Residents there told us it's a big problem.
"A majority of them (are) bad out here in this area," resident Terry Ledford said.
While in the area, we spoke to Chris Hauser, who lives in South Fairmount. He said the potholes are costing him money.
"I had a truck that blew out two tires coming off of 75 onto the bottom of Western Hills Viaduct on that exit ramp," Hauser said.
During Thursday's news conference, Pureval was asked about how some residents feel like they aren't seeing timely fixes to potholes.
"Part of the confusion, I believe, is that while we sold the railroad a couple of years ago, the first time we had railroad dollars was a year later," Pureval said.
Pureval said he also believes the disconnect is, in part, due to people not reporting the potholes to 311. Residents can call 311 to report a pothole or fill out a service request online.
A city spokesperson tells us that the city has fixed 43,818 potholes this year.
Pureval also said the city is looking at enhancing technology to increase efficiency.
"We are also pursuing technology to put cameras on the front bumper of our city vehicles so that they will automatically be scanning the roads as they drive around, providing basic services," Pureval said.
Hauser said news like that makes him optimistic, but he said he'll believe it when he sees it.
"You hear million, million, million, (but) I don't see million going anywhere out here," Hauser said.
The $1.6 billion the city received for the railway following its sale was put into a trust fund, with disbursements being paid from it for improving existing infrastructure within the city. The funds must be used on existing infrastructure.
For fiscal year 2026, which started July 1, the city received $56 million. That sum was divided up between multiple projects throughout the city, including a $2 million overhaul of Victory Parkway near Eden Park. City officials outlined the items slated to get funding in FY2026 in May.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story detailed specific dollar amounts for each project that have not yet been finalized. As a result, we have removed the specific dollar amounts.
