CINCINNATI — If you've been downtown at all this past week, you know that trying to leave is a traffic cluster... truck.
The closure of the southbound lanes of I-471 on the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge is to blame for heavy traffic throughout downtown Cincinnati and southbound on any of the other city bridges. That closure was the result of a massive fire the morning of Friday, Nov. 1.
And this weekend, traffic is only going to get worse. With multiple events planned at various venues downtown, coming to the area might not be awful, but leaving will take patience.
On Friday night, Billie Eilish plays at the Heritage Bank Center while a concert is also held at the Adam J. Brady Music Center. On Saturday, an FC Cincinnati playoff game and another concert at Brady happen around the same time. Numerous Cyclones games and next week's Bengals game (with a possible watch party, although not yet announced) would also create traffic congestion.
Pack your patience on the roads, and be prepared for delays if you're going across the Ohio River to get anywhere.
As for the repairs, here's the latest:
Rain is in the forecast for Sunday, but The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) says it will continue construction on the bridge. Work continues Friday to install the footers for shoring towers, which will support and stabilize the damaged section of the bridge. Concrete will be poured for 3-foot thick mats on Friday, which will need to cure for at least 72 hours before the towers can be built, according to ODOT.
The towers are expected to be shipped from New Jersey later Friday night, ODOT said.
Thursday, crews installed the forms and rebar for the footers to support the towers.
The entire southbound section of the bridge and all of its access points remain closed, as well as access from Pete Rose Way and Riverside Drive underneath the bridge. One northbound lane of I-471 on the bridge is also closed. Traffic is detoured to the I-71/75 across the Brent Spence Bridge.
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Here are some more detour tips from ODOT:
For those who travel eastbound on Pete Rose Way, it is open to Eggleston Street; however, motorists may want to seek alternate routes through downtown to avoid congestion at the intersection.
For those traveling west on Riverside Drive, the street is open to the Adams Place Condominiums building, between Adams Crossing and Kilgour Street. Thru traffic motorists whose destination is beyond this may use Collins Avenue and William Howard Taft Road to Columbia Parkway. If heading to downtown Cincinnati from the Columbia-Tusculum area, motorists may divert to Columbia Parkway at Delta Avenue.
In addition, the following restrictions are in place in downtown Cincinnati:
- Liberty Street access to I-471 is closed.
- 5th Street access to I-471 is closed.
- U.S. 50 East and West access to I-471 is closed. (U.S. 50 remains open to thru traffic.)
- Pete Rose Way/Riverside Drive is closed under the approach.
- Eastbound Pete Rose Way motorists may use Eggleston Street.
- Westbound Riverside Drive (U.S. 52) should divert to Columbia Parkway (U.S. 50).
- The parking lot under the bridge approach, adjacent to Pete Rose Way, is closed.
- The sidewalk on the north side of Pete Rose Way, between Eggleston and Kilgour, is closed.
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