Twenty-four transportation projects throughout southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky just received more than $40 million in federal funding, and more than three-quarters of that money will go toward enhancing the region's public transit, bicycle and pedestrian-oriented infrastructure.
The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments announced the federal grant awards in a news release Thursday morning. Roughly $35 million of the grant money will benefit alternatives to traveling by car.
Cincinnati Metro and TANK will receive funding for new fuel-efficient buses, and Red Bike -- Cincinnati's bike share program -- will open 20 new docking stations and up its fleet size with 200 new bicycles. Most of those new rental bikes will be electric-assist, or e-bikes.
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Other projects mix auto-oriented infrastructure with other car-free options, like the $8 million King Avenue Bridge replacement in Warren County. The aging bridge spans the Little Miami River in Maineville. Its replacement will include an 11-foot wide dedicated pedestrian and bikeway with a barrier separating cyclists and walkers from motor vehicles using the bridge.
The 11.5-mile Riverfront Commons trail project connecting Northern Kentucky's river cities got funding for two of its segments, one in Covington and another in Dayton.
See the full list of projects receiving funding in the viewer below.
OKI's Board President T.C. Rogers said the awards -- given out annually by the intergovernmental council -- reflect the organization's commitment to making Greater Cincinnati a multi-modal region.
"Today's awards are a meaningful investment in our multi-modal transportation network," Rogers said in the release. "These projects improve mobility and safety for drivers, transit riders, cyclists and pedestrians. What's more, they enhance quality of life."
OKI 2018 STBG & TA Awards by WCPO Web Team on Scribd
Pat LaFleur reports on transportation and mobility for WCPO. Connect with him on Twitter (@pat_laFleur) and on Facebook.
