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Streetcar Weekly Update: October 28, 2013

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For the week of October 28, 2013, the streetcar will have of a lot of highly visible progress on both the trackwork and at the Maintenance & Operations Facility site. As part of the city’s construction contract, the project is also involved with repairing public utilities. Here’s what to expect:

  • Trackwork will continue on Elm Street between 12th and Wade streets.

 

PUBLIC UTILITY IMPROVEMENTS AS PART OF STREETCAR CONSTRUCTION:

  • Water main installation will continue on Walnut Street near Court Street.
  • Additional sewer work will take place on Race Street between Henry and Findlay streets.
  • Underground gas work will be performed by Duke Energy on Main Street near 4th Street; on Walnut Street near 3rd Street; on Race Street near Henry Street; and on Race Street between Liberty and Green streets.
  • Underground electrical work will also be performed by Duke on 12th Street between Main and Elm streets; and on Race Street near 12th Street.
  • Cincinnati Bell will perform its infrastructure work on Elm Street between Henry and Liberty streets.
  • Conduit installation (tubing for electrical wires) for traffic signals will continue on Elm Street between Wade and Green streets; and on Race Street near Findlay Street.
  • Exploratory digging for utilities will start on Main Street near 4th Street

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Streetcar Weekly Update: October 21, 2013

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For the week of October 21, 2013, the streetcar will have of a lot of highly visible progress on both the trackwork and at the Maintenance & Operations Facility site. As part of the city’s construction contract, the project is also involved with repairing public utilities. Here’s what to expect:


PUBLIC UTILITY IMPROVEMENTS AS PART OF STREETCAR CONSTRUCTION:

  • New sewer installation will continue on Elm at Liberty Street.
  • New water main installation will continue on Walnut from Central Parkway to 9th Street.
  • Drains on Elm from 12th to 15th streets will continue with undercutting, proof-rolling,  & concrete base work.
  • Underground gas line work will be conducted by Duke Energy on Race Street near Liberty.
  • Underground electrical work will be conducted by Duke Energy on 12th at Vine Street; and on Race near 12th Street.
  • Cincinnati Bell will perform work on Elm between Green and Findlay.
  • Conduit installation (tubing for electrical wires) for traffic signals will continue on Elm just north of Liberty; and on Race near 12th Street. Work will resume on Race near Findlay Street.
  • Exploratory digging for utilities will continue on Elm just north of Liberty. Work will resume on Race near Findlay Street

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Phase one gets an additional $22.4M in funding, utility work progresses

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Streetcar Utility Relocation WorkIt’s been quite a while since we’ve last updated you on the project, but there has been a bunch of news lately and we wanted to catch you up-to-speed with what’s happening.

First off, City Council’s Budget & Finance Committee approved $17.4 million in additional funding for the project on Monday by a 5-4 vote (Sittenfeld, Smitherman, Thomas and Winburn opposed), and also approved a motion that requests Mayor Mallory’s administration to provide regular updates on phase one work, and develop a funding plan and time frame for phase two work.

While these votes don’t become final until the full City Council votes on them, which will take place tomorrow at 2pm, we expect both items to pass with the same margins as they did in committee since it is made up of the full council.

The approval of the additional $17.4 million will then trigger the allocation of an additional $5 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation, courtesy of its TIGER grant program. This money would not be available if council does not approve the full $17.4 million tomorrow.

“The DOT continues to support your bold vision for economic development and enhanced transportation choices for the city of Cincinnati, and we believe that this project is a significant component of that vision,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood explained in his grant letter to the City of Cincinnati.

Construction work also is progressing.

City Manager Milton Dohoney says that Greater Cincinnati Water Works has completed all of its work in Over-the-Rhine and that Cincinnati Bell has begun moving manholes along the route. Dohoney also says that Duke Energy has finally begun electric work in the Central Business District and that Level 3 has also begun to move its lines.

Work has yet to begin on relocated utilities from Time Warner Cable and the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), but Dohoney states that agreements are being finalized with Time Warner, and the MSD is putting its work out to bid.

With regards to the vehicles themselves, city officials traveled to Spain earlier this month to “review technical specifications, engineering and safety measures for the vehicles.”

And finally, the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) has entered into a contract with Transportation Resource Associates (TRA), out of Philadelphia, to “revise and refine” the existing operations and maintenance plan for the project.

A lot of work is still to come, and this is shaping up to be a year with lots of exciting benchmarks. Make sure you connect with us on Twitter at @CincyStreetcar and like us on our Facebook page to ensure you’re getting the latest information.

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