Cincinnati City Council may not have the votes to stop the Cincinnati Streetcar project, contrary to what was previously reported.
Meanwhile, today's press release at http://allaboardohio.org/2011/03/23/the-future-of-ohios-cities-is-at-stake/ was just updated with some of the following information:
Summary of ODOT's staff recommendations to the TRAC today:
• $51.8M taken from state's highest-rated project in TRAC's list.
o The $51.8M represents 100% of the funding originally recommended for the Cincinnati Streetcar by TRAC.
o Elimination of funding from all other projects included rationale. For the Cincinnati Streetcar the only rationale given was "fiscal balancing."
o Of TRAC's recommended $98M in cuts, a whopping 53% of those cuts came from one single project – The Cincinnati Streetcar.
o Of TRAC's Tier 1 Projects (which includes the Cincinnati Streetcar), $42.13M was cut. This means that money was added to other projects at the expense of the Cincinnati Streetcar…thus eliminating the notion of "fiscal balancing."
o The $51.8M represents 100% of the funding originally recommended for the Cincinnati Streetcar by TRAC.
o Elimination of funding from all other projects included rationale. For the Cincinnati Streetcar the only rationale given was "fiscal balancing."
o Of TRAC's recommended $98M in cuts, a whopping 53% of those cuts came from one single project – The Cincinnati Streetcar.
o Of TRAC's Tier 1 Projects (which includes the Cincinnati Streetcar), $42.13M was cut. This means that money was added to other projects at the expense of the Cincinnati Streetcar…thus eliminating the notion of "fiscal balancing."
• Two projects from John Kasich's former Congressional district were added to TRAC's funding list:
o $5M for an I-71 interchange in Delaware County
o $2.7M for an "east-west connector" in Pickaway County
• Removed the $1M preliminary engineering of rail capacity upgrades to the congested Mill Creek rail corridor and Queensgate Yard. CSX dubiously said the the upgrades would only benefit NS which uses CSX's right of way into Queensgate. Amtrak's Cardinal service also uses this rail corridor.
• Of the total $98M in TRAC cuts, 82% ($80M) came from Cincinnati region.
• Of the 26 projects discussed 15 remain. Of those 15 projects, only 26% (in terms of total funding - $18.23M - and number of projects - 4) can be remotely identified as anything other than highway spending.
• Only two transportation projects from Cincinnati region remain:
o $500,000 for "GE Parkway"
o $1.7M for "I-275/SR 32 Phase 2" upgrades (aka I-74 extension through Hamilton County)
Thanks to Randy Himes, owner & managing editor of UrbanCincy.com for compiling this summary.
KJP
Ken Prendergast
Executive Director
All Aboard Ohio
12029 Clifton Blvd., Suite 505
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org
www.allaboardohio.org
Executive Director
All Aboard Ohio
12029 Clifton Blvd., Suite 505
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org
www.allaboardohio.org
