For decades, I-75 and the freight tracks beside it have carved up a swath of first-ring suburbs in Hamilton County, cutting neighbors off from jobs, parks and everyday errands on the other side of the highway. Now Hamilton County and the First Suburbs Consortium are taking a set of draft fixes on tour, inviting residents to help decide how to literally reconnect the streets. Next week, planners will bring early concept ideas to three public sessions in Lincoln Heights, Lockland, Reading, Sharonville, Evendale and Arlington Heights before the planning study edges toward real-world projects. The work is part of a federally funded Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods planning push that aims to turn years of separation into better access to daily life.
Public sessions next week
Three open-house sessions are set for next Tuesday and Wednesday so planners can walk people through the concept designs and get unfiltered feedback from those who live and work in the study area. According to WVXU, the schedule includes an evening meeting at Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church next Tuesday, a midday session in Sharonville the following day, and an evening open house at the Lockland Municipal Building next Wednesday. Attendees will be able to study concept boards up close and leave written comments that planners say will be folded into the recommendations as the study moves toward implementation.
Study funding and scope
Hamilton County has secured roughly $300,000 in federal planning money to study how to restore east-west connections among six first-ring suburbs, with the funds covering consultants and staff time to shape potential projects. The study area specifically includes Arlington Heights, Evendale, Lincoln Heights, Lockland, Reading and Sharonville, according to WCPO. Planners say they are looking at a menu of options, from new pedestrian bridges and trails to reworked street alignments, that could make it easier to reach jobs, schools and parks without battling highway barriers.
Who’s organizing the outreach
The First Suburbs Consortium of Southwest Ohio is serving as the lead applicant and is teaming up with Hamilton County Planning + Development on the grant work and outreach materials, according to the First Suburbs Consortium of Southwest Ohio. A project postcard directs residents to an online engagement tool and lists all three open-house locations for those who cannot make it in person. Local leaders say the joint effort is designed to give smaller suburbs a stronger voice when regional transportation decisions are on the table.
Concepts under review
Sharonville’s public post and the project handouts spotlight three so-called "big-3" concept areas: trails and open space that could be created if parts of the I-75 viaduct are removed, a more direct east-west link across Shepherd Road, and a corridor tying Mangham Drive into Lockland and the Aerohub employment area. The materials also outline more than 20 candidate projects, ranging from short pedestrian crossings to broader street reconfigurations, and planners say community feedback will help decide which ideas advance to design work and the hunt for construction dollars. Sharonville Ohio hosts the concept maps and detailed meeting information.
Why this matters now
The timing is not accidental. The planning effort lines up with ODOT’s Thru the Valley I-75 improvements, which include removing the Lockland split and rebuilding the northbound lanes, changes that will free up reclaimed land that planners hope can be used for trails and neighborhood connections, according to FOX19. Local reporting and planners note that the interstate and nearby freight rail lines have long choked off east-west movement and limited access to basic services for many residents. The federal Reconnecting Communities program has backed similar planning and construction efforts across the country, as reported by Trains.
How to weigh in
Project details and an online comment form are posted on the county’s project page at Hamilton County, and organizers say written feedback collected at the meetings will guide final recommendations, future partnerships and potential funding priorities. If you cannot make it to an in-person session, planners say the online materials and a short survey offer another path to weigh the tradeoffs. County staff and the First Suburbs Consortium have pledged to gather comments and return to the communities later this year with a more refined set of options, as described in their outreach materials.
