City Chooses Vine Street Route for Streetcar

Vine Street alternative the least expensive, least challenging and best for expansions

After a comprehensive analysis, the City of Cincinnati announced today that it has chosen the Vine Street alternative as the route the streetcar will take to reach the Uptown area. City officials explained that the Vine Street route is the least expensive, offers the fewest engineering challenges and best positions the streetcar for future expansion.“Our direction from city council has always been to ‘connect the dots,’ but to do so in a way that was fiscally responsible,” said Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney. “The Vine Street route accomplishes that.”

The City and a group of stakeholders along both Vine Street and the alternative route, West Clifton Avenue, have been meeting to collect input and share ideas about each route for months. The group was informed of the City’s decision at a meeting this afternoon. “There is a lot of excitement about the streetcar and its potential,” said Mr. Dohoney. “This was a very engaged group.”

The City estimated the West Clifton route would have added some $20 million to the streetcar’s construction cost and $250,000 annually to operations. The Vine Street route is also not as steep, has fewer curves and offers a shorter commute time. The Vine Street route also connects the streetcar to University Plaza, Kroger, the Short Vine entertainment district and The Christ Hospital, and is a logical jump-off point for future routes that would include University Hospital, Cincinnati Children’s and the Zoo.

“In the final analysis, the Vine Street route is our best alternative,” said Mr. Dohoney.