Funds for Western Hills Viaduct replacement project to be split by city, county

CINCINNATI (FOX19) - Another important step has been taken to replace the Western Hills Viaduct.

The city and the county met to sign agreements dealing with funding related to the project.

Those agreements made will split the grant money from the state and the federal government.

The total cost of the viaduct replacement project is $335 million. The original price for the viaduct in the early 1930s was around $3.5 million.

All these years later, about 55,000 cars and trucks come across the viaduct every day.

The daily usage over all the years has taken its toll.

The concern is the concrete that occasionally falls from the rafters and has been known to hit cars below.

The county engineer says that has been the most significant problem they have had to deal with over the years.

“The Western Hills Viaduct is not designed for the type of traffic we have now," explained Hamilton County Engineer Eric Beck. "Vehicles are bigger, traffic moves faster, there’s pedestrians, there’s buses. Which means more wear and tear. More wear and tear on the structure itself.”

The Western Hills Viaduct is one of several changes coming.

First will be a new interchange off I-75, which will tie into the expansion and construction of a new Brent Spence Bridge.

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