The Western Hills Viaduct connects Interstate 75 and major roads on Cincinnati's West Side and in Hamilton County to the downtown and uptown areas of the city. It is a major transportation link that carries more than 55,000 vehicles a day over the Mill Creek Valley and a large, active railroad yard.
Originally built in the early 1930s, the viaduct is reaching the end of its useful life. Local government leaders currently are pursuing grant funding to replace the existing viaduct due to widespread and significant deterioration. The project will replace the existing viaduct with a new bridge immediately to the south.
The city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County are leading a joint effort to replace the Western Hills Viaduct. The team has secured $125 million of the $335 million needed to build a new "extradosed" bridge to replace the existing 88-year-old viaduct. Site preparation is expected to begin in the summer or fall of 2021.
The team includes design consultant San Francisco-based T.Y. Lin International Group. T.Y. Lin has completed its evaluation of six replacement options as part of a detailed, two-year feasibility study.
