Sunday, April 02, 2000
Traffic tips: Arrive early, prepare to walk
BY MARIE McCAIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Get ready for traffic trauma if you're venturing anywhere near downtown on Monday. Traffic is bad enough anytime the Reds play their first game of the season, but this year may be worse:
• More than 100,000 fans, feverish with thoughts of Ken Griffey Jr. and a winning season, are expected downtown.
• Road construction has torn up riverfront streets and demolished more than 1,000 parking spaces.
• The Findlay Market Parade, a pre-game institution since 1919, promises to be the biggest ever.
The best advice: Get downtown early, park in outlying lots, use public transit and plan on walking. Check updated traffic conditions at Cincinnati.com/traffic.
“When the parade starts, traffic comes to a halt,” says John Deatrick, director of the city's Department of Transportation and Engineering. East-west travel will be difficult at best from 10 a.m., when the parade starts, to about noon, when it ends.
Eighteen city blocks on Race and Fifth streets will be closed to traffic for the duration of the parade. Parts of seven other streets will close even earlier, at 8 a.m., for preparations.
Some riverfront streets and sidewalks that have been closed for roadwork will be opened for the day. But construction sites around the riverfront and Fort Washington Way are still off limits for public parking, and violators will be towed.
Traffic officials, anticipating Opening Day traffic to mix with the Monday morning rush, urge everyone to be prepared:
Cincinnati Metro buses:
Metro city buses will operate four routes from the suburbs to the stadium and back. Buses will leave at 11:50 a.m. from Park & Ride sites at Western Hills Plaza, Anderson Township, Forest Park and Fields Ertel Road. Round trips will cost $4 per person, and one-way tickets will cost $2.50 each. Exact change is required.
In addition, shuttle service will be provided from parking lots outside the Cincinnati Museum Center at 1301 Ezzard Charles Drive and in the Main Street entertainment district north of downtown. Shuttles will run 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.
Additional information on boarding points and routing can be obtained by calling MetroCenter, 513-621-4455, or online at www.sorta.com.
In Kentucky:
The Transportation Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) will offer express bus service to the stadium from the Drawbridge Inn and the Holiday Inn in Fort Mitchell and the Ramada Inn in Fort Wright.
Buses will leave about noon. Fares will be $3, $1 for children under 12.
In addition, TANK's Southbank Shuttle will transport fans from various Park & Ride lots in Covington and Newport every 20 minutes from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Pickup points include the Kenton County Garage at Third and Madison streets in Covington and garages under the Embassy Suites and Marriott hotels on Rivercenter Boulevard. The shuttle costs 25 cents a trip.
Additional information on boarding and routes can be obtained by calling TANK at 859-578-6943.
Pedestrian traffic:
Cincinnati officials, mindful of the potential for massive traffic tie-ups, say the best way to get around might be on foot.
For the first time, the Roebling Suspension Bridge will be shut to vehicular traffic from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 3:30 p.m. until post-game traffic eases.
Only pedestrians and shuttles will be allowed to cross. Walking the bridge takes about 10 minutes.
Opening Day ticket-holder Bill Templin of Edgewood, Ky., already has worked out how he'll maneuver the expected congestion.
“I'll probably take AA highway and then some back roads — the scenic routes,” he says. “Probably, I'll park in a lot in Newport and walk across the Taylor-Southgate Bridge. I usually park in Kentucky for the games. I enjoy the walk.”
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