Waldvogel Viaduct

The Waldvogel Viaduct was a viaduct that connected the Sixth Street Expressway with River Road (US Route 50), Elberon Avenue, and Warsaw Avenue in Lower Price Hill, Cincinnati, Ohio.

History

The Waldvogel Viaduct was constructed in 1940 and designed to manage automobile traffic between downtown and Cincinnati’s western neighborhoods while avoiding intersecting railroads in the vicinity of the Cincinnati Union Terminal. 10 In 1954, it was named after Edward N. Waldvogel (1894-1954), a member of the Ohio Senate and Mayor of Cincinnati who had died in office.

Due to structural deterioration, the weight limit of the viaduct was reduced to 16 tons, or 40% of the legal load limit, in 1993. 7 Structural repairs were performed at several hinge locations in 2001 to prevent further weight restrictions, and additional work was completed in 2006. A 2007 city inspection report labeled the viaduct in poor condition, with a rating of 4 out of 10, or just 2 out of 100 on an August 2011 state inspection report. 11 Between 1996 and 2011, the city completed $2.5 million in structural repairs to the bridge.

Replacement

Planning for the replacement of the Waldvogel Viaduct began in February 2003 when the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) held a value engineering meeting. 8 The two-year project would entail the removal of the Waldvogel Viaduct and the construction of five bridges. 2 5

In December, the city submitted an application to ODOT requesting $24 million in the fiscal year 2007 toward the bridge’s replacement. It was estimated that the project would cost $40 million. 8 In July 2005, $16.5 million in federal funding was approved for the replacement of the Waldvogel Viaduct. 2 It was projected that construction could start by 2008 with work to be finished by 2012. 2 5

In July 2009, 6 the Cincinnati City Council passed unanimously an ordinance that announced its intent to cooperate with ODOT on the railroad track relocation project – the viaduct replacement’s first phase.5 The ordnance was necessary to secure $5 million in federal stimulus and Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds via the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI). The remaining local share, $977,000, was funded through an existing City Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) capital improvement program project account.

The first phase of the Waldvogel Viaduct project, involving the relocation of railroad tracks about 100 feet south and the demolition of a disused Amtrak station, began in the spring of 2010. 3 It was completed at the cost of $6 million.

Construction began in August 2011 on the second phase of the viaduct replacement project, which involved the demolition of a few buildings on Neave Street, the renovation of a retaining wall at Wilder and Glenway Avenue, and the construction of a temporary road at River Road and State Avenue. 1 Also included was the widening of River Road from 36 feet to 52 feet with left-turn lanes from Mt. Echo Road to Illinois Avenue. 9

Construction was completed in the fall of 2014. 1

Information

  • State: Ohio
  • Route: US Route 50
  • Type: Girder or Beam
  • Status: Active - Automobile
  • Spans:
  • Navigational Clearance:

Sources

  1. Backscheider, Kurt. “Waldvogel Viaduct work starts in early August.” Cincinnati Enquirer 28 July 2011: n. pag. Web. 22 Dec. 2011. Article.
  2. Sickmiller, Mark, writ. Work On L. Price Hill Viaduct Closer. 9News: WCPO, Cincinnati, 07 July 2005. TV. Article.
  3. Lemaster, Kevin. “Waldvogel appropriations official.” Building Cincinnati 8 July 2010: n. pag. Web. 23 Dec. 2011. Article.
  4. Lemaster, Kevin. “Cincinnati taking action on roadway improvements.” Building Cincinnati 23 June 2010: n. pag. Web. 23 Dec. 2011. Article.
  5. Lemaster, Kevin. “River Road, Dana Avenue projects advance.” Building Cincinnati 3 Nov. 2009: n. pag. Web. 23 Dec. 2011. Article.
  6. Lemaster, Kevin. “Cincinnati makes decisions on Waldvogel, Hamilton.” Building Cincinnati 2 July 2009: n. pag. Web. 23 Dec. 2011. Article.
  7. “Major Bridge Projects (Current & Planned).” City of Cincinnati. 2007. Web. 23 Dec. 2011. Article.
  8. Lemmie, Valerie A. “Waldvogel Viaduct (HAM-50-18.79) Replacement Project Update.” Memo to Mark Mallory. 6 July 2004. TS. City of Cincinnati.
  9. Deatrick, John F. “US 50 Waldvogel Interchange.” Memo to Mark Mallory. 25 Apr. 2011. TS. City of Cincinnati.
  10. Hare, Clive H. Painting of steel bridges and other structures. N.p.: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1990.Print.
  11. Quan Truong. “Sixth Street Viaduct in dire need of overhaul :LOWER PRICE HILL – Brenda Raines pointed at a crack in her windshield.” Cincinnati Enquirer 6  May 2011. Web.  23 Dec. 2011.

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