Friday, October 20, 2006

Groups fight Eastern Corridor project

Environmentalists say it would harm wildlife, limit recreation

BY DAN HORN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Environmental groups are suing to stop a $1.4 billion project that would expand highway connections between downtown Cincinnati and its eastern suburbs.

The groups say the Eastern Corridor project, which calls for a multilane bridge over the Little Miami River, would harm wildlife and limit recreational opportunities in and around the federally protected river.

They also accuse federal officials of violating their own rules by failing to consider less harmful alternatives during the planning stages of the project.

Rivers Unlimited, Little Miami Inc. and the Sierra Club filed the lawsuit this week in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

They want a court order barring the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration from starting work on the project, which is set to begin in 2010.

"We've been trying to work with them," said Marilyn Wall, a member of the Sierra Club's national board of directors. "We could not get them to look at alternatives."

A spokesman for the highway administration said he had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment.

Local and federal officials have touted the Eastern Corridor project as a solution to growing congestion on the region's highways, and as a spur to economic growth in Cincinnati and its suburbs.

The plan includes 13.5 miles of highway reconstruction and improvements to Ohio 32, expanded bus routes within the Interstate 275 beltway and at least 26 miles of new bicycle trails.

Wall said environmentalists like the project's emphasis on mass transit - but not the bridge and the aggressive expansion of highways.

"Inevitably, highway space gets used up and you have to build more highway," Wall said. "It's impossible to build your way out of congestion."

Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune said the project is environmentally friendly and has won approval from several agencies, including the U.S. Department of the Interior.

"I think it's fair to say we thought we had crossed these paths already and these issues had been effectively resolved," Portune said.

He said the new bridge over the Little Miami is necessary to handle expanded mass transit, as well as more cars.

"Many of the same people promoting public transportation are objecting to a crossing that has to exist in order for that transit to work," Portune said.

E-mail dhorn@enquirer.com

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