Tag: 3C Corridor

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Business News Politics Transportation

CHART: The Best and Worst States in America for Transit Funding

According to data from the Federal Transit Authority (FTA), the State of Ohio provides some of the least amount of funding for its regional transit authorities of any state in America.

Texas, Georgia and Missouri also provide next to nothing to their various regional transit agencies, but in no other state are transit agencies as reliant on fares and local taxes as they are in the Buckeye State.

When broadening the search to examine transit agencies in the biggest cities across America, it also becomes clear that states like Pennsylvania, Utah and Maryland, Minnesota and Massachusetts invest large amounts of state dollars in transit. Some transit agencies with little state support, however, receive larger sums of money from regional transit taxes and federal aid.

Source of American Transit Funding

Ohio’s three largest metropolitan regions – all with more than two million people – are different in this regard and have the least diverse range of financial support of transit agencies nationwide. For both Columbus and Cleveland, it means that well over 90% of their total revenues come from fares and local tax dollars, while in Cincinnati it is slightly better at 84% thanks to a bit more federal aid.

“In the recession we saw transit service cut while gas prices drove transit demand to record levels,” stated Akshai Singh, an Ohio Sierra Club representative with the advocacy organization Ohio for Transportation Choice. “Roughly all of the state’s public transportation funding now goes to operating rural transit services.”

Honolulu is the only other region in the United States that has 90% or more of its funds coming from just fares and local tax dollars. Cities in other states providing next to nothing also approach this threshold, but do not exceed it as is the case in Ohio.

It recently reported that the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) is one of the best stewards of limited financial resources, when compared to 11 peer agencies across the country. One of the key findings from Agenda 360 report was how little state financial support SORTA receives.

Part of the problem in Ohio is due to state cuts that have reduced funding for public transportation by 83% since 2000. Those cuts have forced transit agencies in the nation’s seventh most populous state to reduce service and increase fares over the past decade.

According to All Aboard Ohio, the state only provides approximately 1% of its transportation budget to transit, while more than 9% of the state’s population lives without a car.

In addition to regional transit, Ohio continues to be one of the most hostile states in terms of inter-city passenger rail. The state remains almost untouched by Amtrak’s national network and boasts the nation’s most densely populated corridor – Cincinnati to Cleveland – without any inter-city passenger rail service.

“When Governor Kasich came to office, the first thing he did was send back $400 million in federal dollars, for the 3C Corridor, on the basis that operations and maintenance would have been too onerous on the state,” Singh concluded. “Today, ODOT is allocating $240 million to build a $331 million, 3.5-mile highway extension through a 40% carless neighborhood on Cleveland’s east side, a staggering $100 million per mile new capacity road, while openly acknowledging they are reducing access for local residents.”

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News Politics Transportation

Will Ohio be left empty-handed when it comes to new $53B high speed rail plan?

Last week President Obama announced a bold $53 billion plan for high speed rail. The investment is proposed to take place over the next six years as part of the transportation reauthorization bill. If successful, President Obama (D) would place himself among the likes of Eisenhower and FDR in terms of infrastructure legacies.

Long-term, President Obama’s administration hopes to connect 80 percent of Americans with high speed rail within 25 years, but what does that mean for Ohio whose governor recently gave away a $400 million federal investment for such a system?

Well, what immediately is clear is that Ohio has gone from one of the nation’s leaders in high speed rail, to one of the last adopters in the matter of a few months. What may also be true going forward is hesitancy for the federal government to invest in high speed rail in Ohio while Governor Kasich (R) is in office – thus pushing Ohio further behind in the race to “win the future” and develop a nation-wide system of high speed rail.

“The Obama Administration understands that in order to win the future and grow America’s economy over the long-term, we must modernize our national transportation network,” said Secretary LaHood said in a prepared release. “We’re committed to repairing our existing infrastructure and building new ways to move people, goods and information around so we can strengthen our communities and our economy.”

The federal investment would provide money for both new infrastructure and critical maintenance and upgrades for existing intercity rail corridors. With Ohio boasting one of the best-suited corridors in the nation for intercity rail, but still lacking any existing intercity rail, it creates the possibility of the state receiving absolutely nothing from the $53 billion investment thanks to the decision by Governor Kasich to give away the original $400 million investment in intercity rail between Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland.

For perspective, over the past 50 years, the federal government has spent more than $400 billion building the interstate highway system.

“A national high-speed rail system is not only an opportunity to redefine how we travel and how our regional economies grow,” said Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith. “It represents the type of innovation and progress that can secure a better future for our grandchildren.”

With the addition of 100 million citizens by 2050, Smith asserts that the nation needs new infrastructure that has the ability to move more people in more places and at higher speeds.

Reconnecting America research has found that investments between Harrisburg, PA, and Philadelphia have increased speeds to 110 mph, and the corridor has seen rail ridership rise by 57 percent. The corridor, Reconnecting America says, now boasts more passengers traveling by rail than by plane.

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News Transportation

Midwest High Speed Rail Association to host happy hour discussion in Cincinnati

The Midwest High Speed Rail Association will be meeting in Cincinnati on Wednesday, January 26 at Arnold’s Bar & Grill.  The meeting will take place from 6pm to 8pm and reportedly will include an “informal discussion” about high-speed rail led by executive director Rick Harnish.

The event is free and open to the public, but food and drink will not be provided by the Midwest High Speed Rail Association.  Food and drink will however be available for purchase from Arnold’s.

Those interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP online or by emailing mailto: Mark@MidwestHSR.org, but anyone is encouraged to show up at the time of the event and join the conversation.  Arnold’s Bar & Grill is located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati at 210 East 8th Street.

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Development News Politics Transportation

3C Rail not dead yet according to All Aboard Ohio leaders

Throughout his campaign for governor, Governor-Elect John Kasich (R) repeatedly stated that he had no intention of ever moving forward with the 3C Rail project, a train that would have connected Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton. So with Secretary LaHood’s announcement on Thursday that the $400 million for the 3C rail project was being taken away, he made Kasich’s campaign promise of “the train is dead” a reality, right?

Well, All Aboard Ohio, an advocacy group for inter-city travel in Ohio, is saying otherwise. In fact, in a press release they stated that the Dept. of Transportation is moving prematurely in redirecting the funds.

“Until grant agreements with the new state recipients have been signed, we don’t consider this a done deal,” said All Aboard Ohio President Bill Hutchison, noting that it often takes months to finalize such agreements.

With just under a month left in the term of Governor Ted Strickland (D), the nonprofit believes there is still time to act.

“We are calling for an open, honest dialogue between Governor Strickland, Governor-Elect Kasich and potential 3C partners to consider an alternative that could be instituted within the same time frame ODOT was expected to move forward with 3C,” said Hutchison.

Ironically, Thursday’s announcement came only hours after a plan to pursue the 3C project without state involvement was released. Created by All Aboard Ohio and others, the plan calls for the creation of a Joint Powers Authority (JPA). If created, the JPA would consist of local governments and transit authorities which could then grant a franchise to a private group who would operate the rail service. The group would finance the project through, among other things, revenue generated by station leases, food service, and advertising.

“With looming threats of unprecedented global oil shortages by 2015, the Baby Boom generation starting to turn 65 years old in 2011 and young Ohioans leaving for states that don’t force them to drive everywhere, now is not the time for Ohio leaders to let this money slip away,” Hutchison concluded.

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Business Development News Politics Transportation

UrbanCincy Q/A with candidates for Hamilton County Commissioner

Kevin Wright and David Ben collaborated on this UrbanCincy exclusive.

Next Tuesday, the much anticipated mid-term elections will be held across the country. Although there has been a lot of discussion about national politics and policy making in the mainstream press, there are many historic policy issues facing Hamilton County as well. These issues are as divisive as they are important, and they are going to require serious decisions by serious candidates.

The two men running for Hamilton County Commissioner – Chris Monzel (R) and Jim Tarbell (C) – represent two different approaches to county government. While they are both experienced politicians, they have two distinctly different visions for the future of Hamilton County.

UrbanCincy sent a list of questions to each candidate. The questions were based on issues that we thought you, our readers, would classify as the most important. Below are the questions we sent, as well as the candidate’s responses exactly as they were sent back to us.

1.  Where do you stand on the 3C Rail Project, and how are you prepared to deal with it should you be elected?

Chris Monzel: I do not support the 3C Rail Project.

Jim Tarbell: I am in support of the 3C rail project. Ohio’s $400 million investment will result in over 255 immediate construction jobs over a two-year period, and a US Department of Commerce study predicts approximately 8000 indirect and spin off jobs in Ohio. We need jobs.

According to the Amtrak report from September 2009, the 3C “Quick Start” passenger rail service will serve at least 478,000 in its first year of operation. Historically, throughout its national system, Amtrak has had steady ridership support from college students. An analysis by ODOT reveals that more than 220,000 students are within less than 10 miles from the proposed train station. Furthermore, the 3C passenger rail line runs near 40 colleges and universities.

According to a March 2009 Quinnipiac University statewide poll:

  • 73% of Ohioans ages 18-34 support passenger rail in Ohio and the 3C “Quick Start” Plan
  • 62% of Ohioans ages 35-54 support passenger rail in Ohio and the 3C “Quick Start” Plan
  • 61% of Ohioans 55 years or older support passenger rail in Ohio and the 3C “Quick Start” Plan

Furthermore, the 3C “Quick Start” Plan has received more than 200 statewide letters of support from various businesses, cities, universities and colleges, and other organizations who understand the benefits of passenger rail service in Ohio. The 3C “Quick Start” Passenger Rail Plan will connect Cleveland, Columbus, Springfield, Dayton, Riverside, Sharonville and Cincinnati.

2.  Where do you stand on The Banks project, and how are you prepared to deal with it should you be elected?

Chris Monzel: I have supported the Banks project as a current Cincinnati City Councilman and if elected as County Commissioner will continue to do so.

Jim Tarbell: I am very supportive of The Banks project. I am happy to report that Phase I is complete, ahead of schedule and under budget.

The Board of Commissioners of Hamilton County (County), the City of Cincinnati (City) and the Riverbanks Renaissance, LLC (developer) are partnering to develop the Banks Project. The Banks Project is a public improvement and mixed-use development located between the Paul Brown Stadium (to the west) and the Great American Ball Park (to the east). The Banks Project will be developed in phases over a period of approximately 15 years and will include 1,800 residential units, one million square feet of office space and more than 300,000 square feet of retail space. The Banks Project will be funded with public and private dollars. A recent article in The Enquirer reported that rental units being built are already being rented.

This will be a huge boost for the County. The added retail and entertainment venues mean additional tax dollars for the County. I believe recruiting businesses and residents to this area should be a joint venture of the City and County.

3.  Where do you stand on the Riverfront Park project, and how are you prepared to deal with it should you be elected?

Chris Monzel: I have supported the Riverfront Park project as a current Cincinnati City Councilman and if elected as County Commissioner will continue to do so.

Jim Tarbell: The Riverfront Park Project is another example of what can be done to create enduring landmarks. Not only will this be a tourist attraction, but residents within greater Cincinnati will be attracted to spend more time on our riverfront.

Phase I of Cincinnati Riverfront Park—currently under construction—will include the new Moerlein Lager House restaurant and brewery as well as a plaza of water jets with cascades of water that drop to pools along Mehring Way. There will be a grand stairway with landings at water-filled basins, a glass-floored walkway above a lower level loggia, a shade trellis, informational and interpretive displays, and public restrooms. Also part of the design is the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Stage & Event Lawn, a promenade, and within a tree grove, a monument to the Black Brigade, a floral garden and a labyrinth. The park will also feature a bike center and welcome center, and a section of the Ohio River Bike Trail.

I have a very good relationship with Willie Carden, Director of Parks, and David Prather, the project coordinator. I expect to be in close communication with them and am very supportive of their work.

4.  Given that both Louisville or Indianapolis are outperforming Cincinnati in economic indicators according to the newly released Agenda360/Vision 2015 Regional Indicators Report, do you support the idea of consolidated government similar to what is used in Louisville-Jefferson and Marion counties?

Chris Monzel: I do not support big metro-government. I do support shared-services between the county and other government jurisdictions.

Jim Tarbell: I spent an entire day three years ago with Mayor Abramson of Louisville and his cabinet specifically to study their system. I have also met numerous officers from Indianapolis over time for the same reason. I feel there is much to be gained from having an ongoing discussion with the stakeholders in Hamilton County with an eye towards taking advantage of their experience and progress. Every county, every jurisdiction, has its own challenges; but Indianapolis, for over forty years, and Louisville, for ten years, have made changes and improvements that could help here. Portland, Oregon has made similar changes. I remember one of their planners remarking that Cincinnati had considerably more resources than Portland, but that Portland simply had more of an attitude!

5.  What is your specific plan to close the stadium deficit? Does this plan completely close the projected deficit, and why/why not?

Chris Monzel: The Stadium fund is driving the county budget crisis. There are several avenues to look at to help address this. One is to work on any possibilities of renegotiating the lease.

The Bengals have put an offer on the table to renegotiate parts of the current lease. I will put the taxpayers first in these negotiations. The Bengals owner’s are part of the budget problem and must be part of the solution. I also understand the need to lower taxes in order to establish a welcoming environment for businesses. I believe in promoting home ownership, such as, a
Homearama in Hamilton County. Homearama has been held in Warren County seven (7) of the last eight (8) years.

Another option is to look at the county assets that could be sold which would generate $$ to get us out of our serious debt.

Jim Tarbell: Commissioner David Pepper and I have proposed a similar plan to reduce the debt by at least half by suspending the property tax rollback inappropriately promised over a decade ago.

The current property tax rollback, which reduced the amount of money homeowners pay in property taxes annually, would be rescinded on the value of homes over $150,000. In other words, no one would be affected unless their homes are valued over $150,000, and then only on the amount of the value OVER $150,000, putting the emphasis on higher priced real estate (whose owners have gotten the biggest break so far). The average homeowner would pay about $100 per year. This can be enacted immediately by a majority vote of the commissioners and give us a huge start towards balancing the budget. This would also put enormous pressure on the teams to play their part, with the commissioners and the public having taken the lead. There is nothing fair about this dilemma. None of us played a part in creating this crisis, but we must resolve it now and get on with moving this economy forward.