Sprawl Home

Local Sprawl News

Reports/Data

Sprawl Links

Little Miami
Scenic River

Protect the Little Miami Scenic River Campaign

STOP THE SPRAWL HIGHWAY BRIDGE
PROTECT THE LITTLE MIAMI RIVER
for our families, for our future.

Cincinnati's Little Miami River became Ohio's first State Scenic River in 1969 and a National Wild and Scenic River in 1980 because of its "outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural and other values".

The river, the region's only National Wild and Scenic River and only one of three such special rivers in Ohio, is an extraordinary natural treasure in the midst of a major metropolitan area, and decades of citizen efforts have gone into protecting it.

Now, public officials and developers are proposing a new sprawl highway across the Little Miami between Fairfax to Newton, part of the Eastern Corridor study. The $77 million, 10-mile highway project would increase sprawl, worsen water, air and noise pollution, and forever diminish the experience of Cincinnati families who enjoy this rare natural treasure.

The politicians responsible for the poorly planned sprawl that created the traffic problems in the first place believe that building yet another new highway will relieve congestion.

HIGHWAY WOULD WORSEN, NOT REDUCE, TRAFFIC CONGESTION

In March 2001, the Sierra Club released a traffic study conducted by Norman Marshall, Senior Project Consultant of Resource Systems Group, Inc., a nationally renowned, independent traffic expert who concluded that the new highway would be a poor public transportation investment.

Rather than reducing traffic and improving air quality, as highway boosters assert, the study found that the highway would mean more local and regional traffic than if the Eastern Corridor highway plan was not built at all. According to Marshall, the highway plan would increase vehicle miles traveled by 200,000 daily on local streets and 333,000 vehicle miles traveled regionwide. However, building new highways to reduce traffic gridlock doesn't work in the long run; it fact, it only worsens traffic congestion. One study reports that up to 43% of existing traffic in Cincinnati is the result of widening and building new highways.

The more sensible solutions are to invest in alternative transportation choices such as using existing rail lines for commuter rail, and to implement smart growth land use planning. These solutions, already a part of the Eastern Corridor study, would complement the regional rail system proposed by Metro.

THE IRREVERSIBLE LOSS OF AN UNPARALLED NATURAL SITE

The highway threatens not only the entire river corridor and region with more sprawl and traffic, it also would destroy the Horseshoe Bend area of the river, one of the most unique and diverse habitats in SW Ohio. According to report co-written by Xavier biology professor Dr. Stanley Hedeen and University of Cincinnati biology professor Dr. Michael Miller, the proposed highway over the Little Miami National Wild and Scenic River "would cause the irreversible loss of an unparalleled natural site."

The report, "Bridge To Ruin, Highway To Destruction: The Threatened Future Of The Little Miami National And Wild Scenic River"--documents the ecological importance of the Horseshoe Bend area, the proposed site of the highway bridge crossing, and explains how the highway's pollution and resulting sprawl "will greatly diminish, if not destroy, this significant geological and biological location along the river."

"Due to its habitat complex of river, beach, forest and fields, the Horseshoe Bend area today supports the largest diversity of animals that has been recorded along the entire length of the Little Miami," said Xavier Professor Stanley Hedeen. "The river is a real treasure for Ohio and the nation, and is too valuable an asset to compromise for sprawl-inducing freeway expansion." "The effects of construction, operation and development associated with the highway will degrade the water quality and wildlife habitat of the Little Miami," added U.C. Professor Michael Miller.

For copies of the report, call 513-861-4001 or email glen.brand@sierraclub.org.

PUBLIC AND GOOD SCIENCE SAY NO TO YET ANOTHER SPRAWL HIGHWAY

Concerned citizens and public agencies have been strongly opposed to the highway project. During the official public comment period for the proposal to spend $4.4 million of Ohio Department of Transportation funds on preliminary studies for the highway, 98% of the letters, postcards, emails, and faxes received by ODOT told the state agency not to waste taxpayer dollars to build the highway. Nevertheless, ODOT approved the funds.

As detailed in the report, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the state agency responsible for protecting the river, had long taken a strong position opposing new highway bridges across the Little Miami. In a 1996 memo, Stuart Lewis, then assistant chief of ODNR's division of natural areas and preserves, wrote: "It has been a long standing position of our Division to oppose new bridge crossings." In 1997, ODNR director Donald Anderson wrote: "new bridge crossings isolate riparian corridors, disrupt buffer zones and diminish those natural qualities for which the river was originally designated." The Little Miami Scenic River Advisory Council in 2000 passed a resolution to "strongly oppose the proposed new bridge crossing."

Sadly, the good science reflected in the above positions was abandoned due to political pressure. ODNR's Scenic River representative Bob Gable conveyed his agency's opposition throughout the public process, but in a memo dated September 2000 he capitulated: "In face of this overwhelming support [among political subdivisions in Eastern Hamilton and Western Clermont] and at our recommendation the Director thought it would be more realistic to approve the new structure with substantial mitigation."

In addition to the Sierra Club, other local groups opposed to the controversial highway include Little Miami Inc, a 33 year-old non-profit organization devoted to preserving the river, Rivers Unlimited, and the Little Miami Scenic River Advisory Council.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

The future of the Little Miami National and Wild Scenic River is at a crossroads. It's up to Gov. Bob Taft to either take steps to protect and preserve the river for generations to come, or he can allow shortsighted interests to ruin an important part of our natural heritage.

The new sprawl highway over the Little Miami can only be built if Gov. Taft allows his state agencies to proceed. Please write to the Governor and tell him to protect the Little Miami by supporting transportation alternatives already contained in the Eastern Corridor study (and supported by Metro) such as light rail and expanded bus service.

Tell the Governor to direct Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and Ohio EPA to deny all funding and permits for the proposed highway.

Contact Gov. Bob Taft, 77 High St., Columbus, OH 43266. (PH: 614-466-3555; FAX: 614-466-9354).

Sample Letter:

Dear Governor Taft,

I oppose the plan to build a new highway across the Little Miami River, one of only three National Wild and Scenic Rivers in Ohio. A new highway would increase sprawl, worsen air, water and noise pollution, and forever diminish the experience of Ohio families who enjoy this rare natural treasure.

Fortunately, there are alternatives to a new highway bridge over the River, including rail on existing lines and expanded bus transit. These smart growth alternatives will lessen congestion, cost less in the long run, and protect the river.

Please tell the Ohio Department of Transportation to reject the any funding requests for a new highway over the Little Miami, and instead to use taxpayer funds to build more transportation choices. In addition, please direct the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to oppose the highway and the OEPA to deny any water pollution permits.

Sincerely,
Your Name

FOR MORE INFORMATION