Hamilton County officials want to forge concrete and steel from their dreams of spanning the Ohio River west of Cincinnati.

Nearly a decade has passed since the failure of plans to build a bridge between Delhi Township and Boone County. Time enough to wind up and try it again.

"Even under the most optimistic scenario, it seems like it would take 10 or 15 years to get (a bridge built), so let's get started. Let's take the first step," said Hamilton County Commissioner John Dowlin. "I'm pushing them to do it like right now."

At Mr. Dowlin's request, the county engineer's office is drafting a letter asking that a bridge feasibility study be put on the long-term transportation plan of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI).

If officials from Kentucky and other jurisdictions agree, then OKI would push forward with a study of various bridge options. It would look at the cost and benefits of various placements around the villages of North Bend, Addyston and Cleves - as well as the option of building no bridge at all.

The latter would be the best solution for members of Concerned Citizens of Western Hamilton County (CCWHC), the Sierra Club and others who want to maintain the semi-rural character of the last undeveloped area in the county.

Bridge opponents gathered about 900 signatures on petitions in 1991, persuading Kentucky officials to deny funding for the final phase of a three-part study of a Delhi Township area span.

Now the focus has shifted farther west, along with projected population growth and development potential.

"Obviously, we would prefer that the matter not even be explored," said attorney Tim Mara, a leading member of CCWHC. "To suggest that (a bridge) has no impact on the quantity of growth in western Hamilton County would be ridiculous. . . . It will lead to more road construction and more sprawl."

Yet officials say that, for now, they are only seeking those answers. "We believe it's important to pursue the study," said Chief Deputy County Engineer Ted Hubbard. "The idea, to put it in a nutshell, is to find out if the bridge will deliver benefits for the amount of money that would be spent. And what location provides the most benefit with the least disruption?"

In 1991, planners estimated a bridge would cost $30 million to build - and they spent thousands of dollars to study it.

But they said that a western Hamilton County bridge would keep lots of cars from driving a lot of extra miles. And that would help clean up the Tristate's heavily polluted air.

Mr. Hubbard said he expects a similar environmental finding this time around.

But these days, environmentalists and urban planners tend to disagree. More recent national studies have shown that building new roads attracts new drivers and increases traffic overall.

"Trying to eliminate road congestion by building new roads and bridges is like trying to relieve obesity by buying new pants. In both cases, the real issue is not being addressed," said Glen Brand, Cincinnati's public education campaign coordinator for the national Sierra Club.

"It is a myth that is slowly crumbling. In the absence of strong and rational land use planning, a bridge would simply add to sprawl and congestion."

Kentucky officials say they would favor a new span if it alleviates traffic on the overcrowded Brent Spence Bridge, which has been identified as a trouble spot by OKI planners.

And they would like easier access to western Hamilton County's work force, since Boone County has thriving business and industrial development and very low - 2.1 percent - unemployment. "I would think that with the development of the area over time, the need (for workers) would grow," said Boone County Judge-Executive Gary Moore.

But, he said, the real need is on the part of Hamilton County. People there want easier access to the regional airport and a share of related development potential.

"There would be a lot of things that would be higher priority for Boone County in terms of funding," Mr. Moore said. "But we would be willing to talk."

Officials on both sides of the river said they think construction of another bridge is inevitable - it all comes down to money, time, location and political will.

"Some day, it makes sense to have a bridge from western Hamilton County to northern Boone County," Mr. Moore said. "I believe it's a matter of not if, but when."

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS
Discussions on a bridge linking Boone County with Ohio are not currently focusing on Delhi Township as the northern terminus. A headline in Saturday's Metro section implied otherwise.

Copyright 1999 The Cincinnati Enquirer