5/31/2013
Contact: Allison Lantero
202-366-8224

Cincinnati, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) applauded today’s groundbreaking of the Uptown Transit District, a series of new bus stations and customer-friendly transit upgrades that will improve connections to jobs, medical appointments, schools, and entertainment venues in Cincinnati’s fast-growing business district. FTA and DOT provided $5.4 million toward the $6.9 million project. The remaining funds were provided by local government.

“The Obama Administration is committed to modernizing the transit services that many people depend on in cities like Cincinnati and throughout the United States,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “These investments will help attract a new generation of riders to public transit and contribute to Cincinnati’s economic revitalization.”

When completed in late 2013 or early 2014, the Uptown Transit District, operated by the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), will consist of four new bus stations in an area with one of the highest traffic volumes in Cincinnati. Developed in partnership with the University of Cincinnati, the Uptown Consortium, and the City of Cincinnati, the Uptown Transit District will serve as a major connection for nine SORTA Metro bus routes and several Uptown shuttles offered by the University of Cincinnati and area employers.

“The Uptown Transit District project will provide roughly 60,000 daily commuters with more transportation choices in one of the fastest growing business corridors in Cincinnati and the region,” said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff. “These improvements will also make it more convenient for parents without access to a car to take their children to a pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital or for college students to get to class.”

The four stations will be located at the University of Cincinnati on Jefferson; the medical center district near University Hospital and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital; and the Clifton Heights business district; and on Vine between McMillian and Calhoun. The route offers riders seamless connections to Uptown neighborhoods, medical campuses, the University of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Zoo, and area businesses in the expanding corridor. The new stations will also provide sheltered boarding areas, real-time bus tracking information, and rider information kiosks.