People Over Pavement

A Better Future is Possible for Greater Cincinnati

Mill Creek & Willow Run Boulevards: A Better Solution

State transportation departments in Ohio and Kentucky plan to spend $3.6 billion to double the number of lanes across the Ohio River and widen I-75 up to 16 lanes from Camp Washington through Covington to Fort Mitchell. This 8-year construction project would bulldoze 29 homes and businesses, destroy 90 acres of forest, remove pedestrian access at 5th Street in Covington—despite promising a multi-use path—and destroy over 1,500 feet of streams and 4 acres of wetlands. The project includes a 6+ year causeway in the Ohio River, threatening water quality with increased pollution and habitat disruption. The expansion will ultimately worsen traffic congestion while reducing accessibility, increasing pollution and health risks, destroying greenspace, adding noise, and repeating historic harms to our communities.

Instead, we can transform this highway into urban boulevards that give land back to our neighborhoods. This alternative would restore the historic Willow Run waterway, expand greenspace and tree cover, reconnect our neighborhoods, create space for affordable housing, grocery stores, and local businesses, improve air quality, and provide accessible, sustainable transportation throughout the corridor.

This is our chance to put People Over Pavement and build a better future. The decisions we make today will impact our communities for generations.

• Reconnecting Our Neighborhoods

  Before I-75 was built, city streets connected vibrant communities in Cincinnati and Covington. The highway displaced thousands in the 1960s, primarily low-income and Black residents, and continues to divide neighborhoods today. From Camp Washington to West End to Queensgate to Covington, our boulevard vision would restore the street grid and community connections.

• Addressing the Health Harms of the Highway

  I-75 contributes to severe health disparities in neighboring communities in Cincinnati and Covington. Our boulevard vision would create quieter neighborhoods, cleaner air, and healthier communities through reduced traffic, increased green space, and safer streets.

• Tackling Transportation Carbon Emissions

  Transportation remains the leading source of carbon emissions in Greater Cincinnati, and expanding I-75 would only increase vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Converting the corridor to boulevards would reduce emissions through more sustainable transportation options, helping Ohio and Kentucky meet their climate goals while creating healthier communities.

• Embracing Economic Opportunity

  The I-75 corridor currently generates no tax revenue while costing millions in maintenance and decreasing nearby property values. Transforming this space into Mill Creek and Willow Run Boulevards would create substantial opportunities for affordable housing, local businesses, and community-driven development while expanding the tax base for both Cincinnati and Covington.

• Traffic Isn't the Problem You Think It Is

  Traffic data shows that most trips along the Brent Spence Corridor are local, not the long-distance travel highways were built for. A boulevard design with improved transit options, better walkability, and reconnected street grids would effectively handle local traffic while reducing congestion by giving people real alternatives to driving.

The Brent Spence Corridor Project must benefit those neighboring the highway.

The "Brent Spence Corridor," an 8-mile stretch of Interstate running through our neighborhoods.

Reroute of non-local traffic and transit boulevard