Metro briefs Mt. Healthy council on Bus Rapid Transit plan, projects service by 2028

Metro officials gave the Mt. Healthy City Council a detailed update on a planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor that would extend from downtown Cincinnati to Mount Healthy and begin passenger service in 2028.

The presentation by Sharon Lacombe, senior director for bus rapid transit at Metro, said the two corridors being advanced in staged sequence are the Redding Corridor (first) and the Hamilton alignment; final design work is scheduled through 2026, construction in 2027 and operations beginning in 2028. "The service will be every 10 minutes from 6AM until 11PM," Lacombe said, and Metro projects peak trip times will fall by at least 25% (for example, a trip that currently takes more than an hour in the afternoon peak could fall to about 45 minutes).

Why it matters: Metro said the project aims to increase capacity without adding drivers or vehicles for every existing route, promote transit-oriented redevelopment by building permanent stations, and improve accessibility. Because federal funds are being sought, Metro must meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and the PROWAG guidelines; stations will include ADA ramps and audible/visual aids for hearing- and visually-impaired riders.

Project details provided to the council included: two corridors advanced roughly six months apart, station renderings in several sizes (example canopy lengths of 25, 50 and 75 feet), and mixed-traffic operation through Mount Healthy (no dedicated center guideway in the city). Lacombe said station locations are designed to minimize property impacts: "In most places there will be no residential acquisitions. There will be no business displacements or acquisitions either," she said, though some corner work and sidewalk widening may be required in limited spots.

Metro described signal-priority technology that gives buses a call to request extra green time at intersections. Lacombe said Metro is evaluating two vendor approaches: one that modifies signal controller boxes and a newer cloud-based system that can provide priority without physically altering existing boxes. She added that those systems are designed to check pedestrian phases and preempt for emergency vehicles before granting transit priority.

On local service, Metro told the council underlying local routes that run alongside the BRT (for example, existing routes such as the 17) will remain but may see reduced frequency; the agency may also implement forced transfers or truncations depending on the final operating plan and rider surveys. Parking impacts at stations will be limited in most locations; Lacombe noted the planned Mount Healthy end-of-line park-and-ride at Hilltop Plaza and said station boarding areas would require space roughly equivalent to three to four car lengths (about one bus berth on each side) and could remove up to eight on-street parking spaces in limited locations.

Fare policy: Metro said BRT will use a flat fare consistent with existing fixed-route service (current single-ride fare cited at $2.20) and showed a fare-capping model that limits daily and monthly spending for frequent riders. "It's $2.20. Once you've met your cap, you can ride the rest of the day for free," Lacombe explained.

Timeline and next steps: Lacombe said Metro is proceeding through public engagement and federally required environmental and traffic analyses as part of a competitive grant process. She invited the council and city staff to continue coordination on streetscape work, station design and traffic compatibility, and offered Metro staff contact points for follow-up.

The presentation concluded with a public question-and-answer period in which council members and residents asked about route continuity, library parking becoming a park-and-ride, signal compatibility, and the extent of local service reductions. Metro staff offered to meet with the city’s technical staff to review signal equipment and operating plans.

The council did not take any formal action on the BRT presentation; Metro said it will continue design work and public outreach.