Cincinnati is asking Hyde Park and Oakley residents what they want from a safety overhaul of Erie Avenue, and the deadline to respond is August 14.
The city's Department of Transportation and Engineering opened a community survey on July 13, for the Erie Avenue and Murray Road Safety Improvements Project. The redesign covers Erie Avenue from Saybrook Avenue to Murray Road and Murray Road near its intersection with LaCrosse Avenue. An in-person open house is planned for fall 2026.
The project will redesign key intersections, add protected bike lanes, fill a gap in the sidewalk network on Murray Road, and improve connections to the existing trail system, according to Hyde Park Neighborhood Council meeting packets from June and July 2026. It is funded through Ohio Public Works Commission and Metro Transportation Improvement Fund grants.
A fatal crash accelerated the timeline
The HPNC Traffic and Safety Committee cited a fatal crash at Erie Avenue and Pinehurst Avenue on May 1 as the catalyst for renewed outreach to DOTE, according to the council's June 2026 meeting packet. Two additional crashes near the same intersection followed.
HPNC trustee Anthony Isaacs said at the council's June 2026 meeting that Erie Avenue from Murray to Saybrook is targeted for a 2027 redesign to add protected bike lanes and redo the street surface. DOTE is targeting the 2030 street rehab cycle for major improvements to Erie in East Hyde Park, working to align budgets across multiple city divisions.
The HPNC Traffic and Safety Committee also submitted two additional Erie Avenue segments for DOTE's 2027 traffic calming program: Erie from Ault Park Avenue to Herschel Avenue, and Erie from Clark Montessori High School to Paxton Avenue. DOTE will evaluate those submissions and publish a list of segments that will receive funding from the city's $1.02 million traffic calming budget for 2027.
State road safety money goes to Colerain
Separately, Gov. Mike DeWine announced $72 million in statewide road safety funding on July 22, through ODOT's Highway Safety Improvement Program. The program funds 33 projects in 23 counties, targeting locations with a history of fatal or serious-injury crashes where previous fixes haven't worked.
Nearly $6.9 million will go to three Cincinnati-region projects: $3.26 million for a roundabout in Lebanon, $2.38 million to widen Bethany Road in Butler County, and $1.26 million for sidewalk and pedestrian crossing improvements along Springdale Road in Colerain Township. All three are scheduled for 2030 construction.
"Every life lost on our roadways is one too many," DeWine said in announcing the awards. "These projects target the types of crashes that are most likely to result in death or serious injury."
No east-side project was included in this round. It is unclear whether any east-side location was submitted for consideration. Hyde Park's Erie Avenue work draws from entirely separate funding streams.
Residents can take the Erie Avenue survey at the Cincinnati DOTE project page. The next HPNC meeting is scheduled for August 11 at Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church, Little Theater.
