The city of Cincinnati never finished building its subway in the 1920s, a decision that has long been second-guessed. The subway tunnel not only sits empty but costs city taxpayers money to maintain.
Now, the city is asking for ideas about what to do with the tunnel.
“The city is seeking conceptual proposals to identify potential firms and gather ideas for utilizing the tunnel for a commercial or other purpose,” a city document says.
City records show on Sept. 26 the city issued an RFI − a request for information − under the title “subway tunnel repurposing.” The idea period closes Oct. 17. RFIs are simply information-gathering tools. But they can be a first step in a project.
City manager: Tunnel ‘unique, underutilized’
The city owns a buried concrete tunnel approximately two miles long. It sits below Central Parkway in Downtown, starting near Walnut Street and ending just north of the Western Hills Viaduct-McMillan Street intersection.
“We don’t have anything specific in mind in terms of plans for the tunnel, which is exactly the problem,” Long said. “We want to cast a wide net and see if there is any opportunity to develop this unique, underutilized, asset.”
Long added the city is aware “there are significant challenges in terms of ventilation and infrastructure.”
“But first we’re looking for help in generating creative, fresh ideas on what could be done with the space, if anything,” Long said. “The answer may be nothing, but it’s a question worth asking.”
About the Cincinnati subway
The project was abandoned in 1929 with only 2.2 miles of twin tracks installed. If you look closely, boarded-up tunnel openings are still visible from Interstate 75, near the Harrison Avenue exit.
The tunnel contains water lines and communication cables.
Cincinnati City Councilman Mark Jeffreys is excited to see what could be next for the subway tunnel. Once upon a time, there were public tours of the subway. But today that’s deemed too dangerous.
Jeffreys was able to tour the tunnel a few months ago. The water line is going to need to be replaced in coming years, prompting the conversation, Jeffreys said.
“You can’t do a lot now, but the water main is going to need to be replaced so it will be removed,” Jeffreys said. “The time is right now to start thinking about what will happen with this space.”
Thinking ‘broadly and creatively’
Jeffreys said the idea is to “cast a wide net” for possible ideas.
“Then we can figure out what makes the most sense financially and what is the best use,” Jeffreys said.
He described the tunnel as “super cool,” looking just like a New York subway tunnel.
“It’s very much intact,” Jeffreys said. “This is an asset. We need to figure out a future for it. And we need to think broadly and creatively.”
Councilman Seth Walsh added: “This is exactly the type of innovative thinking we need to do as a city. The opportunity to transform our long-forgotten subway tunnels into a point of economic vitality is incredibly exciting. I can’t wait to see the responses we get.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: City of Cincinnati seeking ideas to repurpose empty subway tunnel
