CINCINNATI - QUEENSGATE AREA
Sep. 8 2008
The primary purpose of this Peace Bike outing was to retrace West 6th Street where it was replaced by the US 50 freeway. I had some success at this, but this event also saw a disproportionate amount of modern-day ruins in the neighborhoods of Queensgate and Lower Price Hill (which are among my perennial favorite Roads Scholaring locales).
Some sine rot for ya! This is in Covington, KY, bopping onto the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. The Clay Wade Bailey of course carries US 25/42/127, and it opened in 1974. The rusty framework to the immediate left of the Clay Wade Bailey is actually the C&O Bridge, a much older rail span. The Clay Wade Bailey replaced the now-defunct road portion of the C&O, which closed in the 1960s because of deterioration.
Some great anti-Bush stickers popped on the framework of the Clay Wade Bailey. Sort of debunks the notion that Kentucky supports Bush, doesn't it?
A narrated video of the Clay Wade Bailey! The bridge feels very shaky to walk or bike across. After we enter Cincinnati, we make a right turn onto the 2nd Street viaduct that was built around 2000.
This is West 6th that I came here to ogle (beep)! This stretch of 6th no longer connects to the downtown portion. We're looking west on this forgotten stretch that was supplanted by the US 50 freeway in the 1960s. This is betwixt Gest Street and Linn Street.
This ruined building on that stretch of 6th would be the old Hudepohl brewery. We took a field trip to this brewery in grade school. (In case you're asking, we didn't get beer samples.)
Another destroyed building on 6th. I can't tell for certain if this was part of the old Hudy brewery.
West of Linn, 6th really trails off. But this would've been where 6th was.
This is pretty much as far as you can go on that stretch of 6th.
Checking up on the Baymiller Street ruins! This is looking north from Mehring Way. The Hudepohl smokestack is clearly seen in the background on the left.
On Mehring Way approaching Freeman Avenue and the lopsided rail bridge, a hubcap graces this parking sign.
Sines sines sines! This is a nice, signy photo, looking east on Mehring from Freeman. The faded sign for the stadium and coliseum is an interesting relic from the Riverfront Stadium era.
At the bottom of Freeman, this is an old Mehring Way sign that may date from the 1970s. The sign for a business to the left of that is on a column for the rail viaduct that runs over Mehring for blocks.
Another long-lost stretch of West 6th. This is west on 6th at Carr Street. The freeway that ended this street's prominence is on the right.
West off the secret bridge that runs over Mill Creek under the Waldvogel Viaduct. This approach is also often labeled as 6th. In fact, River Road, which is straight ahead, was once 6th. The barrier here that had just been erected in early 2008 was already gone.
On Burns Street, looking north at the reconstruction of the 8th Street Viaduct. The large warehouse-style building appears to be in the middle of being rehabbed.
Stop Ohio Law Enforcement for Bush? A little too late to stop them, unfortunately. This is north on Depot Street at 8th. Not Despot Street (despite the mention of Bush), but Depot. At the bottom of the stop sign, within the white border, it says, "CIN 91." I assume this stands for Cincinnati, followed by the year the sign was made (in this case, 1991).
On 8th, looking east onto what remained of the 8th Street Viaduct while it was being rebuilt.
Gest Street was signed as a detour for the 8th Street Viaduct. (The detour signs even included a bike symbol.) This is east on Gest between Depot Street and Summer Street - at a rail crossing. (The crossbuck sign is on the right-hand edge of the photo.)
Near the restrooms at Sawyer Point (on the east side of downtown), there's this plaque. Try taking the trail to either Delaware or California, and it doesn't seem to run for more than a few blocks in either direction from here. A website says the trail does go all the way to both coasts, but this is the only place I know of in Cincinnati where it's marked.