Jason Williams

jwilliams@enquirer.com

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Coming in 2015: Major transportation decisions that could impact how you get around Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky for decades; how your tax dollars are spent; and how the region attracts and retains jobs.

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, the Cincinnati streetcar, the Brent Spence Bridge and the Eastern Corridor all face big decisions. Here's a look at five major regional transportation decisions expected in 2015:

CVG: How much will Delta's power grip loosen?

In a year, CVG's decades-long contract with the airlines expires – and Delta Air Lines' control over decision-making and ticket prices at the airport should begin to loosen. High fares, however, still may be here for at least another five years.

Airport officials will negotiate with the airlines all this year in preparation for the current deal to expire on Dec. 31, 2015. A new contract is a major step toward CVG shifting to a multicarrier airport from a Delta hub. Under the current deal – signed in 1974 – Delta calls the shots on almost everything.

If CVG wants a new fire truck, Delta has to approve it. If Allegiant Air wants a new walkway tunnel from the gate to the plane, Delta has to approve it. The airport can't offer an incentive package to JetBlue Airways (or anyone else) because Delta has the final say on how extra money is spent.

Ideally, one airline would not hold that kind of power in a new deal, which is expected to be for five years through 2020. That could allow CVG to have some discretionary money for an incentive package, potentially opening the door for JetBlue to start flights to Boston or New York in 2016.

That would be welcome news for economic development leaders who have long been concerned about the impact of CVG's ticket prices on the region's ability to attract new jobs.

The new contract essentially will help equal the playing field for all airlines – reworking how the airport assesses landing fees, terminal rentals, concession and parking revenues. The airport lowered its landing fees at the beginning of this year and they'll remain the same in 2015 – a big reason discount carriers Frontier Airlines and Allegiant Air added several new flights in 2014.

The new deal is not tied directly to lowering ticket prices, CVG officials said, but it could help lower overhead costs for airlines and open the door for more low-cost competition.

"It may have a correlation to the amount of service an airline wants to offer here – and by extension it should then help lower fares," airport CEO Candace McGraw said.

The big step toward lowering fares is expected to come in 2020, when Delta's lease expires on Concourse B and the ticketing counter in the main terminal.

Streetcar: Who will run the daily operations and at what cost?

The political football that is the streetcar is being passed to the transit authority board in 2015.

By mid-year, the transit authority will decide whether the local transportation union or an outside contractor will run the day-to-day operations of the Downtown and Over-the-Rhine circulator.

That decision could be contentious – considering the political interests on the SORTA board and pressures from City Hall. Picking the local union could drive up the annual operating costs, estimated to be around $4 million. Union workers are eligible for the state pension program; third-party employees are not.

City Council's five pro-streetcar Democrats have called for the local union to get the contract. Meanwhile, anti-streetcar Mayor John Cranley wants to keep operating costs as low as possible.

The city appoints seven of the 13 SORTA board members, and they are now a mix of Cranley and pro-streetcar former Mayor Mark Mallory appointees.

Further, tea party member Jack Painter and COAST member Daniel St. Charles were appointed to the transit authority board in recent months. Anti-tax group COAST led efforts for years to try to kill the streetcar project.

Eastern Corridor: This time, it's really do or die for Ohio 32 relocation project

An independent mediator's report in 2014 reaffirmed that many East Side neighborhoods are adamantly opposed or indifferent toward the controversial proposal to relocate Ohio 32 through Newtown and Mariemont – a key component of the Eastern Corridor multimodal transportation project.

The report also revealed that residents, bureaucrats and politicians have "process fatigue" and are ready for a final decision on a project that's cost millions and been discussed for decades.

By March, they should have a decision. The state will make the final call on whether to move forward with planning the roadway relocation or completely kill the project.

Regardless, the Eastern Corridor isn't getting done anytime soon. It has a price tag of over $1 billion, and the state has several other priorities – including finding money to fix crumbling infrastructure such as the Brent Spence Bridge and Western Hills Viaduct.

Brent Spence Bridge: Will a public-private partnership be used to pay for it?

The project has arrived at a crossroads after more than a decade of planning and political wheel-spinning.

If Kentucky lawmakers don't pass legislation allowing for the new bridge to be built using a public-private partnership this year, the Brent Spence Bridge project almost certainly will go dormant. Project champion Gov. Steve Beshear will be term-limited out of office at the end of this year, and it's unlikely the next governor will be as passionate about getting the $2.6 billion bridge replacement and highway overhaul done.

Beshear is pressing on in his bridge-building partnership with Ohio Gov. John Kasich, both of whom say tolls are the only way to get the project done. Kentucky's governor is confident P3 legislation will get passed in 2015 after Northern Kentucky's opposition to tolls essentially cost the rest of the state the option to use private financing to fix crumbling highways, bridges, sewers and other public infrastructure.

Lawmakers across the state weren't happy when Beshear vetoed a P3 bill in 2014, a decision the governor made because of a no-tolls amendment Northern Kentucky state Rep. Arnold Simpson attached to it. Beshear says he'll veto a P3 bill again if it comes with a no-tolls clause.

This time, lawmakers across the state might reject any no-tolls efforts by Northern Kentucky legislators in order to pass a statewide P3 bill. It's a move that could provide political cover for Northern Kentucky lawmakers and lead to a finance plan to replace the aging bridge.

Oasis bike trail: A new Downtown connection coming soon?

This is another project that's been caught up in bureaucratic purgatory for more than a decade. By March, however, a major hurdle could be cleared for a new East Side bike and pedestrian path between Downtown and Lunken Airport.

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority is expected to decide whether to turn part of the old Oasis railway into the trail. The transit authority owns the right-of-way for the two parallel-running Oasis rail lines, and a subcommittee started work this month on trying to reach consensus among SORTA board members, politicians, residents and railroad companies.

The transit authority's approval is the biggest hurdle. One was cleared in October when Cincinnati City Council decided to focus solely on building the 4-mile Oasis bike trail, ending years of looking at – and spending taxpayer money on – multiple options for a path between Downtown and Lunken.

The federal government also would need to sign off on the plan, but that most likely would be a formality with U.S. Sen. Rob Portman supporting the project. Another challenge will be working out liability issues with the Genesee & Wyoming railroad company, which uses the south line a few times a day for slow-moving freight trains.

A group of East Side residents – including Portman's brother, Wym – say they'll raise the $4 million needed to convert the north tracks into a trail and the project could be done by early 2017. The Downtown-Lunken Airport link, they say, will help attract new residents and young professionals. It's also one of the final stretches of a bike and pedestrian trail network connecting Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland that needs to be finished.