City: Construction along Robinson encountered setbacks, should be complete soon

If you live on the Westside, you’ve seen your fair share of construction.

Robinson Avenue, near the Cincinnati Entertainment District, remains a headache for residents. Robinson is currently closed from Kingery Drive to Rim Road.

When construction began in 2016, ABC-7 was told it would be completed in the Summer of 2017.

Why has the project’s completion date been pushed back repeatedly?

“It’s frustrating,” said Jim Silva, an area resident. “It eased up a little now that they moved up farther up the road, but for a year when they had a blockade on Robinson, all the cars would have to turn around and go back.”

Silva told ABC-7 cars making u-turns were common in his neighborhood so he installed bricks to stop them from driving over his yard.

The City told ABC-7 phases one through three are complete. The final phase, from Kingerly to Rim Road, has 90 percent of underground utilities done. Crews are now building the remainder of the roadway, including hike and bike trails.

That is still a concern for area residents like Silva. “It’s very rocky and it’s ruining our tires. The bottom of our cars,” said Silva, “It’s good to beautify our city, but at least do it in a reasonable time.”

City spokeswoman Tammy Fonce told ABC-7 the project encountered a number of unanticipated delays related to several utility conflicts. Fonce said the City has worked closely with the contractor to address the delays and feels the project will be completed and opened shortly after the new year.