One of the busiest stretches of interstate in Greater Cincinnati is headed for a major rework, and the Ohio Department of Transportation wants to hear from the public before it locks in the design. ODOT is asking for feedback on its plan to unify Interstate 75, including two new options for the Galbraith Road interchange, FOX19 reported Thursday.
The public comment period runs until Nov. 3.
What ODOT wants to do
ODOT is moving ahead with a plan to shift I-75's northbound lanes next to the southbound lanes from Route 126 to just south of Shepherd Lane, FOX19 reports. Right now the two directions run apart through that area. Pulling them together would let the state add a lane in each direction to ease congestion and improve safety.
Kathleen Fuller with ODOT told the station the idea came out of work with the agency's consultants. "Maybe we should look at unifying the interstate and getting rid of the split, and let's see if that might work better," she said. "And so once we did that, we have to go back to the public and take a look at it again."
Fuller said the decision was based on cost effectiveness, cutting traffic, especially northbound, and making it easier to carry out improvements.
Galbraith Road is the focus
Unifying the interstate changes how the Galbraith Road interchange has to work, so ODOT has drawn up two alternatives and posted renderings of both.
"Galbraith is one of those — we have a significant amount of traffic there, we have a lot of people who are using that connection," Fuller said.
FOX19 reports members of the public are already leaving comments on the options. Fuller said those comments help "shape and define our project," and that the agency tries to answer questions and respond to concerns.
"We want to make sure that everyone understands what the impacts are, what the decisions are, but how we arrived at those decisions," she said.
Second round of options
This isn't the first time the public has seen Galbraith Road plans. According to ODOT's virtual open house for the project, the agency presented four Galbraith Road alternatives and two Wayne Avenue alternatives in 2025 and received several hundred comments. Responses ranged from full support for anything that improves mobility to general opposition to unifying the interstate.
Based on that feedback, the project team developed two new Galbraith options, labeled Alternative 3A and Alternative 3B, which are the only ones open for comment now. For Wayne Avenue, ODOT has already picked a preferred alternative: a new single-lane roundabout at Millsdale Street and Wayne Avenue.
The open house says the project will also include multiple safety and access improvements at State Route 126 and on surrounding local roads. Comments received by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, will be included in the environmental record. The project is being handled by ODOT District 8.
What's not settled
FOX19's report did not include a cost estimate, a construction start date or a schedule for when ODOT will pick a Galbraith Road option. Those details typically firm up after public input is reviewed and design moves forward. Contractors should watch ODOT's project page and the state's bid lettings for the I-75 work.
How to weigh in
ODOT has posted the renderings for the two Galbraith Road alternatives and is collecting comments through Nov. 3. Business owners and contractors who use the Galbraith exit to get to job sites, suppliers or yards in the area have a stake in how the interchange is laid out, including how traffic will be handled during construction.
Why it matters for contractors
Realigning a section of interstate, adding a lane in each direction and rebuilding an interchange is heavy civil work on a large scale. A project like this typically involves earthwork, drainage, paving, bridges and retaining walls, signing, lighting and traffic control, and it often comes in multiple contracts over several years. Road builders, bridge contractors, concrete and asphalt suppliers, and traffic control firms in Southwest Ohio should have this one on their list.
It also matters for every contractor who simply drives I-75. Lane shifts, ramp closures and detours around Galbraith Road will affect how crews and deliveries move through the north side of Cincinnati once work begins. Weighing in now, while ODOT is still choosing between options, is the best chance to shape how the interchange works when it's done.
The comment window closes Nov. 3, so the time to look at the renderings and send feedback is now.