The Routes

Transportation transformation is coming to Reading Road and Hamilton Avenue! Reading Road and Hamilton Avenue were selected as the first two BRT routes after extensive and careful study. These routes stood out as Metro’s best opportunity to successfully launch BRT and build a strong foundation for additional BRT routes in the future. Once these are successful, Metro will work toward adding more BRT service routes.

Combined Route

The Suspended Roof Station Design Concept

In October 2024, Metro introduced three design prototypes for a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) side platform, which provides level boarding for riders without the need for stairs, ramps or lifts. Side platforms are constructed on both sides of the street with a signalized crosswalk to ensure pedestrian safety from one side to the other. The public was invited to provide feedback on the concepts and rank their favorites via an online survey and a series of Metro BRT engagement team appearances at community events along both BRT routes. By the end of October, the community had helped the project team choose a concept for refinement: The Suspended Roof Concept, a design aesthetic inspired by the historic John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge. The BRT project team is now working to refine the Suspended Roof design with a goal of design completion in Winter 2025/2026. Check the Participate page for updates and more opportunities to make your voice heard.

The Study

As Metro prepared to bring BRT to the Greater Cincinnati region, the project team conducted a detailed study combined with deep community engagement to determine which two of the region's major transportation corridors would initially receive BRT service, with the understanding that more corridors could be added in the future to create a regional BRT network.

Four corridors were initially identified during the Reinventing Metro plan development process as possible alternatives for introducing BRT to our region: Glenway Avenue, Hamilton Avenue, Reading Road, and Montgomery Road. These corridors represent Metro's most popular transit routes, each of which carries more than one million riders a year.

In 2023, the Metro BRT study began. Through extensive public engagement and in-depth research, that study:

• Analyzed the four high-traffic corridors to determine their ability to successfully support BRT service & infrastructure.
• Identified two of those corridors to receive initial BRT service: Reading Road and Hamilton Avenue.
• Determined service needs & features most requested by people in the neighborhoods served by these corridors.