PROJECT STATUS

• Gest Street storm sewer tunnel and dynamic underflow control (DUC) work:
  • Construction started in June 2026 and is expected to be completed by spring 2029, pending weather and field conditions. WATCH THE DRONE VIDEO! (as of August 2026)
  • The construction contractor is Ward & Burke Tunneling Inc.
  • The contractor is currently installing a launch shaft at the Gest Street/Freeman Avenue interchange.
• Queensgate Sewer Separation:
  • Construction is expected to start in mid-September 2026 and be completed by spring 2028, pending weather and field conditions.
  • The construction contractor is Sunesis Construction.

 

PROJECT BENEFITS

• Conveys stormwater runoff from I-75 and a portion of Queensgate to the Ohio River and the Mill Creek
• Anticipated to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) into the Ohio River and the Mill Creek by about 120 million gallons a year:
  • Eliminates overflows from CSO outfalls 432 and 489
  • Reduces overflows from CSO outfalls 430, 431, and 666.

 

PROJECT OVERVIEW MAP

VIEW THE PROJECT OVERVIEW

 

 

PROJECT CONSTRUCTION

 

 

OVERVIEW

In partnership with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), MSD is constructing new storm water infrastructure in the Queensgate neighborhood to offload stormwater runoff from I-75 to the Ohio River and the Mill Creek.

 

This project leverages upcoming reconstruction of I-75 from the Western Hills Viaduct to the Ohio River as part of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project. All construction costs will be reimbursed by ODOT.

 

The project includes:

 

Gest Street storm sewer tunnel and dynamic underflow control (DUC) work:

 

• ~ 2,200 feet of new 9-foot-diameter storm sewer to convey stormwater runoff from I-75 at the Gest Street/Freeman Avenue interchange along Gest Street to the lower portion of MSD's existing McLean Avenue sewer. The lower portion of the McLean sewer, which discharges into the Ohio River and the Mill Creek, will be converted to storm sewer only. The new storm sewer will be constructed via tunneling. To accommodate the tunneling machinery, a large launch shaft will be installed at the Gest Street/Freeman Avenue interchange and a large receiving shaft will be installed on Norfolk Southern property.
• Construction of a "smart sewer" feature, known as a dynamic underflow control (DUC), at CSO 431 to convey/control wastewater flow from the upper portion of the McLean sewer. During dry weather, flows will be conveyed to the East Branch Ohio River Interceptor (EBORI), which takes flows to the Mill Creek treatment plant. During wet weather, gates on the DUC will close or partially close, and flows can either be conveyed to the EBORI or stored in the upper portion of the McLean sewer betweeen CSOs 431 and 666. The weir on CSO 666 outfall pipe will be raised to accommodate the inline storage. Note: The upper and lower portions of the McLean sewer will be hydraulically isolated by a bulkhead.

Queensgate Sewer Separation:

 

• ~ 4,625 feet of new storm sewers along West 9th Street, West 8th Street, West 7th Street, Budd Street, and McLean Avenue to convey street-level stormwater runoff to the lower portion of the McLean Avenue sewer. The new storm sewer will be constructed via open cut construction. This sewer separation work will eliminate overflows from CSOs 432 and 489.

 

VIEW THE CONSTRUCTION MAP