CINCINNATI – Crews are putting the finishing touches on the newly rerouted stretch of Erkenbrecher Avenue in Avondale. It opens to the public this Monday, June 11.

Approximately 1,400 feet of Erkenbrecher has been reconstructed and rerouted to make room for a future eight-story Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center building.

The reconstructed portion of Erkenbrecher begins near the former intersection of Wilson Avenue and curves northward to Burnet Avenue, connecting on the north end along a portion of what had been Hearne Avenue.

Wilson and Hearne are no longer through streets. They dead end into each other adjacent to the new curved section of Erkenbrecher and remain accessible via Northern and Dury avenues.

Children’s Hospital is paying for the reconstruction and associated infrastructure improvements.

As part of the infrastructure improvements, the hospital is installing additional underground utilities and building a new access road to its emergency department, which is located off Erkenbrecher. The hospital will temporarily maintain access to its emergency department via the old stretch of Erkenbrecher while the new access road is under construction this summer.

Only local traffic traveling to the emergency department and Ronald McDonald House will be allowed to use the old part of Erkenbrecher via Burnet Avenue. No through traffic will be permitted.   

Please see the map below, which shows the location of the rerouted Erkenbrecher and temporary access route to the emergency department and Ronald McDonald House.

Signage will be posted to help direct motorists.

Police officers also will be on site in key locations daily the first week the new traffic pattern goes into place.

Visit https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/about/critical-care-building to learn more about the project. Excavation on the site of the future critical care building started May 15. Construction is expected to be complete in 2021.