Cincinnati-Dayton: the Midwest's Dallas-Fort Worth?

Will expansion bring growth - or gridlock? (Enquirer article)

This 17-mile stretch of highway is where Cincinnati and Dayton will finally come together.

Farmlands along Interstate 75 are being replaced by an explosion of shopping plazas, hospitals, homes, schools, offices and distribution centers.

Planners have long predicted that someday the outskirts of Cincinnati and Dayton would merge, much like Dallas-Fort Worth. That "someday" appears close.

Experts predict the resulting megalopolis of about 3 million people would count as the nation's 15th-largest market.
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While politicians and business leaders envision growth in mostly positive terms, environmentalists see more sprawl and gridlock.

"All that ever happens is the road will become congested again and they will have to widen it," says Enid Nagel, chairperson for the Sierra Club's Ohio chapter. "It's a never-ending cycle, and it's bad for the environment."

The big question to add: What about the city centers of Cincinnati and Dayton themselves?