1. Plan an alternate driving route
A stretch of High Street — from 2nd Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard — is closed today and Friday. There will also be intermittent closures of the High Street and MLK Jr. Boulevard intersection.
The road closures are planned from 5 a.m. today to 9 p.m. Friday.
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The highly-traveled area usually sees about 60,000 vehicles daily, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Anyone travelling through downtown should pre-plan an alternate route, Hamilton police said.
“With the High/MLK intersection being intermittently shut down to traffic, this will most definitely cause an undetermined delay in the alternate flow of traffic as well as people travelling at a slower than normal pace as they attempt to squeeze in a brief movie star sighting,” Sgt. Brian Robinson said.
2. High Street businesses, sidewalks remain open
Some business owners in downtown said filming is a good thing, even though traffic can get snarled.
“We anticipate this movie shoot will bring in quite a few people affiliated with the movie along with many spectators. They will all see what the downtown Hamilton landscape has to offer and what’s on the way,” said Jim Goodman, co-owner of Municipal Brew Works.
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The good news is that businesses and restaurants along High Street will still be welcoming customers during filming because sidewalks will remain open, according to the city. That means you can grab a bite to eat for lunch or dinner while watching for celebrities.
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David Riggs, director of the Butler County Small Business Development Center, said filming downtown is “great for city exposure. Bad for business” because of the road closings.
3. Police, fire crews, schools have plans in place
Police will be able to move barricades to allow emergency vehicles to pass if needed, officials said.
The Butler County Sheriff’s Office said it has contingency plans in place for moving prisoners from the jail on Hanover Street to the Government Services building for court appearances.
“But by all accounts, it is going to problematic,” Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer said.
PHOTO GALLERY: Movies filmed in Butler County
Hamilton Schools has alerted parents to possible busing delays, according to Joni Copas, the district’s director of communications.
“We sent phone, email, text and Facebook messages to our parents to ask them for their patience as our buses navigate around the road closures,” Copas said.
Fire Chief Steve Dawson also said his department has contingency plans in place to navigate the road closures.
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