Butler County proposes major change for Ohio 129 interchange

Credit: DaytonDailyNews


WEST CHESTER TWP. ROAD PROJECTS

Scheduled road projects to be completed by the Butler County Engineer’s Office in West Chester Twp.:

2017

  • Tylersville Road from Interstate 75 to Cox Road — Phase 2 roadway improvement widening with construction of additional westbound lane. Estimated cost: $2.5 million.
  • Union Centre Boulevard at Beckett Road — Intersection improvement to add westbound right turn lane to northbound Beckett Road.
  • Cincinnati-Dayton Road — An additional northbound lane from Dimmick Road to West Chester Road. Estimated cost: $450,000.
  • Fields-Ertel Road — Road and other improvements between U.S. 42 and Reed Hartman Highway. Joint project among Butler County Engineer's Office, West Chester Twp. and the city of Sharonville.

2018

  • Beckett Road at Smith Road — Roundabout construction. Estimated cost: $1.01 milllion.
  • Hamilton-Mason Road at LeSourdsville Road — Roundabout construction. Estimated cost: $800,000.
  • Cincinnati-Dayton Road / West Chester Road to Station Road/LeSourdsville-West Chester Road — Phase 1 roadway improvements will widen Cincinnati-Dayton Road to four lanes with sidewalks, a bike path, replace Station Road bridge and realign Station Road at the intersection. Estimated cost: $4.42 million.
  • Cincinnati-Dayton Road /LeSourdsville-West Chester Road to Interstate 75 — Phase 2 road improvements will widen the road and add sidewalks. Estimated cost: $4.47 million.
  • I- 75/Tylersville Road interchange — Addition of lanes to off-ramps. Estimated cost: $3.5 million.

2020

  • Tylersville Road at Chantilly Drive — Add left turn lane on westbound Tylersville Road. Estimated cost: $354,000.

2021

  • Butler-Warren Road at Barret Road — Joint project with the city of Mason to construct a roundabout.

SOURCE: Butler County Engineer’s Office

Major changes could be in store for Interstate 75 interchanges in growing Liberty and West Chester townships.

West Chester Twp. trustees and the Butler County Engineer’s Office met this week to discuss upcoming projects that are underway or are being planned for the next several years to improve traffic flow.

The first phase of a proposed project would extend Ohio 129 to a multi-lane roundabout at Cox Road in West Chester Twp. The second phase of the project would extend Ohio 129 to a second roundabout and connect back to Liberty Way across from Voice of America MetroPark.

“We think with roundabouts, it will spread out traffic,” said Kar Singh, an engineering manager for the Butler County Engineer’s Office.

In addition, the plan would eliminate the current off-ramp from Ohio 129 west to Liberty Way as well as the current on-ramp to I-75 north from Liberty Way. It would add a new flyover ramp from Liberty Way to I-75 north.

The proposed $50 million project is just in the conceptual phase and has not been approved, nor has it been funded. The engineer’s office, however, anticipates some funding for the project in 2021.

The project is listed on the 2040 Transportation Plan recently updated by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Council of Regional Governments of recommended infrastructure projects in the region.

County Engineer Greg Wilkens said the proposed plan is a modification of the original project design for Ohio 129, which had been planned to end at Kings Island and Interstate 71.

The area has a high level of traffic thanks to recent developments and more in the works.

Christ Hospital is building an approximately 125,000-square-foot center at the interchange. The facility, which will include a freestanding emergency room and helicopter landing pad, will be located on about 17 acres off Cox Road.

And nearly 100 acres on the northeast corner of Liberty Way and Cox Road will be developed into a massive mixed use project anchored by TriHealth's new ambulatory care center.

Traffic in the area was also expected to more than double from 15,000 vehicles per day to 40,000 with last fall's opening of Liberty Center, according to the Butler County Engineer's Office.

Another major project planned along I-75 is the $7 million Union Centre Boulevard interchange project.

“We’re still shooting for 2018” to begin that project, Wilkens said.

Roughly 49,000 cars travel between Muhlhauser Road and Union Centre Boulevard daily, according to the county engineer’s office.

It could take $5 million to $6 million, adding a lane to interstate ramps and making other road improvements to fix the congestion problems on Union Centre, an official in the county engineer’s office previously told the Journal-News.

Once the project is completed, it will open up the entire northeast quadrant of the interchange for development.

The Butler County Engineer’s Office has commissioned a study to determine the scope and cost of the interchange project. It is still analyzing different interchange designs for Union Centre Boulevard, according to Wilkens.

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