“They are common to every possible alignment of North Hamilton Crossing, therefore they are able to be pulled out as a separate project,” said Hamilton Assistant Director of Engineering Allen Messer.
Last May, Messer said this dual roundabout approach would be the “cleanest” and “most effective” solution as a single roundabout that would incorporate both intersections would be fiscally unfeasible. This would have a roundabout at NW Washington and West Elkton Road and another at North B Street and West Elkton, with a roadway segment connecting the two.
The North Hamilton Crossing project could take several years, if not more than a decade, to complete as it potentially would cost more than $100 million. This dual roundabout portion of the project would cost nearly $8.4 million between grant and city funds.
Hamilton City Council member Tim Naab said residents have asked him about the roundabouts.
“People are aware of the project, and they’d be ready for it tomorrow,” he said. “Nicely enough, there is acceptance and people look at it as a further way to reduce congestion and are embracing the roundabout concept. That’s good for us.”
North Hamilton Crossing has been identified as a needed roadway and bridge project in the county, and it’s included in the Butler County Thoroughfare Plan. The entirety of the North Hamilton Crossing project has been narrowed to a few route options, including two possible crossings of the Great Miami River. One of those crossing possibilities would connect to the barbell intersection. Final route decisions could come as early as later this year.
The road project is designed to be a boulevard-style connection from west of the Great Miami River and U.S. 127 in Hamilton to Ohio 129 and Bypass Ohio 4, which would help reduce congestion and improve mobility. Additionally, the project would aid in current and planned economic development in Hamilton and western Butler County.
North Hamilton Crossing is also included in Ohio Kentucky Indiana (OKI) Regional Council of Governments’ 2050 Long Range Plan, and it has been discussed and planned in coordination with the Ohio Department of Transportation, OKI, Butler County, Butler County Engineer’s Office, Fairfield Twp., and other stakeholders and community members.
The city received $5.9 million for an OKI Surface Transportation Block Grant for the dual roundabouts. The grant is 79% of the project cost for right-of-way acquisition and construction. The city offered a 21% match to increase its score on the grant application. Hamilton would pay just more than $2 million for its local match (which also includes design work costs), and there is $432,204 in other grant funds for the project.
The design and environmental work for the dual roundabouts is underway, having been started this past December, and that phase is projected to be completed in April 2026. The right-of-way acquisition should begin in March 2025 and take about a year. Construction would start on the dual roundabouts in September 2026 and be wrapped up by July 2027.
The NW Washington Boulevard/West Elkton Road intersection sees about 11,000 cars a day, and the West Elkton Road/North B Street intersection traffic count is closer to 15,000 cars a day. But with the growth of that area and the increasing use of the Spooky Nook complex, it’s believed those number will increase.
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