When council voted to apply for the grant that could pay 90% of the estimated $70,000 to install additional safety measures on Ohio 63, Hagedorn was the lone “no” vote. The measure passed 5-1 with council member John Centers excused from last week’s meeting.
Instead of waiting months to hear if the city received the ODOT grant to perform a pre-engineering study that would include 30% of the design, Hagedorn wants the city to take immediate steps in hopes of reducing the number of crashes on Ohio 63.
“We need to fix the situation now,” he said.
Earlier in the meeting, Paul Goodhue, consultant city engineer, said the city plans a $43,000 traffic study to make sure there are no “red flags” regarding right-of-way and utility concerns at Ohio 63 and Main Street.
He recommended the city pay for a study that would investigate potential hurdles involved in a partial continuous flow intersection (CFI).
Estimated at $22 million with a construction date 10 years away, the project is a similar configuration to Austin Boulevard at Springboro Pike in Miami Twp., city officials have said.
Vice Mayor Christina “Kristie” McElfresh has said with Monroe’s growing population — from 7,133 in 2000 to 15,412 in 2020, according to the latest census — the city needs to find a solution because traffic issues will only multiply.
The city shouldn’t put on a price tag on public safety, she said. She wants the city to “do something so we can show some action,” she said.
She also suggested placing more police officers at the Ohio 63 intersections in hopes of reducing speeds and driver distractions.
One study showed that between 2021 and 2023, there were 57 accidents at Ohio 63 and Main Street, 29 at Britton Lane, 19 at Lawton Avenue and three at East Avenue, Goodhue said.
Late last year, city council approved spending nearly $60,000 on an Ohio 63 traffic study due to the high number of accidents. The contract between the city and Burgess & Niple, Inc. called for the study along Ohio 63 from Britton Lane to Lawton Avenue.
While it’s unclear whether the city will receive an ODOT grant, the city will refresh pavement markings, and add backplates to signal heads and supplemental heads on Ohio 63 approaches this year, according to Public Works Director Gary Morton.
He said $100,000 has been earmarked in the 2025 street improvement budget for safety measures.
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