They settled for the trustees and Burks making a video, in part thanking all the businesses in the area that made the upgrade possible through contributions to the tax increment financing district. No general taxpayer dollars supported the project.
“Business development made it possible,” Trustee Ann Becker said. “Our corporate partners at Union Centre Boulevard helped pay for this beautiful DDI.”
The final paving coat went down last weekend and the road reopened Monday. There is still landscaping to be done.
Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens gave a brief history of how the new interchange came about and why the DDI was the superior design both financially and safety-wise. The price for the free flowing traffic design was revised several times, due to the fluctuating construction market. The township paid $6 million in TIF cash and financed the rest through the special business tax district.
Wilkens said he didn’t have to widen the bridge deck and no right-of-way purchases were required, which saved significant funds. It is one of only three DDI designs in the state and he said they first started discussing the design in 2006. The state balked at using the design in such a congested area, but Wilkens was determined. The state eventually agreed after the first DDI was built near Columbus.
“There are some significant benefits and safety is one of the number one issues,” Wilkens said about the DDI. “We look at safety as the number one criteria in almost every project we build. It’s not for the glory, it’s not to be number one, it’s got to provide safety for our citizens and this does.”
He said reducing “conflict points” lowers the accident rate and a typical interchange has 26 conflict areas where the DDI only has 14. He said it is also virtually impossible for anyone to drive the wrong way down an exit ramp onto the highway. There is also better sight distance throughout.
“Virtually no driver gets confused, that came out of a by the Federal Highway Administration recently,” Wilkens said. “And any of you who have driven it to-date, it’s so intuitive, don’t think, just drive.”
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