The only certainties the project team could provide are that the decision on the final route would be made in about a year, it would take a few years to acquire any needed right-of-way, it could potentially take years to secure funding for the river and railroad overpasses, and no construction would begin until all possible placed residents ― both homeowners and renters ― found equivalent housing options either within the North End or the city, or outside the city.
Butler County Transportation Improvement District Director Dan Corey said there are five phases to the overall North Hamilton Crossing project. The project is in its second phase, which is preliminary engineering, but no matter the phase, including the final phase which is construction, he said, “We will always have public/stakeholder involvement.”
“We ask that you continue to stay involved because you will help influence this project and make it be what it is at the end of the day,” Corey said.
Changes to the project have already been made because of public input, including the orientation and location of the southern river crossing possibility at Rhea Avenue and North B Street. It also includes the makeup of the Vine Street connection alternative, which Hamilton Assistant Director of Engineering Allen Messer said was “an extremely viable option” that had fewer relocation possibilities than other options “and checks a lot of boxes.”
The project team includes officials with the city of Hamilton, the Butler County TID, the Ohio Department of Transportation, Stantec and the Neighborhood Housing Services of Hamilton.
The narrowed proposed routes were unveiled at the end of July at a stakeholders meeting and are divided into three sections ― West, Central, and East. The West and Central sections, which involve the river crossing and the route through the North End, respectively, have multiple route options, and the project team will evaluate the pros, cons, and costs of each.
Whichever route is decided, North Hamilton Crossing will be a boulevard-style roadway, and while a speed limit won’t be established until a route is picked and engineered, the standard speed is 35 miles per hour. However, ultimately, speeds are determined by state law.
The project is designed to improve the east-west connectivity north of Ohio 129 in Hamilton, reducing congestion and improving mobility. As a result, the project would also aid in current and planned economic development in Hamilton and western Butler County.
Additionally, this project would improve safety in the city as four intersections along Ohio 129 that were within the study area are listed on the Ohio Department of Transportation’s list of Highway Safety Improvement Program’s priority urban intersections.
Messer said “virtually any concern” a resident may have will be looked at in the next phase, which will study the environmental and engineering impacts on the community. The evaluation of in-depth analysis and field surveys will include, but not be limited to, hazardous materials, wetlands and streams, cultural and historic resources, noise and air quality, traffic analysis, how to minimize right-of-way acquisition, street connections and parking needs, and bicycle and pedestrian connections.
“Right now, we’re composing a study of these three phases in more detail,” Messer said to the residents Monday night at Parrish Auditorium. “Some of the questions that might be asked here tonight, we might not be able to answer because we haven’t gotten far enough along with the study.”
Messer said housing is the top concern, and to ensure property owners and renters are made whole, which is why Neighborhood Housing Services of Hamilton is part of the project team. They’ll help look for replacements for people if their residence or property needs to be acquired.
“Nobody’s going to be asked to leave before there’s a viable option for them to move into,” said Messer. That includes potentially moving into a newly built home within the North End, an existing home within the city or outside the city, or potentially outside the state. Messer said with the South Hamilton Crossing, one property owner relocated to Florida.
It was also stated by the project team on Monday that while homes may not be equivalent to building materials used in the older houses of the North End, they would be comparable in square footage and footprint.
The questions expressed on Monday were also concerns people had at the last public input meeting in January, which included property purchases and relocations.
In addition to being a year away from identifying a specific North Hamilton Crossing route, it could be years before funding is secured to construct the various phases of the project, which would exceed $100 million. To date, they have about $7 million earmarked from local, state and federal sources.
The next public meeting will be scheduled for the summer or fall of 2024.
PROPOSED NORTH HAMILTON CROSSING ROUTES
Here are the possible routes for the North Hamilton Crossing:
The West section could be at one of two river crossings. The northern of the two would be at North B Street just south of NW Washington Boulevard, separating traffic headed to NW Washington from Spooky Nook traffic. The other crossing would be at North B Street and Rhea Avenue, just north of the Black Street Bridge.
The Central section has three possibilities. The first two would be at or near Miami and North 9th streets. These proposed connections would pick up the North Hamilton Crossing at U.S. 127, just north of the hydraulic canal and run east, crossing over the CSX railroad. From there, both connections would turn south over the canal, then cross Ohio 4 at North Fair Avenue. The third possibility would be the Vine Street connection that would follow would go along Vine Street over the CSX railroad and follow North 8th Street to Heaton Street before crossing Ohio 4 at North Fair Avenue.
The East section has just one route. Picking up where the Central section ends at North Fair Avenue, the route will continue along Gilmore Avenue and south of the Butler County Fairgrounds, then turns south to connect with Ohio 129 by way of Hampshire Drive.
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