But there’s still a lot of work to do before a final route is chosen, including deciding on one of two bridge locations and which of the three routes through the North End will be considered. The bridge and the route through the North End are two legs of the three-leg project. There is just one route in the final leg, which connects North Fair Avenue to Ohio 129.
“These routes check a lot of boxes,” said Allen Messer, Hamilton’s assistant city engineer.
North Hamilton Crossing has been a necessary infrastructure improvement for the city for quite some time, said Messer. In 2002, the project was studied by the Butler County Transportation Improvement District, and it was added to the Butler County Thoroughfare Plan in 2007.
Funding for the project is expected to be a melting pot of local, state and federal funds, and a couple of million state and federal dollars have already been committed to the project, according to the city. While some aspects of North Hamilton Crossing could begin in the next couple of years, the completion of an east-west corridor could take decades to complete, with a possible price tag approaching $100 million, if not more, depending on the route.
The proposed North Hamilton Crossing routes are divided into three sections ― West, Central and East. All three sections, or phases, will weigh the pros, cons and costs of the route that ultimately will move traffic from North B Street to Ohio 129 with a Great Miami River crossing. As it stands today, these proposed route alternatives have not undergone a detailed engineering design process, which will happen once a final route is decided.
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. It would actually fork off a planned barbell-style roundabout (which is back-to-back roundabouts connected by a stretch of roadway) planned on North B Street near NW Washington Boulevard and West Elkton Road.
The other river crossing being considered would be at North B Street and Rhea Avenue, and due to its proximity to Black Street Bridge to its south, this option would maintain the current traffic patterns.
The Central section has three possibilities, all connecting from U.S. 127 to Ohio 4 and North Fair Avenue. All routes will go through Hamilton’s North End, a city neighborhood with just more than 3,800 residents and around 1,300 households.
The first two options would be at Miami and North 9th streets. The Miami and North 9th 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. This 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. This option would also bypass LJ Smith Park, which has several baseball and softball fields and one of the parks where the late Joe Nuxhall, a Reds Hall of Fame pitcher and former team announcer, played growing up in the North End.
The Vine Street connection would have “a significant impact” on the operation of Kornylak Corporation, a manufacturer at 400 Heaton St., Messer said. The impact on the business will be factored in the ultimate decision on which route is chosen, he said, adding it hadn’t been a route discussed previously.
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. Retaining walls will likely be needed near the Butler County Animal Friends Humane Society.
Whichever route is decided, North Hamilton Crossing will be a boulevard-style roadway. While a speed limit won’t be established until a route is picked and engineering is underway, the standard speed limit is 35 miles per hour, but ultimately, speeds are determined by state law.
The next public meeting on North Hamilton Crossing, where the public is encouraged to provide input and comments on the project, will be a Town Hall meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 28 at Parrish Auditorium on the Miami University Regionals Hamilton Campus, 1601 University Blvd.
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