The grant will not finance any of the project’s construction.
Here is what the studies will do, according to City Clerk Nick Garuckas:
- Determine the feasibility, probable costs, and best location for the proposed North Hamilton Crossing project, which will link NW Washington Boulevard on the West Side with Ohio 129 on the East Side
- Study the purpose and need for such a connection
- Perform a feasibility study for new bridges that connect North B Street, where the sports complex is being built, to Ohio 4, which will require a new bridge across the Great Miami River to replace the aging Black Street Bridge, and also an overpass above CSX and Norfolk Southern railroad tracks in the area
- Create advanced construction drawings for the Great Miami River bridge
City officials in September decided to postpone those studies for a year while they sought funding assistance for those studies. Hamilton City Council at its Wednesday meeting voted to seek state funding to help finance preliminary site design and engineering
Officials last year estimated the highway project could take 20 years or longer to complete, and could cost in the range of $150 million to $200 million.
Hamilton officials believe the studies will cost about $3.8 million, of which $1 million will have to come from local sources, including money the Butler County Transportation Improvement District has left over from the South Hamilton Crossing project, which created an overpass along Grand Boulevard, linking Ohio 4 and Miami University’s Hamilton campus.
The city plans to make improvements along the B Street Corridor between Main Street and the area of the sports complex, which is to be accompanied by a 220,000-square-foot events and convention center and two hotels.
According to the report to city council on the issue, although the B Street Corridor will be improved, “the city understands that with this massive new facility an influx of out of town visitors will be swarming the city on a fairly regular basis.”
Hamilton’s residents “will also need to be able to move from the east and west sides of the city freely and efficiently,” the report states, noting that the new route would “better connect the east and west sides of the city.”
City residents have expressed wariness about the amount of traffic the facility will bring to the city, but City Manager Joshua Smith has said it shouldn’t be too difficult for local motorists because most of the traffic from the 10,000-plus out-of-town athletes and their families should arrive after rush hour on Fridays and depart on Sundays, before the Monday morning commute.
Officials in September postponed spending on the studies this year while they sought grants to help fund them, with plans to spend the money on studies during 2021.
About the Author