“I think it’s exciting to see the first phases of construction breaking ground,” said Allen Messer, Hamilton director of engineering. He said some of the construction on the dual roundabout at Northwest Washington Boulevard, West Elkton Road and North B Street will start in 2026. The bulk will be in 2027, and will include road closures.
The North Hamilton Crossing project, which is led by the Butler County Transportation Improvement District, will provide an unobstructed boulevard-style east-west route through the city, according to plans. The project could take two decades to complete, including the construction of a railroad overpass (similar to the South Hamilton Crossing project) at Vine Street and a bridge over the Great Miami River (north of Black Street).
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Multiple roundabouts are also planned, including a dual roundabout. The next roundabout project is set for Rhea Avenue and North B Street, and it also includes an intersection modification at Gordon Avenue. This roundabout would eventually connect across the Great Miami River to North Third Street (U.S. 127) where another roundabout would be installed.
This intersection project east of the river could start as early as 2028, according to plans.
Messer said the first two roundabout projects on the west side of the Great Miami River have a history of accidents, which is why the safer roundabouts are being constructed.
“While they’re part of the bigger project, they’re still worth doing (even without the North Hamilton Crossing project),” he said.
Funding for the project was started by the Butler County TID with $250,000, and the city contributed a total of $3.9 million. The project has received nearly $13 million in grant funds for the first two phases of the North Hamilton Crossing initiative, including $4 million for the Rhea/North B/Gordon roundabout and $5.9 million for the dual roundabouts at NW Washington Boulevard and West Elkton Road.
“Our next grant will be an even bigger one,” Messer said. “We’ll be seeking that river crossing.”
The total construction cost for the river crossing could be around $33 million.
The Butler County TID considered widening the 100-plus-year-old Black Street Bridge, which is the current river crossing north of High Street, but multiple factors prevented this from happening, including limited space. Also, since it’s an earth-filled arch, an old design, “it doesn’t lend itself to widening,” Messer said.
The river crossing with overpass at Vine Street and connection to Heaton Street are seen as “the most critical” to the project, Messer said. “Everything else just connects the dots.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Other phases of the project include widening Heaton Street and subsequent improvements from the Vine Street overpass to Ohio 4; construction from Ohio 4 to Princeton Road; and improvements to Hampshire Drive that intersects with Princeton Road and Ohio 129.
With the first two phases (the roundabouts west of the river) out of the seven, Messer said the Butler County TID and the city are trying to get congressional support, and have applied for additional federal and state grants.
“When we started the project, our focus was the (railroad) overpass, because that was our first priority,” said Messer. “It has since shifted.”
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