West Hamilton News

The City of Hamilton and Butler County Transportation Improvement District have been awarded $5,901,608 by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) for the Intersection Improvements at NW Washington/West Elkton/North B Street (North Hamilton Crossing) project. 

This project will add two roundabouts, as well as new sidewalks and a multi-use path – which is designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists – adjacent to the roadway intersection improvements along the Hamilton Freshman Campus. The roundabouts would serve as a traffic calming device through the school zones as they slow traffic down. The City of Hamilton will seek to complete the sidewalk network along N B Street to the schools using Safe Routes to School and Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, funding.

These improvements are needed to serve the existing area, which is experiencing an influx in development, including Spooky Nook less than a mile away. This project constitutes as the first phase of North Hamilton Crossing, or NHX, which will reduce congestion and improve connectivity and safety through Hamilton. Our goal is to slow down speeds, reduce congestion, and improve safety on busy arterial roads adjacent to school buildings. 

The project scope includes utilizing highly visible and retroflective 3M Element pavement markings in the crosswalks to increase the visibility of and safety for pedestrians. These markings have been used in neighboring states, but not yet in Ohio. The pavement markings utilize innovative ceramic beads in combination with standard glass beads, to provide greater visibility during wet and nighttime conditions. As the prevalence of LED lighting increases, with both vehicle headlights and streetlights, pavement marking visibility is becoming a greater concern during times of decreased natural lighting.

This project is designed as two roundabouts rather than a single larger roundabout to minimize the grading and impacts along the river and Combs Park. Detailed design for the project will begin in the next few months. Utility relocation is scheduled to begin in 2025 with construction of the roundabouts occurring in 2026 and completing in 2027.

Original source can be found here.