Butler County Engineer
Dean C. Foster announces that the State Route 63 Corridor Project
has been given priority status by the Ohio Department of Transportation's
TRAC (Transportation Review Advisory Council) committee. The
Trenton Subarea portion was elevated to a Tier 1 ranking, while
the Oxford section received a Tier 2 designation. With the new
Tier 1 status, $27.7 million in state highway funds has been
allocated to the Trenton portion of the SR 63 Extension.
ODOT officials released
the new project rankings today after which Foster made the following
statement:
"This is extremely
good news for Butler County. The Tier 1 ranking gives this project
guaranteed construction funding which will now allow us to set
an alignment and begin detail plan design. Construction could
begin as early as 2003 on the Trenton portion which has a preliminary
cost estimate of $47 million.
"Today culminates
our efforts in having this project ranked as a Tier 1. Through
our leadership, vision, and focus on providing our citizens with
a safe and efficient highway system, we have achieved the quickest
turnaround time for any major project in Butler County. Never
before has a major project been taken from the conception stage
to the planning and implementation stage as with the Oxford section.
We are grateful for the assistance of ODOT District 8 who have
shared our vision and focus for this project. The Trenton Area
Access Committee (TAAC) worked very hard and shares in our success.
We appreciate too the efforts of David Daugherty of the Mid-Miami
Valley Chamber of Commerce and Jack O'Neill who chaired the State
Route 63 Business Corridor Task Force.
"Realizing in
1994 that State Route 73 and other roads in the Trenton area
were seeing substantial increases in traffic, I made the decision
to re-evaluate the Trenton Bypass concept to better suit the
needs of this growing area. Throughout 1994 and 1995, spot improvements
were made at the Wayne Madison / Trenton Road intersection, the
Wayne Madison / SR 73 intersection, and along portions of Wayne
Madison Road to handle the increased demands and improve safety.
Additional upgrades were made this year at SR 73 and Wayne Madison
and we are also on line to build a new bridge over the Great
Miami River in Woodsdale.
"Work began in
earnest on the Trenton Bypass in November 1995. We re-evaluated
the project's original alignment to determine if it met current
and future needs. Being ranked second to last on ODOT's priority
list, there appeared to be little hope that the project would
be moved up. In fact, it was nearly dropped from the project
listing; however, through the efforts of our BCEO staff and overwhelming
support from the local Butler County community, ODOT has given
the project new life."
Local Leaders
Push For Project
Foster made a presentation
to the TRAC committee in June 1998 with support from numerous
local and state officials, Miller Brewing, Miami University,
and other members of the local business community seeking elevated
status for the State Route 63 Corridor Project. As a result,
ODOT moved the Trenton portion up from Tier 3 to Tier 2 status
last year, enabling the BCEO to proceed with environmental studies.
A second presentation
was made to the TRAC committee in October 1999 in an effort to
elevate the Trenton portion to a Tier 1 ranking and the Oxford
portion to Tier 2. Foster, Butler County Commissioner Courtney
Combs, and numerous other political and corporate leaders urged
the TRAC members to consider economic impact and growing transportation
demands when evaluating the future funding status for this project.
Project
Benefits
As commercial, industrial,
and residential development continue to press northward in Butler
County, there is a growing need to address safety issues and
roadway congestion. The State Route 63 study evolved from the
original Trenton Bypass concept, which by today's standards would
not meet the transportation needs in this area of Butler County.
A new controlled-access highway is one option that is being considered.
Such a highway would relieve congestion on surrounding roads,
create a better transportation linkage for the Miller Brewing
facility and other industries, provide safer access to Oxford
and Miami University, and service the growing north side of Hamilton.
For a complete overview
and historical development of the project, please visit the State Route 63 Corridor Study information page
here on the BCEO's web site.
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