The Butler County Engineer’s Office announced Tuesday that it is planning to improve Cincinnati-Dayton Road at the Ohio 129 interchange in Liberty Township.
The project, which is slated for construction in 2014, is currently in the preliminary engineering phase with environmental studies and early design plans under way.
The proposed plan will add a lane in each direction from Liberty Centre Drive on the south side of Ohio 129 to Liberty One Drive north of the highway. In addition, a new lane will be added to each exit ramp from Ohio 129 to accommodate left turns. A new right turn lane will also be built on the west leg of Yankee Road.
Additionally, new mast arm mounted traffic signals will be installed at the following intersections along Cincinnati-Dayton Road – Liberty Centre Drive, eastbound Ohio 129 exit and entry ramps, westbound exit and entry ramps, Yankee Road and Liberty One Drive.
“These upgrades will greatly improve safety and traffic flow in the area,” Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens said. “This is vitally important considering the commercial growth and increased traffic counts we’ve seen, but the presence of the new Children’s Hospital and other medical facilities at this location make it absolutely critical that the roads remain free of congestion for emergency vehicles.”
Traffic counts on Cincinnati-Dayton Road at the Ohio 129 ramps have increased from roughly 23,000 vehicles per day in 2003 to almost 30,000 in 2011.
“With more commercial and retail growth planned for the area, those counts can only be expected to climb,” Wilkens said. “We believe that the planned improvements will benefit this highly traveled corridor which feeds the bulk of Liberty Township and its primary business district.”
Present estimates put the project cost at nearly $2.5 million, which includes right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, and actual construction. The BCEO has secured a federal grant to pay for the majority of the work while local BCEO funds and private money will be used to round out the balance of the cost.
