Contact:
Monica Menke-Watts
Director of Communications

Muhlhauser Road Opening (from Allen Road to International Boulevard)
Ribbon Cutting and News Conference
Join Santa and be one of the first to drive across this section of Muhlhauser Road!

Fairfield, Ohio (December 21, 1998) The Butler County Transportation Improvement District will host a ribbon cutting and news conference on Wednesday, December 23, at 10 a.m. to celebrate the opening of Muhlhauser Road from Allen Road to International Boulevard. (See attached schedule and agenda.)

This opening will create a roadway from International Boulevard to Allen Road, providing a major link between SR 747 and the new Union Centre Interchange with I-75. This will be the first time drivers will have direct access to Union Centre via Muhlhauser Road.

Prior to this extension, Muhlhauser Road existed east of SR 747 to Woodland Drive, with a two-lane roadway that extended to the top of the hill and ended. This ribbon cutting represents a vision that began in 1993 to extend Muhlhauser Road over the railroad tracks and Mill Creek and connect it with Allen Road.

In 1994 this vision became reality as construction of the first phase began. Following is a brief construction history for the Muhlhauser Road extension: R.B. Jurgens completed the first phase of construction, which consisted of cutting the hill and placing fill between the railroad tracks and the Mill Creek stream and placing a new two-lane roadway to connect with International Boulevard. Cost: $2,041,649.56

Sunesis Construction completed the second phase of construction by placing the piling and footers for the bridges over the railroad tracks and Mill Creek. Cost: $795,387.96

Neman Construction completed the third phase of construction, which included widening the embankment west of the railroad bridge to the new five-lane configuration. Cost: $403,031.20

Trend Construction completed the fourth phase of construction, which included building the superstructures on the railroad bridge and the Mill Creek bridge. Cost: $1,521,526.50

S.K. Construction completed the fifth phase of construction, which included building the new roadway that connects the existing roadway west of International Drive to Allen Road, allowing through traffic access to the new Union Centre Boulevard Interchange at I-75. This section of the roadway is five lanes west of the railroad bridge and four lanes east of the railroad bridge. This section of roadway will receive the final course of pavement in spring 1999. Cost: $1,243,00.00

The next phase of construction, which will start in early spring 1999 and be completed in early fall 1999, consists of widening the existing two-lane section of roadway from International Boulevard west through the intersection of SR 747 to five lanes. Estimated Cost: $2,500,000.00

The Union Centre Boulevard Interchange and its connecting roads, including Muhlhauser Road, will provide access to more than 3,000 acres of land for commercial development, and this development is expected to generate more than 20,000 jobs. In addition, according to OKI (Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana Regional Council of Government), the Muhlhauser Road extension is vital to alleviating traffic on I-275.

The Butler County Transportation Improvement District
With a local focus on economic development and safer travel, the Butler County TID plans, finances, and constructs projects, including the new Union Centre Interchange and the Butler Regional Highway. It is recognized as a national model for its innovation.

The TID is a local agency established to plan, finance, construct, and maintain road improvement projects. Since its inception in 1994, the TID has undertaken planning and facilitation of projects, including the new Union Centre Interchange, the Butler Regional Highway, the widening and extension of Muhlhauser Road, the Symmes Road extension, and improvements to SR 747.

TID projects can be credited with encouraging the investment of more than $163 million in new buildings, machinery, and equipment, and the creation or retention of 1,700 jobs in Butler County in 1997 alone.

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