Contact: Monica Menke-Watts - (513) 942-4700
Director of Communications
Today the Butler County Transportation Improvement District hosted a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of Union Centre Boulevard and its intersection with State Route 747.
This opening will create another direct route to I-75 from SR 747. Union Centre Boulevard will become a major link between SR 747 and the new Union Centre/I-75 Interchange - alleviating traffic congestion on SR 747 and the SR 747/I-275 interchange and promoting economic development in the area.
The ribbon cutting included comments from Greg Wilkens, executive director, Butler County TID; David Tacosik, vice president, West Chester Township Trustees; Chuck Furmon, president, Butler County Commissioners; and Chris Wunnenberg, director of development Schumacher Dugan Construction.
The TID recently widened SR 747 to four lanes from north of Port Union Road to south of Smith Road. The TID is investigating funding options to widen SR 747 to the Michael A. Fox Highway.
Union Centre Boulevard
The TID began the Union Centre Boulevard extension project in summer 1999. Phase I, which widened Union Centre Boulevard to five lanes between West Chester Road and Beckett Road, was completed in July 2000. Phase II, which was completed in June 1999, extended and widened Union Centre Boulevard west nearly a half mile from Beckett Road. Phase III, which extended Union Centre Boulevard as a five-lane road to SR 747, began in 1999 and initially stopped just short of SR 747 until the widening of SR 747 was underway and the intersection could be constructed. It will open - in conjunction with the SR 747/Union Centre Boulevard intersection - during the afternoon of Thursday, October 5.
The extension of Union Centre Boulevard will open up land for potential development and will help ease traffic congestion on SR 747 and other secondary roads in West Chester Township, including Beckett Road and Smith Road.
Many new developments are currently under construction (A Biggs anchored shopping center is going in at the corner of SR 747 and Union Centre Boulevard, for more information call Jeff Anderson at 513-241-5800.)
Since opening the Union Centre Interchange in 1997, the West Chester Township area has seen approximately $700 million in investments, 7 million square feet of space, and the creation or retention of more than 5,000 jobs.
The Butler County TID
With a local focus on economic development and safer travel, the Butler County TID plans and constructs road improvement projects utilizing innovative funding. It is recognized as a national model for its innovation. Since its inception in 1994, the TID has undertaken planning and facilitation of several projects, including the Union Centre Interchange, the extension of Union Centre Boulevard, the Michael A. Fox Highway, the widening and extension of Muhlhauser Road, the Symmes Road extension, the widening of SR 747, and the Bypass 4/SR 4 intersection improvements and relocation of Reigart Road.
Award Winning
The Butler County TID has won many awards for the Michael A. Fox Highway, including:
· The "Globe Award" from the American Road and Transportation
Builders Association for excellence in environmental protection and mitigation.
· The "Build America Award" from the Associated General Contractors of
America for the best new highway in the nation.
· The "1999 Excellence in Paving Award" from the Ohio/Kentucky Chapter
of the American Concrete Pavement Association.
· The "1999 Quality Award for Asphalt Paving" from Flexible Pavements
Inc. for achieving the highest quality in asphalt paving.
Intense teamwork and coordination allowed the project to be a huge success. The highway was completed eight months ahead of schedule.
For further information, please contact Monica Menke-Watts, TID director of communications, at 942-4700.
-30-