The TID lays out future project priorities
Priority -- Liberty Interchange.For updated information click here
That name has been adopted by the TID board for the proposed eastern extension of the Fox Highway (Ohio 129) from its present terminus at I-75 to Cox Road in Liberty Township. Factors pushing this plan to the top of the list include development pressures and opportunities, plus the need to relieve congestion on existing roads in that booming area. Local financing is available to pay for construction.
The major obstacle is the prolonged wait for completion of an I-75 corridor study that is under the direction of the Ohio Department of Transportation. The Liberty Interchange is one of several proposals at the mercy of that process. According to present estimates, the study won't be completed until 2003. Only vision and leadership in Columbus can expedite the project. The longer it takes to get started, the more difficult and more costly it will be to convert the connection of Ohio 129 and I-75 to a full interstate interchange. Delay also is likely to dampen economic development in that area -- activity that promises to benefit the entire county and state, not just the Liberty Township.
A recent study by the University of Cincinnati Economics Center for Education & Research estimates developing the interchange will trigger creation of 15,100 new jobs and $12.4 million in additional property tax income and $2.4 million in income tax.
Priority -- Ohio 747 widening
For updated information click here
Ohio 747, with only two lanes, was one of the original TID projects, but only a part has been improved. The remainder was to be financed by bonds based on tolls proposed for the Fox Highway (Ohio 129). That revenue source was lost when ODOT canceled tolls as the road was near completion in 1999. Meanwhile, development continues along the north-south roadway in Liberty and West Chester townships. Traffic and congestion are increasing -- and so are safety concerns. Much could be accomplished if ODOT will designate surplus funds raised for Ohio 129 for use in widening Ohio 747 from south of Smith Road, north to at least Ohio 129.
Priority -- Ohio 4 Bypass widening
For updated information click here
Leaders in the cities of Hamilton and Fairfield and Fairfield Township and Butler County commissioners agree that the bypass is congested. The situation promises to worsen as commercial and residential development continues along that corridor. Much of the needed right-of-way for widening is available -- thanks to foresight before the existing two-lane road was completed in 1970. Because 747 and Bypass 4 are state highways, ODOT and OKI permission and support are required, as are financial commitments from local governments.
Union Centre Interchange
Union
Centre Boulevard
Bypass 4/Route 4 & Creekside Drive
West
Chester Road
