The Liberty Interchange Stakeholders met October 16 to make the preferred alternative selection. The unanimous consensus of the group was to endorse the Collector-Distributor / Extended Cox Road Alternative. This alternative was presented to the public as the preferred alternative October 23 at both 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. General public response was positive, with no objections being voiced. After a two-week period for written public comment, the final report for the Five-Step Planning Process will be submitted to ODOT and FHWA. Public acceptance of the preferred alternative has allowed the commencement of the required Interchange Modification Study, concurrent in-depth environmental analysis, and completion of the necessary aerial mapping.

ODOT’s I-75 Corridor Technical Coordinating Group continues activity to ensure that travel demand projections arising from each of the I-75 interchanges under study or design are consistent. Although the proposal for an interchange at Greentree Road is dormant, proposed modifications to the SR 129, SR63 and SR122 interchanges have inter-related effects that need to be accommodated. Resource International has been notified by ODOT’s consultant, Burgess & Niple, that the demand forecasting methodology at the I-75/Tylersville Road Interchange has been satisfactorily resolved. This concludes all coordination issues related to the Five-Step Planning Study for the Liberty Interchange.

A meeting is scheduled for November 13 among all parties to ensure that any concerns are addressed prior to concluding the proposed contract with the selected consultant firm KZF for engineering services for this project. Following execution, KZF will have 24 months to complete the environmental and final design work. OKI funding for right-of-way acquisition becomes available in FY 2005 and construction funding in FY 2006.

LJB, Inc. is proceeding with the intersection redesign plans, which are anticipated to be available at the end of the year. A meeting was held October 15 at which LJB presented the status of plan development to all of the funding parties and interested agencies. It was decided among the group that it would be appropriate to transfer project management duties to the County Engineer’s Office to minimize utility relocation costs (currently very roughly estimated at $500,000). Discussions continue with Liberty Township regarding the acquisition of the necessary right-of-way. Discussions continue with Butler County on construction funding mechanisms using the Township’s TIF revenue stream.

At the October 13 TID Board meeting, M-E Companies was selected as consultant for this effort. Staff has subsequently met with the consultant team to discuss specifics of staging and timing. M-E was made aware of the desire for a present-day traffic signal timing plan as an early byproduct of the engineering analysis. Agreements with the various funding sources are in development and should be available for Board action at the November 10 meeting.