South Hamilton Crossing Railroad Grade Separation Project
The City of Hamilton B U T L E R
C O U N T Y
O H I O
Regional Connectivity SHX is vital for regional connectivity. The metropolitan planning organization OKI ranked the project as the highest priority TRAC project for the region in 2014.
Workforce Inflow-Outflow
• There are 17,534 people that enter Hamilton to work every day and 16,593 people leave Hamilton for work every day. • Having only one major East-West grade separated railroad crossing in a City with 12 at-grade crossings and 56 trains per day impedes traffic flow significantly. • There are 2,597 employees in the project area. • Over 4,000 students adjacent to SHX at Miami University Hamilton • There are two major business parks in project area - Vora Technology Park and University Commerce Park.
Source: On The Map from the U.S. Census Bureau Center for Economic Studies 2011
• There are 13 manufacturers in the project area dependent on truck traffic. The current crossing does not permit truck traffic, adding additional freight cost and inconvenience.
Safety
• At the existing dangerous at-grade crossing, which is being eliminated through this project, US 127 runs north-south with Central Ave intersecting at a skewed angle. • There is also a cross slope as Central Ave intersects with US 127 creating even more safety problems at the intersection. • This project will also eliminate the existing substandard and unsafe intersection of Central Avenue and Grand Boulevard. • The damage done during the truck accident above kept the crossing closed for days in 2013. • This project will provide improved access for Fire, EMS, and police, reducing the amount of time it takes them to respond to emergencies.
Congestion • There are 56 trains per day at the crossing blocking an average of 11,000 vehicles daily. • The crossing is blocked by trains an average of 220.69 minutes per day (15.3% of the time), blocking left turns from Pleasant Avenue (US 127) onto Central Avenue due to the close proximity of the crossing to the intersection. • Traffic at the nearby Dixie Highway/Grand Boulevard/East Avenue intersection is also impacted by traffic backing up from the crossing. • Each day motorists spend an average of 4,286 minutes waiting on trains at the crossing.
Where We Are Today & Future Schedule n
City and Butler County Transportation Improvement District (BCTID) have executed an intergovernmental agreement for project management by BCTID Detailed Design & Construction Documents began in April 2012
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Stage 3 Plans (final review set) were submitted in September 2014
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Right-of-Way Plans were approved in October 2013
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Right-of-Way Acquisition began in February 2014
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Final Construction Documents are scheduled to be complete in July 2015
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Right-of-Way Acquisition is scheduled to be completed in August 2015
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Bidding process is scheduled to begin by September 2015
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Anticipated Construction Start date is March 2016
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Construction Completion is scheduled for October 2017
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Fast Facts ONE
Existing grade separation granting East-West traffic flow through the City of Hamilton, OH (Population 62,477)
15.3%
Percentage of time the crossing is blocked each day
56
Trains per day at the crossing
4,286
Number of minutes a day motorists spend waiting on trains at the crossing
3,525
Estimated permanent jobs created as a result of this project according to an independent impact analysis
270,000
Square feet of Class A office space at Vora Technology Park that would be significantly more attractive with improved access
5,000
Miami University students that lack adequate access to the Hamilton campus
SIXTY
Acres of municipally-owned land primed for development at University Commerce Park sits vacant due to insufficient access
The South Hamilton Railroad Grade Separation project involves replacing an existing at-grade railroad crossing on Central Avenue in the City of Hamilton, Ohio, with a railroad overpass created by extending Grand Boulevard to the west. This will connect S.R. 4 (Erie Boulevard) on the east side of the four existing CSX railroad tracks with U.S. 127 (Pleasant Avenue) and University Boulevard to the west.
BUDGET
$28,820,705 Revenues
Expenses Engineering
OKI
$1,800,241
$2,450,000 9%
Funding Gap
Right of Way Acquisition
City of Hamilton
$14,100,000
$10,420,705
49%
36%
Railroad
$1,000,000 3%
$5,500,000
Construction $21,520,464
Butler County TID $850,000 3%
Why It Matters “The absence of an efficient traffic flow to our facility has impeded key corporations from selecting our site” Mahendra Vora, CEO Vora Technology Park
“The use of indirect routes adds valuable minutes to emergency response times” Kim Wentz, Director of the Greater Hamilton Safety Council
“I will not mince words. Construction of an overpass at that dangerous grade crossing would be a tremendous boon to our campus and an immediate asset to the entire region” G. Michael Pratt, Associate Provost and Dean of Regional Campuses Miami University
The City has struggled recently as the US economy has shifted from a manufacturing orientation to one focused on services. Hamilton is currently investing in the necessary infrastructure to support technology-centered businesses and the knowledge-based economy. The South Hamilton Crossing project has been identified as one of the top priorities of the City of Hamilton Council to enhance economic development and improve the transportation network to reduce congestion in the central business district, improve east-west connectivity for public safety operations, and improve travel safety within the region.