Salzman Road extension project making progress – Hamilton Journal News

MONROE

Construction is moving forward as a dead-end road that serving an industrial park in Monroe will soon become a major through route for heavy truck traffic to an industrial park in Middletown as well.

Everything is on schedule to be finished by the end of the year, said David Spinney, executive director of the Butler County Transportation Improvement District. He said utility relocations and site preparation work are underway for the Salzman Road extension.

Were almost done with the water line and the storm sewer should be completed in mid-May. he said. Weve done a good bit of grading work to build up the profile of the road, he said. We had to strip a lot of topsoil from the ground to wrap up the utility work.

Spinney said Duke Energy is scheduled later this month to raise the power transmission lines crossing the site.

The BCTID coordinated the design and funding for the $1.81 million project with the cities of Middletown and Monroe, Spinney said. He said the project is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 31, weather permitting and will be managed by the Butler County Engineers Office.

No road closures are anticipated with this project since it is a new roadway extension. However, there may be some lane closures or short-duration intersection closures at Todhunter and Yankee Roads for utility work and when tie-in of the new extension occurs.

Spinney said Salzman Road will be extended from its current terminus northward to Todhunter Road where it will tie in at the Yankee Road west intersection. Yankee Road currently doglegs east on Todhunter Road and then south to Ohio 63, crossing a railroad in the process and forcing large semi-trucks to negotiate two sharp 90-degree turns.

Once Salzman Road is connected and aligned with the north section of Yankee Road, motorists will have a straight route between Todhunter and Ohio 63. This will provide much easier access to the commercial and industrial portions of Monroe and Middletown, lending a positive impact on the local economy. It will also pull heavy truck traffic off of nearby Yankee Road where it passes the Monroe school campus.

Spinney said the road extension has been identified as a needed project in the BCEO long range Thoroughfare Plan since 1994. It is also included in Middletown and Monroes comprehensive plans.

A construction contract was awarded to Kelchner of Springboro, Ohio which submitted a low bid of nearly $1,82 million. Funding for the project consists of federal money from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) and state money from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The cities of Middletown and Monroe will provide local matching funds to the federal portion.

Monroes City Manager William Brock said the project represents an important piece of the citys overall infrastructure plan with the major goal of separating industrial and school traffic.

Middletown will see immediate benefits from the road extension as a $16 million distribution facility was recently announced for a 35-acre site near Yankee and Todhunter roads in the MADE Industrial Park.

Middletown officials are also excited to see this project becoming a reality.

Middletown Public Works Director Scott Tadych said the project is a critical piece of infrastructure to the South Middletown area that will benefit existing and future commercial and industrial development by providing direct access to Ohio 63.

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Salzman Road extension project making progress - Hamilton Journal News