Project Profile: South Hamilton Crossing

South Hamilton Crossing - Hamilton, Ohio

photo credit: South Hamilton Crossing Project History/City of Hamilton, Ohio

Location	Hamilton, Ohio
Project Borrower / Sponsor	Butler County Transportation Improvement District
Program Areas
Value Capture Techniques	Transportation Improvement Districts
Mode	Local Road / Freight Rail
Description	Completed in December 2018, the South Hamilton Crossing project replaced an at-grade crossing of a 4-track CSX railroad mainline at Central Avenue and Pleasant Avenue in Hamilton, Ohio. The City of Hamilton identified the project as a priority for safety, economic development, and mobility reasons in 2012, given the previous at-grade crossing's substandard layout, high train traffic (56 trains per day), and truck traffic restrictions. The project included the construction of a new overpass over the railroad and the reconfiguration of nearby roads. Benefits include the elimination of one of the most hazardous at-grade railroad crossings in Ohio, improved east-west access on the south side of the city, reduced motor vehicle traffic, the elimination of truck traffic restrictions along the artery, and more efficient freight rail operations. The project will pave the way for economic development in the region, as the overpass provides direct vehicle and truck access to vacant, municipally owned land at the University Commerce Park, the growing Hamilton Campus of Miami University, and office space at Vora Technology Park.
Cost	$28.82 million (including preliminary engineering, detailed design, right-of-way, and construction)
Funding Sources	Ohio DOT - $500,000 Ohio DOT TRAC (Transportation Review Advisory Council) - $14,100,000 Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments - $2,450,000 City of Hamilton - $10,670,000 Butler County Transportation Improvement District (TID) - $100,000 CSX Railroad - $1,000,000
Project Delivery / Contract Method	Design-bid-build
Private Partner	None
Project Advisors / Consultants	Design Engineer - Burgess & Niple Prime Contractor - John R. Jurgensen Co.
Lenders	None
Duration / Status	Design: April 2012 - December 2015 Right-of-Way Acquisition: February 2014 - September 2015 Construction: June 2016 - December 2018
Financial Status	Closed
Innovations	The project was sponsored by the Butler County Transportation Improvement District, an agency tasked with fostering intergovernmental and public-private collaboration at the county and local-government level. Half of the funding for the project was provided by Ohio DOT's Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC). Established by Ohio Revised Code in 1997, the nine-member TRAC assists in developing a project selection process for ODOT's largest investments. The TRAC operates on an annual application cycle and approves a Major New Construction Program List of funding commitments for preliminary engineering, detailed design, right-of-way and project construction. The project included $1,000,000 in private funding from CSX Railroad.
Related Links / Articles	Ohio Transportation Review Advisory Council 2014 Funding Application Butler County TID Project Website Project Opening Local Media Report
Contacts	David Spinner Director, Butler County Transportation Improvement District Tel: (513) 785-3452 dspinney@bctid.org