ABOUT NHX
North Hamilton Crossing has been a city, county, and regional transportation objective since the early 2000s. It’s been included in local and regional transportation planning documents since 2002 and has remained a top priority in both the City of Hamilton’s comprehensive plan, Plan Hamilton, and the Butler County Thoroughfare Plan.
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The Concept
The North Hamilton Crossing will include a new bridge over the Great Miami River and a new railroad overpass. It will also include a new road to better connect NW Washington Boulevard, North B Street, US 127, SR 4, and SR 129.
The concept for the roadway portion of the project is a four-lane, boulevard-style road (two travel lanes in each direction) with a turn lane or landscaped median in the middle. It will have a speed limit of 35 mph, and will ideally have a sidewalk on one side of the street and a shared-use path that can accommodate bicyclists, pedestrians, strollers, wheelchairs and more on the other side. Bump-outs and crosswalks would be included at street corners to make crossing the street easier and safer.
NHX Location
The NHX project is currently in the early planning stages, and a route for the project is not yet known. The primary focus for project development to date has been on determining what its alignment will be.
To do this, a Feasibility Study was conducted to identify and evaluate possible route "alternatives" that address the project’s needs.
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The study considered existing conditions in the study area as well as environmental features, underserved populations in the project area demographics, and planned development/redevelopment projects within the study area. This information was combined with input received from project stakeholders and the general public to create a series of 18 different route alternatives, and each was evaluated based on the following factors:
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Ability to improve east-west connectivity
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Ability to support economic development
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Degree to which mobility/congestion would be improved on the local road network
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Degree of safety improvements
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Potential impacts on social, economic and environmental resources
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Potential impact on hazardous materials sites
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Amount of right of way needed
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Number of relocations needed
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Constructability
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Estimated cost
The NHX study area extends between NW Washington Blvd. and North B St. on the west side of the Great Miami River, and US 127 (North 3rd St.), SR 4 (Erie Blvd.) and SR 129 at Hampshire Dr. on the east side, all north of SR 129/High St. Possible route alternatives are located within this area.
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The results of this analysis were shared with stakeholders and the public early in 2023 for review and input during both an in-person, public open house and a 45-day, Virtual Open House. Although the Virtual Open House is now closed for to comments, the material can still be reviewed here.
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Input received from the public will be combined with feedback from stakeholders and technical study results. The city, BCTID and ODOT will then use this information to determine which of the proposed alternatives, if any, will be advanced for more detailed study.
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Visit the Process page to learn more about how the NHX project is being developed.
The Black Street Bridge
The Black Street Bridge is 100 years old and can’t support the volume of traffic that uses it for much longer. Due to the manner in which it was constructed, the bridge’s limited space cannot be expanded.
Therefore, NHX will include a new bridge across the Great Miami River. The Black Street Bridge will be preserved for bicycle and pedestrian use. Small public shuttles may be used on the bridge in the future to transport people back and forth across the river. The Black Street Bridge is not expected to be closed to vehicular traffic until the new bridge crossing is in place.
Railroad Overpass
There are 23 locations where trains cross streets in the city with only two grade-separated crossings (one overpass and one underpass). Studies found that street-level (or at-grade) crossings within the study area are blocked by trains 25% of the day. To provide relief for drivers and help improve traffic flow, NHX will include a new railroad overpass.
Traffic stopped at the train crossing on Heaton Street in the study area.
View of the South Hamilton Crossing railroad overpass (photos courtesy of the City of Hamilton).