Five Points roundabout construction to happen in 2022 in Hamilton

Credit: PROVIDED

Credit: PROVIDED

Progress toward creating a roundabout at the Five Points intersection is gradually moving forward, and construction on the area that straddles Hamilton and Fairfield Twp. should start in 2022.

“We have just begun right-of-way negotiations” with property owners who will need to sell their land, said Betsy Horton, spokeswoman for the Butler County Engineer’s Office. “We’re nearing the final design of the roundabout.”

Work on relocating utilities — and there are a variety of utility providers involved — is scheduled to begin this fall. That is expected to take a year or more, particularly because of the number of utilities and providers involved.

“There’s Duke, and there’s Hamilton, and there’s Cincinnati Bell, Spectrum, Butler County Water and Sewer,” Horton said. “There’s just a lot of agencies going out there.”

The utility work is complicated by the fact the complicated intersection is located within both Hamilton and Fairfield Twp., which means Hamilton’s various utilities, such as electric, gas, water and sewer, are involved, as are the separate utilities, such as Duke and Butler County’s utilities as well. So lots of coordination will be necessary.

Credit: Mike Rutledge

Credit: Mike Rutledge

“When one gets done, another one comes in, and they can’t do their work until the other one is done,” she said.

“And then, construction in 2022,” she said.

The latest cost estimate for the construction is $2.45 million, not including purchases of required properties.

Hamilton officials expect that after the roundabout is completed, traffic on Grand Boulevard will increase, making that roadway a potentially more attractive corridor for businesses to locate.

In fact, traffic already seems to have increased along Grand Boulevard, although officials can’t quantify just how much, since the opening of South Hamilton Crossing, the overpass above CSX railroad tracks on Grand between Ohio 4 and Miami University, which also links the Ohio 4 corridor to Hamilton’s West Side.

About the Author