New London Road at West Fairway Drive is slated to be widen next summer if the city of Hamilton is successful in receiving state funding.
The city is requesting a safety funding program grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation for $360,000, and will match the funds with $90,000 from city coffers. Hamilton Director of Engineering Rich Engle said the grant program has a cap of $250,000 but it was recommended to request more as “they do consider special projects like this, especially when there’s motor safety and pedestrian safety involved.”
The road is heavily traveled by motorists, and becomes exponentially busier once school is in session.
The project has been on the city’s books for more than a year as the city was unsuccessful in 2021 for the ODOT safety grant.
The plan is to expand the road in front of Badin High School which will accommodate a new left-turn lane onto West Fairway Drive, and install a rapid-flashing crosswalk to improve pedestrian safety.
There will also be a crosswalk on the north side of New London.
The road will then be restriped to show the new left-turn lane.
Property has been purchased, a small narrow strip on the northside at New London and West Fairway, as well as temporary construction easements.
Engle said the application is due July 1, and it’s believed the grant would be available in fiscal year 2024 which begins on July 1, 2023.
“So we would plan on, if successful with the grant, beginning construction sometime next year,” Engle said.
The crosswalk portion of the project is expected to be installed early. Engle said the city was successful in obtaining a grant from ODOT and will receive the material to install the rapid-flashing beacons as soon as the materials arrive.
In December 2019, two Badin High School students suffered non-life-threatening injuries when they were struck at West Fairway Drive and New London Road by a vehicle walking to school.
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