“This work will improve traffic flow, safety, and attract economical development to the area,’’ Kaelin said.
“This project will complete all the work. There are no additional phases planned at this time.”
Plans call for adding pavement on either side of the railroad crossing so the approach and descent will be less steep.
Doing so will slightly lower the pavement on the south side of the tracks while raising it on the north side, said Nick Dill, Fairfield’s city engineer.
“We’re adjusting the elevation of the pavement at the railroad tracks in order to provide very large trucks the ability to cross,” Dill said.
“Big trucks responsible for jobs can get across without scraping the roads, the (bottom of the) trucks, and the tracks. This was designed with trucks in mind.”
Two back-to-back curves between the railroad tracks and Tylersville Road will also be realigned to lessen their severity, said Nathaniel Kaelin, Fairfield’s economic development manager.
These are the last two improvements to the road near the Fairfield city/township border. The work is expected to be completed by year’s end.
Last December Schneider Electric announced plans to expand operations into a 446,000 square-foot building under construction in the Fairfield Logistics Center on Seward Road.
More than two years ago, the city and township entered into a Joint Economic Development District that includes the industrial park. It allows the city to impose its 1.5 percent income tax on employees within the district. Those dollars are shared, with the township receiving 75 percent and the city 25 percent, after the city is paid a five percent administrative fee.
The payroll for the new jobs was estimated at $15 million annually, according to the Ohio Tax Credit Authority.
That agreement also called for the road improvements with the cost being shared by the city, township and developer.
Completed road improvements include the widening of Seward Road to three lanes near the industrial park and a roundabout that opened at the corner of Seward and Tylersville roads.
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