Public hearing to be held on proposed improvements

Public hearing to be held on proposed improvements of Miami, Montgomery County roads

A proposed logistics access project designed to improve roads along the eastern and northern perimeter of the Dayton International Airport will be the focus of an April public hearing.

The project includes Miami and Montgomery County officials along with Vandalia, Butler Township and Miami County’s Monroe Township.

The county commissioners met earlier this month in a joint session in Dayton to consider a resolution covering the project, which carries an estimated cost of $28 million. The road project would take place in both counties.

The project need is described as follows: logistics development is burgeoning around the … airport with many large warehouse and distribution facilities in full operation and more projects of this type underway. This activity “has begun to tax the existing roadway system” along North Dixie, Northwoods Boulevard and Lightner Boulevard. The largest issue is listed as congestion caused primarily by turning vehicles.

The routes included in the project include:

-       North Dixie Drive, from Inverness Avenue in Vandalia to Lightner Road

-       Northwoods Boulevard, from North Dixie Drive to the Flying Truck Stop

-       Lightner Boulevard from the Chewy Fulfillment Center to North Dixie Drive

-       County Road 25A from a proposed roundabout at Lightner Road and North Dixie Drive to the Cedar Springs Pavilion private drive in Monroe Township.

Among proposed projects are a new intersection with greater turn lane capacity at North Dixie/Northwoods Boulevard intersection. The current two-lane section of North Dixie in Butler Township will be widened to three lanes and the eastern portion of Lightner Road will be widened from two to a three-lane road east of the airport.

At the Miami-Montgomery County line a single-lane roundabout will be built to replace the current t-intersection at Lightner and North Dixie including construction of a north roundabout approach extending approximately 500 feet into Monroe Township.

Funding is expected to include 80 percent federal at each project phase with the remaining 20 percent provided by local project sponsors and the Ohio Public Works Commission.

The resolution states that once all external funding is applied, the remaining local share of the project would be approximately 70 percent by Montgomery County Engineer’s Office, 30 percent by Vandalia and 0 percent by Miami County.

A public viewing of the project is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. April 8 at the Montgomery County Engineering Building, 451 W. Third St., Dayton, followed by a public hearing at 2:30 p.m. April 15 at the same location.

The Monroe Township trustees have met in the past with the Miami County commissioners to express concerns about the growing amount of truck traffic with airport area development. The township roads are narrow and not built to handle heavy truck traffic, trustees said.