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By Andrew Chow Greene County Bureau
BEAVERCREEK - Final plans for a $20 million freeway interchange at U.S. 35 and North Fairfield Road will soon be in the hands of the Ohio Department of Transportation.
ODOT's regional office is "getting ready to send the final package to Columbus" with design specifications and cost estimates, Beavercreek Assistant City Engineer Jeff Moorman said.
"It's a final check to make sure all the information they have to have is complete," Moorman said. The state will advertise for bids on the project in March, with construction slated to begin by early summer.
The project, which will be funded from federal, state and local sources, has drawn the attention of city council candidates who promise to ensure traffic flow during the two-year construction time frame is headache-free.
Construction should be completed by the fall of 2004.
The interchange aims to reduce traffic congestion and high accident rates at the U.S. 35/North Fairfield Road intersection, Moorman said. About 34,000 vehicles travel daily on U.S. 35, with 24,000 using North Fairfield Road, he said.
In addition, city leaders believe the proposed interchange enhancements - including landscaping and signs with the city logo - would make the interchange a "gateway" to the community.
Construction of the interchange will involve three phases, Moorman said, though timelines for the phases have not been set. Plans call for:
* A first phase of construction that involves relocating North Fairfield Road several feet west, constructing the North Fairfield Road overpass and completing about half the planned on- and off-ramps.
Normal traffic flow will be maintained, as "the majority of the project can be constructed outside existing streets and roadways," Moorman said.
* A second phase that involves rerouting traffic onto the relocated North Fairfield Road and completing all freeway ramps.
"It won't be possible to access (U.S.) 35 for a while from North Fairfield," as ramps will not yet be completed, Moorman said. Detours will take motorists down Dayton-Xenia Road to Factory Road, he said.
* A third phase that involves closing the ramp from Ohio 835 (Research Boulevard) to westbound U.S. 35, and transforming the ramp area into wetlands.
Beautification efforts will be incorporated into all phases of construction, with lampposts across the North Fairfield Road overpass mirroring those at the streetscape area at Dayton-Xenia Road.
More information on the construction project is available at the city's engineering office, 1368 Research Park Drive, or online at www.us35northfairfield.com. The site was last updated in the spring, Moorman said.
* Contact Andrew Chow at 225-2414 or e-mail him at andrew_chow@coxohio.com
[ILLUSTRATION] MAP: Extent of construction project
CREDIT: DAYTON DAILY NEWS
* NOTE: To view actual graphic please see microfilm.
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