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Some relief is coming for motorists used to congestion at the Fields Ertel/Mason-Montgomery Interstate 71 interchange.

Officials announced Thursday they have secured almost $20 million in funding for three construction projects in the heavily traveled corridor.

“It’s probably one of the most critical projects in the region because of the safety aspect and also the economic … impact that the project has,” said Mark Policinski, executive director of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments.

The projects are:

• Expanding the exit lane at the northbound I-71 Fields-Ertel/Mason-Montgomery exit that will allow vehicles to exit I-71 and move onto an expanded off ramp sooner. Officials said this will create more separation between freeway and exiting traffic. The project costs $2 million. It is expected to start in the third quarter of 2013 and be completed by the second quarter of 2014.

• Building a “loop ramp” to relieve congestion at the Fields-Ertel/Mason-Montgomery intersection by allowing northbound traffic to bypass the intersection. The cost is $12.2 million. The project will start in the first quarter of 2014 and could be finished by the fourth quarter of 2015. During morning rush hour, 40 percent of traffic traveling through the intersection is from the northbound I-71 off-ramp.

• Access management improvements are planned for Gregory Street and Fields Ertel Road. The work costs $2.4 million. It will start in the third quarter of 2015 and could be done by the second quarter of 2016.

Already two projects are done.

• A $1.6 million project that involved building an additional northbound lane from Fields Ertel Road to Parkway Drive.

• A $1.4 million project where 22 traffic signals were coordinated in the area.

Warren County Commissioner Dave Young said the projects won’t completely solve the traffic headaches “simply because the problems are with growth and with congestion, (and) you’re never going to completely fix (it). … There’s still going to be congestion at times.” But he said the quality of life will dramatically improve for residents and visitors.

Posted in: News, Traffic |

Tags: Tags: commute, construction, dave young, deerfield township, exit, exit lanes, fields ertel road, i-71, improvement, loop ramp, mason, mason-montgomery road, Ohio Department of Transportation, ohio kentucky indiana regional council of governments, symmes, traffic, warren county commissioner

Dave Young is a Warren County commissioner.

We hear a lot these days about collaboration – regional cooperation, bipartisan teamwork, the list goes on. Too often, though, those ideals are more talk than action.

I’m part of a project team that truly is working across geographic and political lines to improve the quality of life for the people of Southwest Ohio.

The improvements taking place at the Fields Ertel and Mason-Montgomery roads interchange at Interstate 71 are truly an example of regional and bipartisan cooperation. I believe this project is the single most important infrastructure improvement in our region. The improvements will ease congestion, expand access to business and shopping, and improve safety for all who travel through the Fields Ertel/Mason-Montgomery roads area.

You may have already noticed a few of the changes – a new northbound lane has been added on Mason-Montgomery Road between Fields Ertel and Parkway Drive, and we’re working with the Ohio Department of Transportation to upgrade the traffic signals at 22 different places throughout the area. I’ve heard from numerous residents and commuters that those changes are already making a difference and reducing their travel time through the area.

But we’re not finished. Multiple roadway improvements have been approved – and funded! – and will continue over the next few years.

I’d like to invite you to learn more about these changes at an upcoming community meeting that will take place this evening. I’ll be there, along with many of my colleagues from Warren County, Hamilton County, Deerfield and Symmes townships – this project wouldn’t be happening without their support and cooperation. (You can also find out more about the project at www.AdvancingFieldsErtel.com.)

I believe working to ensure the safety of people traveling to and from home and work is one of the central functions of government. I can assure you that your tax dollars are being used wisely and constructively to improve the quality of life for people who live and work in the Fields Ertel/Mason-Montgomery roads area.

Warren and Hamilton counties are ripe for continued investment and job growth. These roadway improvements will support job creation and stimulate regional development.

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Tags: Tags: commute, construction, dave young, deerfield township, exit, fields ertel road, i-71, mason, mason-montgomery road, Ohio Department of Transportation, symmes, traffic, warren county commissioner

Motorists frustrated with delays at the Fields-Ertel Road exit off Interstate 71 will have the chance to find out about current and proposed improvements at a community information meeting Thursday.

The community is invited to stop in any time between 5-8 p.m. at Deerfield Crossing Tower, 5181 Natorp Blvd., Deerfield Township. A brief presentation and question-and-answer session will be held at 7 p.m.

The traffic-clogged interchange at Fields Ertel and Mason-Montgomery roads near the border of southern Warren and northern Hamilton counties has long been a source of frustration for residents and commuters.

Funding for current and scheduled improvements has been secured and motorists have already begun to see changes in the area, including the addition of a new northbound traffic lane and improvements in traffic signal timing, say officials.

Work has already begun in the area and will continue over the next several years

“We are working aggressively to ease congestion, expand access to business and shopping and improve safety for all who travel through the Fields-Ertel/Mason-Montgomery Road area,” said Warren County Engineer Neil Tunison. “We are excited to host this community information meeting so that the public can learn more about the improvements taking place in the area.”

The interchange was constructed in the 1960s when the area was rural. Today it’s jammed with commerce – and traffic.

By 2015, officials estimate 66,650 vehicles will travel through the intersection of Mason-Montgomery and Fields Ertel roads in one day. By 2035, that jumps by 40 percent to 93,620 vehicles a day.

The area is a key economic engine for Warren County. Within miles of the interchange is Procter & Gamble’s Mason Business Center, the Deerfield Towne Center shopping center, Kings Automall and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Mason campus, among others.

“This is the single most important infrastructure improvement we can undertake on behalf of our region,” said Warren County Commissioner Dave Young. “We understand the fierce urgency of now, and we’re fixing the traffic problems and making the drive through Fields-Ertel safer and easier – and we’re doing it now.”

For more information on the meeting or interchange improvement project, call 513-804-8033 or go to www.advancingfieldsertel.com.

Staff reporter Paul McKibben contributed

Posted in: Community, News, Traffic |

Tags: Tags: cincinnati children's hospital medical center mason campus, commute, dave young, deerfield towne center, deerfield township, fields ertel exit, fields ertel road, i-71, interchange improvements project, interstate 71, kings automall, mason, mason-montgomery road, neil tunison, symmes township, traffic, warren county engineer

Motorists can expect late night lane closures on Mason-Montgomery Road this week.

The Warren County Engineer’s Office will close one lane on Fields-Ertel Road to Parkway Drive from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday for paving.

Utility work will also be performed in the southwest corner of Mason-Montgomery Road and Natorp Drive from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thursday, resulting in a lane closure to southbound traffic.

No detours are expected; traffic will be maintained.  For more information, call the Warren County Engineer’s Office at 513-695-3302.

Posted in: News, Traffic |

Tags: Tags: fields ertel road, mason-montgomery road, paving, traffic, warren county engineer's office

Cars line up off of the Fields Ertel exit on northbound Interstate 71 at lunchtime. Photo taken by Leigh Taylor.

Paul McKibben reports

Fed up with traffic, Chelsea Eiermann and her fiance plan to move from their apartment off Fields Ertel Road when their lease is up.

“The traffic is pretty horrendous, especially trying to get to the highways in the morning, at lunch or in the late afternoons,” she said.

They are not alone in their frustration with the complex and traffic-clogged interchange on Interstate 71 at Fields Ertel and Mason-Montgomery roads. The area is near the border of southern Warren and northern Hamilton counties.

Aerial view of the Fields-Ertel exit off of Interstate 71, left, - at right is Fields-Ertel Road, and at the bottom is Mason-Montgomery Road. Photo taken by Gary Landers.

After years of plans, no big solution is in sight because state funding is not planned. Money is tight, so any fixes to keep vehicles from stacking onto northbound I-71 at evening rush hour will have to be done piecemeal.

The Ohio Transportation Review and Advisory Council in January placed the project on its second tier with no funding from TRAC and the Ohio Department of Transportation, according to a preliminary list of TRAC projects.

“There are a lot of different problems and each of the problems requires their own solutions,” Warren County Engineer Neil Tunison said.

The area is a key economic engine for Warren County. Within miles of the interchange is Procter & Gamble’s Mason Business Center, the Deerfield Towne Center shopping center, Kings Automall and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Mason campus, among others.

The interchange was constructed in the 1960s when the area was rural. Today it’s jammed with commerce – and traffic.

By 2015, officials estimate 66,650 vehicles will travel through the intersection of Mason-Montgomery and Fields Ertel roads in one day. By 2035, that jumps by 40 percent to 93,620 vehicles a day. (more…)

Posted in: News, Traffic |

Tags: Tags: fields ertel road, interstate 71, mason-montgomery road, Ohio Department of Transportation

David Holthaus reports:

Posted in: News |

Tags: Tags: car accident, danica mclester, deerfield township, derrek jones, fields ertel road, i-71, matt shuttleworth, ohio state highway patrol, olivia french, seatbelts, teenagers, teens, wilmington, wreck

An overnight lane closure is scheduled this Sunday from Fields Ertel Road to the I-71 southbound exit ramp on Mason-Montgomery Road.

The lane closure is set for 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28 through 6 a.m. the next morning due to water main work as part of the Mason-Montgomery Road Improvements Project.

Traffic will be maintained and no detours are necessary.  For more information, call the Warren County Engineer’s Office at 513- 695-3301.

Posted in: News, Traffic |

Tags: Tags: exit ramp, fields ertel road, i-71, lane closure, mason-montgomery road, mason-montgomery road improvements project, traffic, warren county engineer's office, water main

Relief may be in sight for traffic-weary motorists who have to navigate traffic snarls on northbound Interstate 71 at the Fields Ertel/Mason-Montgomery roads exit.

The Enquirer’s Paul McKibben reports that Warren County has received a long-awaited permit from the Ohio Department of Transportation for work that includes building an additional northbound through lane starting at Fields Ertel Road going 3,000 feet north to Parkway Drive.

The intersection, which officials say is one of the busiest in Southwest Ohio with more than 80,000 vehicles a day, was previously delayed by the state because of a permit problem.

“The state’s kind of changed its tune a little bit and actually sped up this project,” said Commissioner Dave Young. “We were getting kind of bogged down in some of the bureaucracy inside of Columbus.”

Warren County Engineer Neil Tunison said ODOT’s district office was helpful when they recognized the project’s importance. He said there were technical issues that were easily resolved.

ODOT District 8 spokesman Sharon Smigielski said Warren County made the revisions that were asked.

“It’s a process,” she said.

McKibben has more on the project’s details:

Warren County will bid on the $1.6 million project Tuesday, Young said. Tunison said work will begin in July, with the project hopefully done by the middle of November.

Motorists shouldn’t see any delays because of the work. Tunison said if there are any lane closures, those will happen after 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. He said there might be certain times where officials have to make daytime lane closures but those will be for short periods. He said officials hope to alleviate of a lot of the traffic delays by doing a lot of the work at night.

The project will use a mixture of funds from Warren County, Hamilton County and the state. The area is on the border of Warren and Hamilton counties.

Other projects are in the works that will also help ease congestion that sometimes sees traffic back out onto I-71 during rush hour.

ODOT will oversee a $1.5 million project to improve traffic signals in the area. Tunison said bids will be opened on June 16 for that, with officials anticipating work beginning later this summer. Completion date would be the summer of 2012. The 21 traffic signals are on Mason-Montgomery Road, Fields Ertel Road and Escort Drive.

“We hope that it’ll have a very marked improvement . … You never really know until you’ve done all these improvements,” he said.

Tunison said the northbound lane and ODOT’s traffic signalization project should really help to alleviate but may not eliminate the big backup on I-71.

Another project involves extending the northbound exit ramp, which is where the most noticeable backups are. Tunison said bids will be opened in January 2014 for that, with construction probably starting that spring. He said the work will take a least one construction season and might go into the next one. The work is a state project, costing around $6 million.

Tunison said peak times and locations are mornings northbound on Mason-Montgomery Road, a noon peak southbound on Mason-Montgomery and an afternoon peak westbound on Fields Ertel Road. Problems also happen during the weekend.

Do you have to navigate this congested exit?  How long does it add to your commute?  What do you think of the proposed traffic changes?

Posted in: Community, News |

Tags: Tags: commute, fields ertel road, i-71, mason-montgomery road, odot, traffic