No -- US 35 was four-laned in the vicinity of Jeffersonville in the early 1970s, and was completed in various stages on both sides over the years. The influx of cross-traffic from the outlet malls and the truck stops caused traffic congestion. It is mid-way between Cincinnati and Columbus on Interstate 71, and mid-way between Dayton and Chillicothe on US 35, so it is a natural pit-stop for many.

 

The bypass at Jeffersonville was the last segment to be completed between Xenia and Chillicothe, and was completed to provide a state-wide bypass that is still incomplete west of Xenia towards Interstate 675 -- the remaining intersections will be closed and converted either into interchanges or overpasses in the next five years.

Well, it is happening:

 

More Dayton streets becoming two-way

 

By Joanne Huist Smith, Staff Writer

 

Updated 3:14 PM Thursday, April 22, 2010

 

DAYTON — Two-way traffic will soon flow on several downtown streets that have been one-way since the 1960s.

 

The federally funded $1.7 million plan is part of a multiyear effort to improve traffic flow and accessibility downtown for vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians.

 

Stephen Seboldt, chairman of the Downtown Priority Board, said many believe the changes will encourage more people to come downtown because it will be easier to get around.

 

Full Article:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/more-dayton-streets-becoming-two-way-666209.html?showComments=true

$119M bridge projects update local landscape

Miami Valley’s crumbling arched bridges have been transformed into landmarks

 

By Joanne Huist Smith, Staff Writer  Updated 4:12 PM Sunday, July 25, 2010

 

The Stewart Street Bridge.  LEDs light the bridge and were recently changed to the colors of the German flag to honor a German economic development delegation.

 

 

DAYTON — More than $119 million in public funds committed since 2004 have transformed Miami Valley’s crumbling arched bridges into modern-day landmarks and public works of art.

 

The most costly at $16.5 million, the Stewart Street bridge over the Great Miami River in Dayton, opened to traffic in November.

 

The 651-foot reinforced concrete span is a “hybrid pier bridge,” with piers in the riverbed that hold “Y” shaped bridge supports. Dramatic lighting underneath adds to its character, said Steve Finke, Dayton’s assistant director of public works.

 

 

more: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/-119m-bridge-projects-update-local-landscape-829064.html

A few Pictures I took today of the relocated Philadelphia Drive Bridge over Wolf Creek in West Dayton

 

Map Link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=dayton&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Dayton,+Montgomery,+Ohio&gl=us&ll=39.766144,-84.234753&spn=0.006144,0.009516&z=17

 

I like the "new" bridge but I miss the old one for childhood memories.

Wow, I did not realize this was happening. That alignment will be much better, but the bridge is pretty plain by Dayton standards.

Local control of road projects threatened

 

"Local control of area road projects could be lost if federal funding for the Clark County-Springfield Transportation Coordinating Committee is eliminated."

"A “leaked” draft of the Federal Transportation Bill proposes dissolving the local TCC and 219 other Metropolitan Planning Organizations nationwide that serve populations below 200,000, according to Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations officials."

 

http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-news/local-control-of-road-projects-threatened-1203962.html

The TCC should probably merge with the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission anyway.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/austin-boulevard-traffic-exceeding-2035-forecast-1334377.html?cxtype=rss_local-news

Austin Boulevard traffic exceeding 2035 forecast

Gridlock is common at burgeoning interchange.

By Lawrence Budd, Staff Writer

Updated 12:25 AM Sunday, February 26, 2012

 

The $43.9 million Austin Boulevard interchange is serving 10,000 more vehicles during peak times than was anticipated for another 20 years.

 

Less than two years after its opening, the state is paying a Columbus-based consulting firm thousands of dollars to study ways to alleviate the gridlock.

 

“Nobody thought the traffic would ever reach what was forecast,” said Springboro City Councilman David Vomacka.

 

“Certainly the day it was opened, the traffic was there,” said Vomacka, a transportation planning consultant.

Another example of how efforts to reduce congestion merely induce demand.

That continuous flow intersection is the freakiest, craziest assed structure that I have ever driven through. Especially the basket weaving of opposing lanes of traffic that pass each other on the "wrong" side.

 

What the heck happens when the signals go out due to a power failure? I'd "love" to see the September 2008 hurricane power outage hit that intersection.

It also takes a TON of land.

^Compared to a traditional intersection, YES; compared to an interchange/grade separation, NO.

I recently took a ride on the Xenia-Jamestown Connector Trail. I usually start from Frank Seaman park (a little league and tennis park in back of Jamestown's high school) and I ride west to the paved trail terminus outside Xenia.

 

During a ride Sunday, August 12, I finally saw the long-anticipated tunnel being built under the US 35 bypass. This is the area of construction on the freeway just east of the US 68/Home Ave. exit.

 

I say it was 1/2 done because a tunnel spanning one of the two lanes (the eastbound side of the road) has been completed. Hopefully this thing will get completed this fall.

 

Here's the photos, from trail level.

 

 

Cell Phone panoramic shot:

 

 

This is kind of a moderately big deal  for local cyclists because it opens Xenia up in a completely new direction of travel, on a paved bike trail. With this trail completely open with no on-street sections, you can ride from Xenia to within 2 miles of the Jeffersonville Outlets (not that I plan to incorporate this fact into my shopping expeditions.  :-P)

 

The trail currently ends eastward, at the Fayette County line. Hopefully, it will one day connect to the trail network that connects Washington CH and Chillicothe.

 

I will soon be posting a photo thread on sights along the Xenia-Jamestown trail.

Good to see. Thanks!

Curious about that for a while. I photographed the trail (former B&O) a while back but that segment had not yet been cleared. The tunnel for others is at: http://goo.gl/maps/Q9XBc

 

The other critical tunnel is under Interstate 71, which was filled in quite some time back: http://goo.gl/maps/CKols

 

Another tunnel will be needed under US 35  east of Interstate 71 as well: http://goo.gl/maps/MKAlQ

Curious about that for a while. I photographed the trail (former B&O) a while back but that segment had not yet been cleared. The tunnel for others is at: http://goo.gl/maps/Q9XBc

 

The other critical tunnel is under Interstate 71, which was filled in quite some time back: http://goo.gl/maps/CKols

 

Another tunnel will be needed under US 35  east of Interstate 71 as well: http://goo.gl/maps/MKAlQ

 

Up until perhaps 2009 (I think) the Jamestown trail ended dead at Jasper Road, and the right of way across the road was in brush. Since that time, the paved trail has been incrementally built out from Jasper to Hoop Rd., then Bickett Rd., and most recently it was extended to the side of US 35 maybe in spring of last year. Considering how little mileage was involved, the pace has seemed glacial - much slower than when the Little Miami bikeway was extended north of Morrow in the mid 90s, which involved many more miles of trail.

 

Sherman, as far as I know there is no paved trail planned out there around Octa, OH. You'd be talking about a connection from Washington Courthouse to the existing trail which ends just east of Rosemoor Road at the Fayette line. Is there current work on such an extension?

Here is the tunnel under I-71:

 

http://www2.dot.state.oh.us/sfn/images/Dist.6/fay/2401908/2401908.htm#2401908

 

Huh, no kidding! But Sherman said it was filled in. I see that the photos are dated from 2005.

Its still there..when they three-laned that section Of I-71, they removed the old RR overpass, lowered the elevation of I-71 and constructed the box culvert for the future trail

Ah hah. Yes, I remember driving through a (seemingly) 50 mile long construction zone on 71 back in 2007 and 2008. Great info, thanks.

 

It does seem, though, that a continuous tunnel that long and that low would be quite dark.

 

Example, the rail tunnels along the North Bend trail in WV that are > 300 feet long don't seem to be safe to ride without a light. We started to go into one (#12), which is about 500 feet long, and on a cloudy day it's quite dark in the middle. And those are 30 ft high tunnels.

 

Safety for cyclists would seem to be an issue here. Assuming that the connector trail ever gets built.

Small update (and excuse this, please, if your reaction is "duh! about time you noticed!" :) )

 

Driving by the site on Rt 35 today I noticed that the bridge for the westbound lanes is now removed. They've got the west bound traffic diverted with barriers to the eastbound lanes, each direction of travel temporarily being single lane. Apparently the rest of the tunnel will go in very soon so that they can rebuild the freeway bridge.

 

This is the first time I've seen construction this extensive for a "mere" bike trail. I've never seen a freeway bridge being rebuilt around here just for a bike trail.

Small update (and excuse this, please, if your reaction is "duh! about time you noticed!" :) )

 

Driving by the site on Rt 35 today I noticed that the bridge for the westbound lanes is now removed. They've got the west bound traffic diverted with barriers to the eastbound lanes, each direction of travel temporarily being single lane. Apparently the rest of the tunnel will go in very soon so that they can rebuild the freeway bridge.

 

This is the first time I've seen construction this extensive for a "mere" bike trail. I've never seen a freeway bridge being rebuilt around here just for a bike trail.

 

Why not just leave the existing bridge in, unless it needed major structural renovation that required the replacement of the girders, et al.?

There was no suggestion box at the site.  :-)

 

"Bridge" may be a misnomer. With the box culvert thingies in place both rebuilt sides of the expressway will effectively be bridges of sorts. They started life, though, as roadways on top of solid berms. IE, when the bypass was first constructed, they just cut off the old railroad R.O.W. So my description of the original structure wasn't correct.

 

I didn't see the first section (the eastbound lanes) get laid, and I had assumed, probably incorrectly, that they tunneled under the freeway. What they are now doing is more like "cut and cover", if I have the nomenclature correct.

 

One other thing - this new construction (wb lanes cut off) is new, since August 12. When I was down on the trail then, I looked through the one culvert to a solid hillside which was the berm for the wb lanes.

 

Hopefully, the trail will be built under the freeway during the remaining "riding weather" this fall.

Here's apparently the definitive word on this subject of completion date:

 

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/bike-trail-tunnel-under-us-35-to-be-complete-in-sp/nSBp5/

 

Ohio Department of Transportation spokeswoman Sharon Smigielski said construction on the U.S. 35 bypass related to the 200-feet-long bike tunnel will be complete by late November.

 

Additional work related to linking both sides of the 17-mile paved trail will be completed next spring, she said. The tunnel will open soon after.

Small update (and excuse this, please, if your reaction is "duh! about time you noticed!" :) )

 

Driving by the site on Rt 35 today I noticed that the bridge for the westbound lanes is now removed. They've got the west bound traffic diverted with barriers to the eastbound lanes, each direction of travel temporarily being single lane. Apparently the rest of the tunnel will go in very soon so that they can rebuild the freeway bridge.

 

This is the first time I've seen construction this extensive for a "mere" bike trail. I've never seen a freeway bridge being rebuilt around here just for a bike trail.

 

Why not just leave the existing bridge in, unless it needed major structural renovation that required the replacement of the girders, et al.?

 

Cost of the maintenance and inspection of the bridge.

The way I saw it, from direct inspection...

 

The "bridge" being formed by this work started life as a berm on which the US 35 lanes sat. IE, there was no bridge before. The box culverts that form the tunnels are as tall as the surface of the road. There's no way I can see that you could simply slide the culvert "under" the lanes without collapsing them. So each side the of the freeway had to be excavated and rebuilt.

 

You can see this in the photos I posted.

Tunnelly goodness, taken 9/29/12

 

Awesome. Thanks!

More on the ongoing issues at Austin Boulevard

 

From little over a year ago

 

Austin Boulevard traffic problems preventable, officials say

 

TWP., Montgomery County — The traffic problems at Austin Boulevard and Ohio 741 could have been prevented by creating a four-leg intersection rather than the two-leg intersection that ultimately was built, according to some officials.

 

Less than two years since construction, the “continuous-flow” intersection already surpasses levels not expected for 20 years — even though development around the interchange has just begun.

 

 

From November:

 

Austin Boulevard 'traffic fix' being discussed

New right turn, southbound lane planned

 

The Ohio Department of Transportation wants to begin work on traffic problems at Austin Boulevard and Ohio 741 — contrary to consultants’ advice.

 

Within two years, ODOT plans to add a continuous right turn lane from Austin Boulevard eastbound onto Ohio 741, as well as another southbound lane on Ohio 741 leading into Springboro.

 

The project was among actions suggested by a consultant hired by the state to study traffic problems at the intersection.

 

“We’ve decided to move forward and build that piece of it,” ODOT Traffic Engineer Craig Eley said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is an absolutely fascinating look at some of these old expressway plans. Pre-Interstate freeways always have so many more quirks and oddities that make them more interesting than stuff built later. That massive traffic circle is one of my favorite remnants from that era - I wonder why ODOT never reconfigured that exit lane?

 

I originally dug up this thread because I was looking for some insight as to where Steve Whalen Boulevard was actually supposed to connect through to. With the size of its original interchange, I can only assume that there were plans to build a north-south expressway on the near east side.

State approves $32M funding package for U.S. 35 interchange project in Greene County

 

A $32 million funding package for a new interchange project in the Dayton area is moving forward.

 

The State of Ohio’s Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) has approved funding for Beavercreek Township and Greene County to begin work on the interchange project, which will build a connection between U.S. 35 and Trebein Road, including both on and off ramps. The goal of the project is to enhance safety, provide economic development opportunities and improve traffic flow along U.S. 35 in the township and county.

 

Several safety improvements have occurred to this intersection by the Ohio Department of Transportation throughout the years, such as additional signage and flashing signage, but safety issues still persisted and congestion continues. This project will replace the existing at-grade U.S. 35/Valley/Trebein intersection with a full interchange over U.S. 35.

 

“This project is highly important to the safety of the traveling public in and through Greene County, and this project will save lives,” Greene County Engineer Stephanie Goff said, adding the proposed interchange is part of the final component of a long-term project to upgrade U.S. 35 from Interstate 75 in Dayton to Interstate 64 in Charleston, West Virginia.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2021/09/24/u-s-35-interchange.html

 

City seeks millions in federal funding for entirety of 'rebirth' project

 

City officials in the region's municipality are seeking millions in federal funding to cover the entirety of a new pedestrian bridge. One official called the project a "rebirth" for the "historically disadvantaged community." 

 

Dayton officials are seeking the OK from city commissioners to submit a federal application to pay for an $8.5 million project to build a new pedestrian bridge spanning over U.S. Route 35 on Abbey Ave. in Dayton.

 

Officials want to apply for the U.S. Department of Transportation's capital construction grant funding through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Program — seeking the full amount for the project. The grant program has no match requirement because the project is located within a disadvantaged or underserved community.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2023/09/27/dayton-pedestrian-bridge-funding.html