Rail, trucking at heart of port authority's hub plan

CHRIS DUMOND / [email protected]

February 21, 2007

 

HAMILTON — Work is underway to bring a 1,000-acre transportation hub to Butler County that could combine railroad and trucking services.

 

A study by the Butler County Port Authority and the Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments has identified 14 potential sites for the hub clustered mainly around the Butler County Regional Airport, the border area between Middletown and Monroe, and the area from Trenton to New Miami, Authority Secretary John Fonner said Tuesday.

 

http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/20/hjn022107portmain.html

Ya beat me to the punch Rando!  Good catch on this story.  This could be a major generator of development and jobs in and around Butler County.

The job growth potential from these types of hubs is HUGE.  If it were to locate near the Butler County Airport in Hamilton...then that would be a GREAT project for the county and the county seat!

A freight hub of this size would choke local highways, so having a rail element to this is an essential part of the investment in a project like this. The positive economic impacts are the proverbial "rising tide that floats all boats", so both Hamilton and Butler counties would see benefits, not to mention the ability to manage freight traffic a whole lot better than they can currently.

This is the area I believe they are talking about (shaded blue area):

 

Orange Lines = Existing RR lines

Yellow = Possible roadway from I-75 with new interchange

*AK Steel/Middletown directly north....Monroe directly south

*The site looks to easily make up 1,000 plus acres, with little developed area

 

This is a similar project done recently north of Ft. Worth, TX.  Once again, orange is RR lines and the shaded blue area is about the size of the hub (the gray area to the right of the RR tracks is all of the truck loading/unloading stalls.  These are from about the same altitude and are roughly comparable for sizing purposes (the Middletown one is about 24,600).

Any updates on this?  Anyone hear how the polititions are leaning?  ARe they still persuing the project, and what location has risen to the top this month?

 

From what I have heard recently, the AK steel sit seems to be the top pick at the moment. The project seems to have good political support, the big challenge is money.

I was just thinking that maybe the area of tired old tracks near P&G in St. Bernard would be another area that would work for this kind of facility.  Could maybe tie it into the I-75 reconstruction.  Thinking that maybe St. Bernard, Elmwood Place and the City of Cincinnati could use a shot in the arm more than Butler County?

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=st.+bernard+ohio&ie=UTF8&ll=39.18189,-84.492781&spn=0.014903,0.028925&t=k&z=15&om=1

I don't think there is enough space there first of all, and the congestion on that part of I-75 is already bad.  Adding in a massive distribution hub like that would surely screw everything up in terms of traffic flow.  By placing it outside of the beltway you spread out that massive truck traffic that will come from it, and still allow them the option of using the bypass (which is it's intended purpose...through trucks are to use it, and NOT cut through the city).

Do you think this would ultimately have a possibility of alleviating some of CSX traffic at the Queensgate yard?     

 

1. Maybe open more rail up for passenger lines that would not be delayed by the hourglass effect through the Mill Creek Valley.

 

2. (Long Shot)  but possibly allow for future land reclamation of (QG yard) for more projects like what the city has been striving for over the past few years.   Especially projects directly west of the city. (Sedamsville, Lower P-Hill, Queensgate, West End.    Think about the new Union Term. news released earlier today).

 

I think this area has the most potential to become a high-tech modern industrial/ residential / and commercial area that could sustain itself similar in regards to the St Bernard area.  Queensgate has so much land that the possibilities are endless especially with a possible rerouting of 75 within the coming years. 

 

I often wonder if CSX will ever question, ponder, or plan on trying to relocate traffic to a less urban area. 

I could see this as helping with the logjam that currently exists in QG, but there won't be anything that will replace it.  I also think it's valuable for the city to have a major railyard in it's limits.  Certain manufacturing companies and distribution facilities require close proximity to railyards...those businesses = big time tax money for the city, and decent paying middle class jobs.  You don't want to lose that, but I would (and probably the city) go for reducing some of it's congestion/bottlenecks.

Is there any info available on the types of businesses that are the most beneficial to a city in regards to tax revenue? I know distribution centers bring in a lot of tax revenue; Columbus incentivized Steve & Barrys to have one in their huge distribution district near Hilliard, but it doesn't seem like a very desirable component to a city to me. Large trucks are loud and take up a lot of room. Anymore, distribution centers are giant boxes of siding. I was just looking at the one IBM has here and it has to be over 1.5 million square feet. It's ridiculously big and bland and ugly. I'd rather invite office space (even though I'm sure you're forced to take what you can get sometimes and need to make use of existing facilities).

Any kind of industrial type use usually pays off big for city coffers.