LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- A major route to and from the township soon will close as part of a yearlong road improvement project.
The five-phase construction project is expected to begin July 5 on Yankee Road. The project aims to improve traffic flow by widening a portion of the two-lane road and adding a roundabout at Princeton Road.
“Congestion is a major part of this,” said Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens.
The road will undergo various closures between Dutchland Parkway and Princeton Road over the next 12 months.
“It’ll be closed generally through the duration of it,” Wilkens said.
With the exception of residents and businesses in the construction area, drivers will be rerouted.
“Anyone who uses that road to commute on a daily basis, they’re going to have to find a different way,” said Chris Petrocy, public information supervisor for the Butler County Engineer’s Office.
The engineer’s office has established detour routes to redirect traffic throughout the project’s various phases.
A portion of Yankee Road will be widened and a roundabout will be added to Princeton Road during construction over the next year. (Roxanna Swift | WCPO contributor)
The project is expected to cost roughly $4 million and will be paid for through a combination of federal, state and county funding.
Roundabout construction, which is expected to take about three months, will make up the initial phase of the project. All four legs of the intersection of Yankee and Princeton roads will be closed during this phase.
Some of the county’s residents previously expressed uncertainty about roundabouts. However, with the increasing popularity of these road features, Wilkens doesn’t expect much protest related to Yankee Road.
“Initially we met some concerns, but as we build more of them, I think they’re being accepted by the public pretty readily,” Wilkens said.
There are currently about 10 roundabouts throughout Butler County, he said.
“Once they use them and get used to them and understand the safety benefits, the feedback has really been overwhelmingly positive,” Petrocy said.
The second and third phases of the Yankee Road project involve replacing and widening bridges near Wyandot Lane. Construction is expected to be complete on these two phases by winter.
Construction will halt, and all roads are expected to be open during the winter months.
The project will resume in the spring with the final two phases, the last of which involves widening Yankee Road to add a center turn lane.
A sidewalk also will be added on Yankee Road between Dutchland Parkway and Wyandot Lane. The addition of the sidewalk will improve walkability and connectivity for multiple neighborhoods in the area as well as for Woodland Elementary and Liberty Middle School.
“With the sidewalk you’re going to improve walkability to the school and safety for the kids,” Petrocy said.
Click here for updates on road closures and detours.
