LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Construction of a Liberty Twp. roundabout on Millikin Road will close its intersection with the north leg of Lesourdsville-West Chester Road beginning Tuesday.
“We had this roundabout in mind when we started down the road with the other roundabout (Millikin Road, Lesourdsville-Wester Road and Pinckney Trail),” said Greg Wilkens, Butler County engineer.
That roundabout opened in 2021. Both roundabouts were planned because of increasing congestion and accidents, including a pedestrian death in 2021, Wilkens said.
“We do (roundabouts) for two reasons – safety and increasing capacity. As Liberty Twp. has grown, there’s more traffic,’’ Wilkens said.
“Roundabouts are the No. 1 tool in our toolbox. We’ve seen a 100 percent reduction in fatalities, an 80 percent reduction in injuries, and a 69 percent overall reduction in accidents since we began installing them.”
Construction will be done by W.G. Stang LLC at a cost of $1.36 million. The project also includes lighting, an improved pedestrian crossing and a closed storm sewer system, curbs, and catch basins.
During work, roads will be closed to all through traffic, but local traffic will have access up to the construction zone. Access to the Millikin Road crosswalk and Whispering Brook Court to the Millikin Road path will be temporarily restricted.
Money for the project is mostly coming from grants funneled through the County Engineers Association of Ohio. Work is expected to be complete by Aug. 8.
Eastbound Millikin Road traffic will detour south on Ohio 747, east on Princeton Road and north on Lesourdsville-West Chester Road’s south leg. Westbound motorists would reverse the route.
Traffic on Lesourdsville West Chester Road’s north leg will detour east on Millikin Road, north on Mauds Hughes Road and west on Kyles Station Road. Southbound motorists would reverse the route.
Also beginning Tuesday, Amsterdam Drive will close to all traffic 500 feet east of Windmill Drive and west of Netherland Drive while crews repair a culvert. Access to properties will be maintained on either side of the construction area.
Motorists will detour using Netherland and Windmill drives. The road is expected to reopen on June 6.
