FAIRFIELD, Ohio — Fairfield city administrators are looking for feedback from residents about improved safety at a pair of railroad crossings.
Officials from the city and Butler County Transportation Improvement District created a website detailing the Symmes Road Railroad Crossing Elimination Project, which is designed to eliminate two at-grade railroad crossings at Symmes and North Gilmore roads.
They seek public input and feedback on this project to be included on the record, but comments must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 17.
Eliminating this crossing had been a discussion point for Fairfield since the 1980s; however, across-the-board interest was not there. Now it is, and over the past few years, Fairfield leaders have put the city in a position to receive millions of dollars in federal funds to build a railroad overpass on Symmes Road.
CSX Transportation has dozens of trains passing through the region every day, often blocking thousands of residents. While they connect major cities in Ohio and the Midwest, they do disrupt communities’ daily activities, which is a primary reason why Hamilton pursued the South Hamilton Crossing. This project would be similar to what the city of Hamilton constructed at Grand Boulevard when it opened the South Hamilton Crossing in December 2018, which cost $32 million at that time.
A Symmes Road overpass project is expected to cost between $40 million and $45 million based on 2030-2031 construction estimates, said Fairfield Public Works Director Ben Mann.
In January 2024, the city formalized an agreement with the Butler County TID to formally act on the city’s behalf for this railroad crossing elimination project. The TID has already received $3 million in federal grant funds, which would pay for 80% of the initial phase of work (such as engineering and plan development) for the Symmes Road project, which is less than a mile west of Ohio 4 in the northern part of the city.
Hazardous crossings
Mann said this project is a chance to fix a problem that ranks among the top 10% of the most hazardous crossings in the country and among the top 7% of the most frequently blocked.
“Crashes have occurred at these crossings, resulting in fatalities and serious injuries,” he said. “Traffic interruptions caused by trains are frequent, resulting in lengthy commutes and delayed emergency response times.”
Having a chance to fix these problems is “a tremendous opportunity” for the city.
In addition to the overpass at Symmes Road, the project would close North Gilmore Road crossing, creating a cul-de-sac north of the tracks. On the south side, North Gilmore would have access to Busway Lane. The Symmes and North Gilmore crossings have seen a combined eight fatalities, according to the city.
In addition to improving safety, this Fairfield project will benefit the area’s economy, said Dan Corey, executive director of the Butler County TID.
“Symmes Road is an important east-west corridor for the movement of people, goods and services through the region,” he said. “We are excited to support this project because of its regional importance and relationship to other rail crossing improvements in the area.”
This corridor is a major arterial connector between Ohio 4 and Interstate 75, crossing industrial and business districts in Fairfield, Hamilton and West Chester Twp. Symmes Road changes names to Union Centre Boulevard within West Chester Twp., and is considered “critical for workforce access,” Corey said, with around 36,000 people employed within 3 miles of the Fairfield railroad crossing.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
To comment on the plan or follow the project’s development, visit www.SymmesRoadRailOverpass.com.
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