Butler County Engineer
Greg Wilkens reports that major improvements to Beckett Road
are set to get under way beginning May 26, 2009, although no
road closures will go into effect until June 15.
Plans call for widening
the roadway from Union Centre Boulevard to Smith Road and modifying
the sharp curves near Beckett Ridge. Specifically, the road will
be widened to three lanes from Union Centre north to the first
curve where it will taper back to two lanes and the curve will
be eased. The road will again become three lanes from Prairie
Lake Boulevard to Smith Road and the curve at Beckett Ridge Boulevard
will be eased.
The addition of the
third center lane will serve as a turn lane and an additional
turn lane will be built at Beckett Park. The west park drive
entrance will also be re-located to align with the east park
entrance. Improvements will be made to the vertical profile of
Beckett Road, easing the hills and removing humps to improve
sight distance, particularly at the Beckett Ridge Boulevard intersection.
Additionally, a ten-foot
wide multi-use path for pedestrian and bicycle traffic will be
constructed along the east side of the road from Beckett Park
to Beckett Ridge Boulevard.
A construction contract
for the project was awarded to Sunesis Construction of West Chester
Township which submitted a low bid of $1,376,594. West Chester
Township TIF (Tax Increment Financing) funds are being utilized
to pay for 100 percent of the project's cost.
All work is scheduled
for completion by early October 2009, weather permitting.
Road Closure
Phasing and Maintenance of Traffic
While the Beckett Road
construction will be in effect from May through October, motorists
will only encounter road closures between June 15 and August
15. The closures will occur in three different phases and will
shift as work progresses. Throughout the course of this project,
local access will be maintained to residents and businesses,
although access will be limited to one side of the main closure
area depending upon one's location relative to the phasing and
work being performed. Detours will be posted for all thru traffic.
The phasing will be
as follows:
PHASE 1 -- Starting
June 15, 2009, Beckett Road will be closed between Prairie Lake
Boulevard and Beckett Ridge Boulevard. Access to Prairie Lake
Boulevard will be from the south side only (Union Centre Boulevard).
Access to Beckett Ridge Boulevard will be from the Smith Road
side only.
PHASE 2 -- Beckett
Road will be closed between Beckett Ridge Boulevard and Smith
Road. Access to Beckett Ridge Boulevard and points south will
be from Union Centre Boulevard only.
PHASE 3 -- Beckett
Road will be closed between Prairie Lake Boulevard and Union
Centre Boulevard. Access to Prairie Lake Boulevard and points
north will be from the Smith Road side only. Road to reopen by
August 15, 2009.
Detour for all
phases: Northbound
Beckett Road traffic will detour west on Union Centre Boulevard,
north on Ohio 747, and east on Smith Road. Southbound traffic
will reverse this route.
Motorists are encouraged
to check the BCEO web site as the best source for possible date
and status changes concerning this closure.
