The North Hamilton Rail and River Crossing (NHX) aims to enhance safety and infrastructure in Hamilton. Replacing the century-old Black Street Bridge, NHX will introduce a new railroad overpass and a modern boulevard north of downtown. The proposed design includes two lanes in each direction, a multi-use path, and pedestrian sidewalks. NHX addresses safety concerns by alleviating traffic delays, particularly at priority urban intersections and high-risk areas for bike and pedestrian incidents. With 40-50 daily train crossings causing frequent road closures, the overpass will improve rail safety, leading to the closure of the hazardous Butler Street crossing. The collaborative effort involves various entities, including the City of Hamilton, Butler County TID, ODOT, OKI, Butler County, the Butler County Engineer’s Office, local townships and, as appropriate, other stakeholders and community members. The project's feasibility study concluded in 2023, with the selection of a preferred alternative slated for approval in the summer of 2024.
This project will add two roundabouts, as well as new sidewalks and a multi-use path – which is designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists – adjacent to the roadway intersection improvements along the Hamilton Freshman Campus. The roundabouts would serve as a traffic calming device through the school zones as they slow traffic down. The City of Hamilton will seek to complete the sidewalk network along N B Street to the schools using Safe Routes to School and Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, funding. These improvements are needed to serve the existing area, which is experiencing an influx in development, including Spooky Nook less than a mile away. This project constitutes the first phase of NHX. Detailed design for the project will begin in the next few months. Utility relocation is scheduled to begin in 2025 with construction of the roundabouts occurring in 2026 and completing in 2027.