LEBANON -- Tourists visiting Paramount's Kings Island and other Greater Cincinnati fun spots make up a majority of the business at the Days Inn on Ohio 63.
But part-owner Subhas Patel sees a day soon when the 68-room hotel off Interstate 75 will become a mecca for business trips and conferences.
As the corridor along Ohio 63 becomes more important to the area's economy, it also earns more frequent mention during long-term transportation planning meetings. While no major improvements or projects have yet been financed, several ideas could dramatically change transportation in Butler and Warren counties.
The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments included a feasibility study on extending Ohio 63 to Oxford in its 2020 Transportation Plan. And Warren County Engineer Neil Tunison is holding meetings on the feasibility of an Ohio 63 bypass around Lebanon to I-71.
Anticipating this growth, Mr. Patel this month converted 15 Days Inn rooms to business suites, adding conveniences such as in-room modem hookups, coffee makers, irons, hair dryers and alarm clocks to appeal to corporate clients.
By summer, Mr. Patel expects to change the hotel's name to Days Inn and Suites Business Place, and within a year, he hopes to install a business center with a computer and laser printer.
"With the development across the street and in the area, we believe there will be more of a business market," Mr. Patel said. He's not the only one.
The future of Ohio 63 looks bright. The gently rolling road is about to see major growth, leaders and experts predict. Several developers are advertising the land, and already new restaurants and office buildings dot the 12-mile stretch from Lebanon to Monroe. Because of increased traffic and burgeoning populations in the surrounding areas of Butler and Warren counties, planners are looking to expand Ohio 63.
That's welcome news for such commuters as Darla Brookbank, who says an extended Ohio 63 would slice about 15 minutes from her daily drive from Oxford to Monroe.
Now, the 35-minute drive is a crapshoot. There's no direct route, leaving Ms. Brookbank and other motorists with roads like the narrow, winding Ohio 73.
"When you meet a semi-truck on that road, you're going to be hugging the sides, hoping you don't just fall off," she said.
Traffic has followed the area's explosive growth. In 1978, 12,750 cars passed the county line from Warren into Butler. By 1998, the number had jumped to 23,130, according to Ohio Department of Transportation statistics.
The incidence of traffic accidents has also increased. In 1988, area police departments reported 122 accidents compared with 160 accidents in 1997.
An extended Ohio 63 would provide better access to Oxford and connect several communities with a major road, said Butler County Engineer Dean Foster.
Increased development is dictating the need for better roads. "We're on the verge of doing things right," he said. "We're trying to plan for future growth."
A bypass in Warren County would allow increasing truck traffic to skirt the city and provide a straight-shot connection from I-75 to I-71.
While a bypass could become more important as residential and commercial growth continues, some officials are reluctant to support the project, which could cost as much as $300 million.
"I think building roads is a great thing, but can we afford them?" Warren County Commissioner Mike Kilburn asked. "I don't think the project is affordable. And the other commissioners don't either."
The proposed road threatens the county's philosophy of well-planned growth that maintains the area's rural roots, Mr. Kilburn said. "I don't want to turn Warren County into a Dayton or Cincinnati," he said. "I hate to be such a pessimist, but (the bypass) is not going to happen. It's a wonderful idea, but we can't afford it."
But Mr. Tunison sees the bypass as a necessary tool for the second-fastest-growing county in the state. The road will be strained as long as area officials continue approving new development.
Buddy Bullard of Collins Signs welds on a new sign at Ohio 63 and Interstate 75.
(Gary Landers photo)
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For instance, Warren County commissioners already approved zoning changes in 1997 for Shaker Run subdivision, a 1,200-home complex north of Ohio 63. Only site plan approval is needed to move ahead with the project.
And with an average resident making 10 trips per house per day -- either coming or going from the house -- Bob Craig, Warren County's planning director, expects traffic to skyrocket.
For now, the road is in pretty good shape. Changes in traffic signals and turn lanes can accommodate most of the present growth, Mr. Craig said.
But planners always are looking at the big picture.
As Mr. Foster, the Butler County's engineer, said: "It's awful hard to have development if you don't have the roads that can handle it."
