Wednesday, November 10, 1999
Fox highway just about ready
Sponsors to pick up tab for opening
BY DAVID ECK
Enquirer Contributor
HAMILTON — Gov. Bob Taft will be part of ceremonies next month to open the entire Michael A. Fox Highway — and some companies who helped build it are picking up the tab.
The Butler County Transportation Improvement District (TID) is soliciting sponsors to help pay for the $30,000 ribbon-cutting celebrations. The events are slated for Dec. 10 and the road is expected to open the week of Dec. 13, said Monica Menke-Watts, communications director.
So far, a handful of companies has contributed about $24,000, she said. Several of the top givers — at $5,000 each — were among the companies that built the 11-mile, $158,000 highway, including Kokosing Construction, John R. Jurgensen and Resource International.
Other organizations that have pledged either money or services include Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati Bell, the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, ME Companies, KZF Engineering and Balke Engineering.
In addition to the official ribbon-cutting at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 10, an invitation-only celebration will be held that evening. The parties will be on the highway at its interchange with Bypass 4.
“This is to help defray the cost so it all doesn't come out of the TID budget,” Ms. Menke-Watts said. “These companies are associated with the project and they're more than willing to do that. We don't want people to think we're spending the TID budget on a big bash for any reason.”
Past TID events including the groundbreaking for the highway and the 1997 dedication of the Union Centre interchange with Interstate 75 in West Chester were sponsored.
“This is the biggest project that the Ohio Department of Transportation has ever let,” Ms. Menke-Watts said. “We definitely have to celebrate its completion. It's a big event for Butler County and for southwestern Ohio.”
About 93 percent complete, the highway runs from Hamilton through Fairfield and Liberty townships to I-75. The long-awaited freeway has interchanges at Bypass 4, Ohio 747, Cincinnati-Dayton Road and I-75. The ends of the highway were opened last month. It was officially named after Mr. Fox, a former Ohio representative and now a Butler County commissioner.
Other last-minute steps remain before the entire road is ready for traffic, including signs, electricity, signals and testing.
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