Monday, July 31, 2000

Critters and cars coexist swimmingly

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Pond along Butler Regional Highway one of a kind in Southwestern Ohio

By Michael D. Clark
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        LIBERTY TWP. — Cars and trucks speed past this small pond at the center of a looping Butler County highway interchange, but to the wildlife living here the unusual wetland is home.

        And for the transportation officials who built the new Michael A. Fox Highway, the 2¹/₂-acre wetland is a source of pride.

        The interchange pond is the first of its type in Southwestern Ohio, said Ohio Department of Transportation officials, and may be the first in the state.

        “We wanted to replace the wetlands we went through to build the highway,” said Monica Menke-Watts, spokeswoman for the Butler County Transportation Improvement District, which created the 10.7-mile highway that opened in December and links the city of Hamilton with Interstate 75.

        Ms. Menke-Watts said the shallow pond and grassy area address an environmental need and is a small part of a larger TID reclamation program that eventually will return to Liberty Township dozens of acres of wetland bordering the highway, also known as the Butler Regional Highway.

        The wetland, immedi ately east of the northbound lanes of I-75 at the regional highway exit, already has become a home to ducks, geese, herons and pond wildlife.

        It is a tiny, natural oasis surrounded by highway concrete and its rarity is not lost on naturalists who appreciate TID's preservation efforts.

        “I think they have done an excellent job,” said Chris Matacic of Friends of Liberty Parks and Recreation, a nonprofit, green-space preservation group.

        Ms. Matacic described the unusual interchange pond as an excellent follow-through to building the highway.

        “Overall, (TID) was very conscientious that environmental issues were adhered to. Plus, it makes economic sense, too,” she said.

        She said the interchange “takes less maintenance this way because you don't have to mow as much grass.”

        ODOT spokesman Brian Cunningham praised the TID wetland program as being reflective of a more environmentally sensitive approach during roadway construction.

        “In recent years we have become more mindful of relocation in order to preserve Ohio's wet lands,” Mr. Cunningham said.

        TID officials have entered their wetland reclamation plan, which includes more than 40 acres, into a national contest.

        The regional highway has previously won awards for the quality of its concrete roadway and asphalt paving, and a contractor award from the Associated General Contractors of America.

       

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