By John Kiesewetter
The Cincinnati Enquirer

HAMILTON - Closing the Vine Street crossing over CSX railroad tracks will hurt businesses and snarl traffic east of downtown, residents and workers say.

"It's going to be a mess," says Mark Legg of C&J Roofing Co., 367 N. Sixth St.

But Hamilton city leaders see closing the Vine Street crossing as a good trade for a new CSX crossing on the west side for West Washington Boulevard, north of Millville Avenue.

More than 125 people have signed petitions to City Council. They want council to reconsider closing Vine Street east of downtown.

"It's going to affect a lot of people," says Jim Rednour, owner of Rednour Electric, 501 N. Fifth St. "There won't be quite as much traffic coming by my business."

"I'm against it," says Bessie Caudill, a 36-year Vine Street resident. "I don't know why they're doing it."

City officials agreed to the closing several years ago. Vine Street was the least used of three crossings in the five blocks north of the High Street underpass, says Ralph Reigelsperger, city public works director.

"There are a lot of crossings in close proximity. The railroad has been working for years to close some of the at-grade crossings ... for safety reasons," says Mike Samoviski, city manager.

Dayton and Heaton street crossings will remain open. Some people say those crossings will become too congested, particularly during softball season at the L.J. Smith Athletic Field on Joe Nuxhall Boulevard, a block north of Vine Street.

Traffic from the 20 games a night on the fields "is not a big issue," says Bill Phelps, city parks and recreation director. "There are lots of ways to get out of there."

When the West Washington Boulevard crossing is finished, the city's next goal will be a CSX underpass where Central Avenue, Pleasant Avenue and Dixie Highway meet south of downtown, Reigelsperger says.

E-mail jkiesewetter@enquirer.com