The popularity of the sports park has elevated the roundabout at the intersection of Ohio 741 and Green Tree Road to a high priority because it’s “not only ready, but a critical need” for the area around Ohio 63, which includes the Miami Valley Gaming Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District, said county Development Director Matt Schnipke.
Traffic at the intersection averaged about 11,070 vehicles a day three years ago, but is projected to grow to 13,940 vehicles by 2041, according to county engineer Neil Tunison.
“The Green Tree Road corridor is experiencing growth with new residential construction and expansion, as well as increased use of the sports park and the increasingly popular Armco Park,” Tunison told the news outlet.
“The primary objective of this project is to reduce traffic delays through certain approaches to the intersection,” he added. “We expect that the roundabout will reduce delays from four to five minutes to less than 30 seconds. There will also be a reduction in the rate of serious accidents.”
Schnipke said the roundabout’s $4.1 million construction is a county Transportation Improvement District project that will be funded by a Port Authority bond issue and repaid with money the county will raise through the Miami Valley Gaming TIF.
He added that the taxing district, which was extended by county commissioners two years ago for 20 years, is expected to generate about $4 million in revenue in the future.
Credit: Nick Blizzard/Staff Photo
Credit: Nick Blizzard/Staff Photo
“Keep in mind that with this TIF, the school will be paid back in full and will not receive a portion of the revenues they are due,” Schnipke said. “If the TIF doesn’t generate enough revenues to service the debt, the shortfall will be made up from the county’s infrastructure bank.”
Schnipke said the bond agreement is expected to be submitted to the Port Authority later this month and to the County Commission by the end of October.
Construction of the roundabout is scheduled for next year, according to county records.
The sports park hosted 51 events last year and plans to host the same number this year and in 2025, said Ben Huffman, director of sports tourism for the Convention and Visitors Bureau, which operates the facility.
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The complex, which opened in 2020, is estimated to attract more than 1.4 million visitors this year, generating 93,600 hotel nights in the county and generating $102 million in economic impact, Huffman said.
Those figures are expected to grow to 1.5 million, 96,000 and $105 million respectively next year, he added.
“We will continue to work with our county partners to minimize delays and issues” while the roundabout is constructed, he added.
Once completed, “traffic flow and safety on the roads around the sports park should be greatly improved.”
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