I-71 / Fields-Ertel Road / Mason-Montgomery Road Interchange
Study Description
The newly constructed I-71 opened in Warren County in the mid-1960’s including an interchange connecting it with the intersection of Fields-Ertel Road and Mason Road/Mason-Montgomery Road on the Hamilton County and Warren County boundary. The interchange was designed with the exit ramps emptying onto Mason Road Hamilton County and Mason-Montgomery Road in Warren County and the entrance ramps to I-71 running off Fields-Ertel Road. In the former rural setting, this functioned quite well.
As the area developed in the 1970’s and 1980’s, improvements were needed. A traffic signal with left turn lanes at the Fields-Ertel Road-Mason Road/Mason-Montgomery Road intersection was constructed in 1984. Traffic signals at the exit ramps were added later. When Kings Auto Mall was built in 1986, an access management plan was created by public agencies in Warren County and Hamilton County with ODOT for future access points. Warren County developed a similar plan for Mason-Montgomery Road.
The Procter and Gamble Company short listed a 210 acre site on Mason-Montgomery as a site for a new $280 million pharmaceutical research center in 1991. That is when then-Governor George Voinovich provided many incentives to attract this significant high-quality research center to Warren County. The investment included $15 million in Federal/State highway funding to widen I-71 in the area of the interchange and the entrance and exit ramps and $7 million in loans for improvements of local roads benefiting the Procter & Gamble development. The loans were paid back with revenues derived from a tax increment financing (TIF) district created on the P&G property.
Procter & Gamble’s research center became the catalyst for development and business growth when it opened in 1996. Mason particularly benefited growing from a population of 11,000 in 1990 to over 33,000 in 2010. Other high tech industry has come to Deerfield Township and the City of Mason in this period, also. Commercial and retail expansion following this trend has further increased business activity in the interchange area.
As a result, traffic has significantly grown in the interchange. The traffic projected in 1991 for Mason-Montgomery Road just north of the southbound exit ramp for 2020 was 32,000. In 2002, the traffic count was 48,000. Frequent travelers of I-71 can identify the Fields-Ertel Road Interchange for its backed up northbound off-ramp. The back-ups stem from too short of a deceleration lane and no space for cars to collect on the ramp while waiting for the light. Safety concerns are high regarding this deficiency. The network of roads, in the area around the interchange, causes just as much concern. Alternatives for a sequence of projects for improvement have been developed; you can read about it further in this webpage. The close proximity of the ramp terminal traffic signals with the major crossroad intersection has created challenges for the traffic signal system that cannot handle it alone. Traffic has become a major concern of many businesses including P&G and fears are that business activity will decline as congestion increases.
Image on right: Task Force for the Southwest Warren County Transportation Study meet on January 16, 2004. As you exit I-71, you are entering one of the legs of the intersection web of Mason-Montgomery Road and Fields-Ertel Interchange. This network of intersections contains geometric and operational deficiencies. These deficiencies create safety and commute time issues that affect the traveling public daily.
ODOT has identified the Mason-Montgomery Road and Fields-Ertel Interchange as a safety and congestion hot spot. The 2006 Hot Spot Freeway List includes the segment of I-71 between mile marker 18.00 at the bridge over Kemper Road and mile marker 19.91 at the northbound on-ramp from Fields-Ertel Road, as having the 58th highest number of crashes on the interstate system in the state with 359 recorded crashes. This project is designed and necessary for improving safety for the traveling public and reducing the chronic congestion on both the interstate and the local roadways.
Presently, the main line of Interstate 71 and both the on and off ramps meet or exceed design criteria. A problem that is found at both exit ramp intersections with Mason-Montgomery Road is the inability to hold a sufficient number of vehicles. There is a general decline in the Level of Service and an increase in delay at the central Fields-Ertel/Mason-Montgomery intersection and at the next intersection in each direction.
A high number of rear-end collisions is often associated with delays and congested conditions. Sixty percent of the reported crashes were rear-end crashes while an additional 16 percent were either sideswipe or angle crashes.
In 2004, the WCEO and HCEO sponsored a limited study of existing conditions in the vicinity of the Fields-Ertel/Mason Montgomery intersection. Results of that study indicated that existing conditions at the intersections within the study area were progressively degrading with several intersections operating at less than desirable conditions.
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The Highway Capacity
Manual and AASHTO Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (“Green Book”)
list the following levels of service:
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SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION |
LOS Delay |
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A |
Free flow |
≤10 sec |
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B |
Reasonably free flow |
10-20 sec |
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C |
Stable flow |
20-35 sec |
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D |
Approaching unstable flow |
35-55 sec |
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E |
Unstable flow |
55-80 sec |
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F |
Forced or breakdown flow |
≥80 sec |
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The public and area stakeholders have participated in the study of the project area and have been supportive of the project and concurred that improvements are necessary due to the congestion and safety concerns on area roadways.
Statistics taken from Conceptual Alternatives Study. HAM-WAR IR-71 Fields- Ertel/Mason Montgomery Interchange (PID 81052). June 2009. CH2MHILL; Dayton, Ohio.
Study Documents
HAM-WAR-71-FE/MM - Conceptual Alternatives Study
PDF (15.1 MB) I-71/FE/MM Report
PDF (1.31 MB) Study Sequence of Projects
A combination of local street improvements, traffic signal system modifications, access management projects, and modifications to the interchange are currently being explored. These are being tested in the Feasible Alternatives phase of the project development process. The goal is to develop a phased sequence of projects that will be used in subsequent projects.
- Southwest Warren County Transportation Study (SWCTS)
Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Government | Warren County | City of Lebanon | City of Mason | Deerfield Township | Hamilton Township | Turtlecreek Township | Union Township
In 2005, a major transportation investment study, the Southwest Warren County Transportation Study, identified this interchange as a major priority. A Conceptual Alternatives Study completed in 2009 listed potential improvements and a practical approach towards accomplishing them. The one critical finding is that there is no single answer to resolving the many traffic issues that vary based on the time of day. The goals and objectives that were identified in this study were to address a regional traffic issue and they are as follows:
- • Improve Mobility for People and Goods
• Accommodate the growth of traffic
• Improve traffic movement through the study area
• Move truck traffic more efficiently
• Improve the operating efficiency of existing roadways
• Protect capacity through access management
• Identify alternatives for expanding transit
The I-71/Fields-Ertel Road/Mason-Montgomery Road Interchange is a substantial issue in the regional problem and the following integral improvements are vital.
Mason-Montgomery Road Northbound Add-Lane
Warren County - 2011
The fi rst improvement to be built will be an additionalnorthbound through lane that begins at Fields-Ertel Road andcontinues 3,000 feet north to Parkway Drive.The existing right turn lane on Mason Road between the northbound exit ramp and Fields-Ertel Road in Hamilton County will be converted into a through and right turn lane. When completed, there will be three northbound lanes to clear the traffic exiting northbound I-71. Construction of this project began in the summer of 2011 and is set to be completed in the summer of 2012.
The cost of the project is $1,663,162.88 and is funded with $694,000 in Ohio Public Works Commission grant, $570,000 from the Warren County Water Department, and local match of $425,000 from Hamilton County and Warren County.
Traffic Signal System Upgrade
Ohio Department of Transportation - 2011
Back-ups reaching into the northbound exit ramp have been a recurring problem. Advances in technology have provided tools for better coordination of traffic control at these intersections. Replacing the 27 traffic controllers with the latest in signal controllers, utilizing the existing fiber optic network and advancement in communications software is expected to reduce the constant fine-tuning and improve progression, especially in the morning peak traffic period. This alone will not correct all the problems, but combined with the Mason-Montgomery Road Northbound Add-Lane project, a noticeable improvement in the morning rush hour is anticipated. Movements in other directions in different peak periods are also expected to improve. This $1,000,000 project will be funded and constructed by ODOT. Installation began in the summer of 2011.
Continuous-Flow Intersection at Southbound On-Ramp
Ohio Department of Transportation - 2015
During the Conceptual Alternatives Study, ODOT looked for more immediate projects to construct that would further reduce the back-ups coming from the Fields-Ertel Road and Mason-Montgomery Road intersection. One of the projects is a continuous flow intersection to be constructed for westbound traffic on Fields-Ertel Road turning left onto the southbound I-71 entrance ramp. Conflicts due to left turning traffic with oncoming through traffic lead to most traffic congestion problems. This project is designed to keep motorists moving
in a free-flow onto I-71 southbound. ODOT has begun project planning for this project. Design and construction are to be funded by ODOT and it is anticipated for construction in 2012 or 2013.
Right Turn Improvements
ODOT / Warren County – 2014/2015
Currently, right-turn lanes at eastbound Fields-Ertel Road onto the I-71 southbound on-ramp, southbound Mason-Montgomery Road onto westbound Fields-Ertel Road, and westbound Fields-Ertel Road onto Mason-Montgomery Road are operating at failing levels of service. This project will increase capacity and decrease delays at each intersection.
Off-Ramp Northbound Extension
STP Application – 2014/2015
The northbound I-71 off-ramp is currently operating with a very high accident rate. Most accidents occur at 1,000-1,200 feet from the off-ramp. This project will move the exit ramp further up the interstate to provide a longer transition between the deceleration lane and the traffic signal.
Ramp Metering
ODOT – 2015
After the construction of the Continuous Flow Intersection at the southbound on-ramp of I-71 the congestion on the surface streets will ease up and allow for a more continual flow onto the interstate. To protect the levels of service on I-71 while improving the level of service on the surface streets, a plan is to meter the exit ramps to pace vehicles and the interchange or further up the interstate up to the State Route 48 Interchange. This project is in the planning stage.
Alternatives Under Review - The following alternatives are being studied. Whether the projects will be built is still being determined.
Additional Northbound Off-Ramp
Capacity can be improved with an additional northbound exit ramp that allows traffic to enter northbound Mason-Montgomery Road north of the intersection with Fields-Ertel Road. This ramp would run off the existing northbound exit ramp.
Waterstone-Duke Connector
The Waterstone-Duke Connector is another project option that would provide motorists with the choice to travel between Mason-Montgomery Road to Fields-Ertel Road without having to use the I-71 Interchange area.
Split-Diamond Interchange
The Split-Diamond Interchange would tie into the Waterstone Connector alternative to create a much larger interchange that stretches from Fields-Ertel Road/Mason-Montgomery Road to Waterstone Drive. A collector/distributor in each direction would tie the two interchanges together.
Off-Ramp Southbound Extension (If Split-Diamond Alternative Not Selected)
The I-71 southbound off-ramp extension will extend the entrance further north on I-71 as well as lengthen the turn lanes at the approach to Mason-Montgomery Road.
