By Erica Solvig
The Cincinnati Enquirer

DEERFIELD TWP. - Plans for widening Montgomery Road in Hamilton and Warren counties continue to unfold.

Officials in both counties have been working for years to expand the road from the Montgomery corporation limits to Old 3C Highway.

Most parts will be widened to five lanes, though other parts will be two or three lanes with turn lanes at key intersections. Other parts of the road will have a median to prevent cars from turning and keep traffic moving.

This week, Deerfield Township hosted the first of several meetings with residents as the township makes sure its land use plans are compatible with the project, said Tim Hershner, Deerfield's community development director. "Now's the time to plan it out before more things develop and before we lose more opportunities," he said.

Officials have talked about widening U.S. 22/Ohio 3 - commonly known as Montgomery Road - since the mid-1990s, when a state environmental study showed the need, said Warren County Engineer Neil Tunison.The project is expected to cost $56.8 million, though local communities are asking the state's Transportation Review Advisory Council to fund the majority of that, Tunison said.

"The congestion is a real problem," he said. "The area has grown far greater, far faster than the local roads can accommodate the traffic."

Designs for the first of four construction stages are expected to be complete next year, and construction should start in 2007. While an exact timetable is not available, work is expected to be finished within five years. A handful of business owners in Symmes Township have begun rallying support from other property owners, saying that in many areas along the road, additional right of way property might be needed to make room for the new lanes.

In Deerfield Township, a handful of residents met Wednesday night to express their concerns with the project, including lowering the speed limits and what would happen to businesses' signs that might have to move. They also expressed concern about giving up property for the project.

E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com