Johnson County

The state is still cleaning up from recent ice and wind storms.

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The R.J. Corman Railroad Company began removing the rails and ties from the Dawkins Line in July. A group known as the Appalachian Rail Preservation Association had previously expressed interest in keeping the line intact so it could be used for a tourist attraction.

More information: Lexington Herald-Leader: R.J. Corman pulls up part of rail line (July 15, 2005) 

Records show that US 23 is the state’s deadliest roadway: Lexington Herald-Leader: Memorials every few miles on U.S. Highway 23 (Jan. 9, 2005) 

Disabled citizens on motorized scooters have taken to the streets in Paintsville, and the increase scooter traffic has lead to calls to build new sidewalks in the Eastern Kentucky community: Associated Press: Riding uneasily in Paintsville (Sept. 11, 2004) 

Heavy rains in June washed out several roads in far eastern Kentucky. Damage was so severe the Transportation Cabinet Highway District 12 was forces to halt all routine highway maintenance and refocus on emergency road repairs. Preliminary estimates are that repairs will cost $6 million.

The rain and floods also damaged roads in Clark County.

Additionally, the rains are believed to have contributed to the partial collapse of KY 292, the Huntley-Brinkley Road, along the Tug Fork in Pike County. The road was constructed by local residents nearly 40 years ago. After the area was featured on the NBC evening news with Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, television viewers nationwide sent donations to aid in the construction of the road. Local residents believe heavy coal trucks contributed to the collapse of the road.

More information: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Highway District 12: District 12 surveys flood damage with FEMA reps (June 6, 2004) , Winchester Sun: Clark County included in request for disaster relief (June 8, 2004) , Lexington Herald-Leader: It's good night to section of Huntley-Brinkley Road (June 15, 2004) , Lexington Herald-Leader: Cause of eastern Kentucky road's deterioration debated (June 15, 2004) 

The contractor overseeing the KY 201 widening project at the intersection of US 23 and KY 201 will keep KY 201 open from 6:30 - 8:30 a.m. and 3 - 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The road will be open all day on Sundays.

More information: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Division of Highway District 12: Press Release (March 11, 2004) 

The conference version of the Transportation spending bill  has passed both houses of Congress and is now waiting to be signed by the President.

Kentucky is mentioned several places in the bill:

• $2,000,000 for an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) providing Eastern Kentucky rural highway information,
• $750,000 for an ITS for Lexington,
• $2,000,000 for a statewide transportation operations center,
• the corridors for I-66 and I-69 have been redefined: I-66 is now defined to use the Nunn Cumberland Parkway and I-69 is now defined to use the Carrol Purchase Parkway,
• Kentucky may now post signs saying "Future I-69" on the Purchase Parkway and "Future I-66" in the Cumberland Parkway,
• $4,000,000 for to help access to an industrial park in Clay and Leslie counties,
• $50,000 for work on Kentucky 55,
• $1,600,000 for work on Kentucky 192 in McCreary county,
• $1,000,000 for improvements to the intersection at the end of Grover Carey Bridge in Owensboro,
• $250,000 for work on Kentucky 61 in Green county,
• $300,000 for work on Kentucky 92 in Whitley county,
• $20,000,000 for I-66 (I believe this is the Somerset-London segment.),
• $2,500,000 for I-66 in Pike County,
• $320,000 for work on KY 1848 between I-64 and US 60,
• $1,000,000 for the Monticello Street underpass in Somerset,
• $1,000,000 for work on the Pennyrile Parkway (I believe this is for the southern extension to I-24),
• $1,500,000 for work on Stone Coal Road in Johnson county,
• $2,000,000 for work on US 25 near Renfro Valley,
• $5,000,000 for work on US 27 between Somerset and KY 70,
• $80,000 for work on US 27 near Burnside,
• $850,000 for work on US 431 near Lewisburg,
• $500,000 for right-of-way for US 60 in Henderson County,
• $100,000 for work on US 41A,
• $50,00 for Estill County bypass lighting around Irvine,
• $300,000 for Estill County industrial park access road,
• $400,000 for Fegenbush Lane Bridge at Fern Creek,
• $1,000,000 for Henderson riverfront project,
• $1,000,000 for engineering work on Kentucky 61 from Kentucky 487 to Columbia,
• $800,000 for Johnstown Road,
• $2,350,000 for Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for Regional Trail Improvements,
• $1,000,000 for improved access to Louisville's water front park,
• $600,000 for median on US 42 from Harrods Creek to River Road,
• $1,800,000 for Owensboro Riverfront redevelopment project,
• $42,600 for Park City sidewalks,
• $2,000,000 for Somerset downtown revitalization,
• $6,600,000 for Southern bypass around the southwestern portion of Somerset,
• $125,000 for Vine Grove sidewalks,
• $2,000,000 for Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge,
• $1,400,000 for Cold Hill Road,
• $995,000 for Craigs Creek Road,
• $1,500,000 for Daniel Boone Parkway between mileposts 37 and 44,
• $2,000,000 for Brent Spence Bridge replacement I-75 and I-71 near Cincinnati,
• $375,000 for work at I-75 Exit 11,
• $2,500,000 for Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges project,
• $885,000 for Kentucky Scenic byways (Country Music Highway, Wilderness Road Heritage Highway, Cumberland Cultural Heritage Highway),
• $30,000,000 for work Appalachian Development Highway System,
• $4,534,000 for the Kentucky Transportation Department to provide buses, vans, cutaways, and bus facilities in the Commonwealth of Kentucky,
• $1,500,000 for Big South Fork Scenic Railroad enhancement project, and
• $5,000,000 for Southern Kentucky Intermodal Transportation Park.

Quite an impressive haul; however, there is no funding for I-175.