News Item #582

The Herald-Leader reports that the special treatment received by the Paris Pike widening project is not feasible for all projects. The project had been stopped by court injunctions and only allowed to proceed after the Transportation Cabinet developed a plan designed to preserve the historic nature of the corridor. This raised the price of the project considerably, and is the main reason why not all projects will receive similar treatment. The widening project cost around $4.5 million per mile, nearly twice the cost of similar projects in the state.

The award winning $93 million widening project between Lexington and Paris was completed during the week of Nov. 30, 2003.

More information: Lexington Herald-Leader: What Paris Pike has: money and power (Nov. 30, 2003) , Lexington Herald-Leader: Having Taken The High Road (Nov. 30, 2003) , Associated Press: Restructured Paris Pike getting good reviews for design (Nov. 30, 2003) , Lexington Herald-Leader: Bourbon County Down The Road (Dec. 1, 2003)