November 2001

This article  (no longer online) from MyInKy.com reports that the KYTC is reviewing its policy on placing sound barriers. The KYTC has a policy against erecting sound barriers after a road project is completed; however, requests by Upper Highlands Neighborhood Association's along Louisville's Watterson Expressway have them reviewing the policy. A study funded by the Louisville Board of Aldermen found that the noise is so loud that conversations could not be carried on outside.

The Daily News reports in this Nov. 26, 2001 article  that the KYTC has scheduled an open house for Tuesday Nov. 27 to discuss improvements to US 31W south of Natcher Parkway in Warren County.

The KYTC Division of Planning has released materials from a public meeting  in Taylorsville concerning a new connector from KY 44 to KY 55.

The Interstate 66 web site  now has the Fall 2001 Newsletter  (PDF format) detailing progress on plans for the Pike County segment of I-66.

The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer reports in this article  (no longer online) that state budget cuts may affect road projects in the Owensboro area; however, most appear to be on track. While projects such as an eastern extension of the US 60 By-pass, the William H. Natcher bridge, and other work on US 60 are expected to be funding. Work on roads such as Southtown Boulevard was to be funded by surplus money which may no longer be available.

The Owensboro Messenger Inquirer reports in this article  (no longer online) that work at the intersection of US 60 and US 60 By-pass east of Owensboro will not be complete until mid-December. New turn lanes are being added to ease congestion at the interchange.

The Daily News reports in this article  that KYTC met with city and county leaders and local residents to discuss improvements to US 31W south of the Natcher Parkway in Bowling Green. That stretch of roads is mostly two lane and has seen considerable industrial growth in recent years resulting in congested traffic.

The Daily News reports in this article  that work is progressing will on KY 234 Cemetery Road in Bowling Green. The road is being widened to five lanes from its intersection with US 31W to just past I-65. A new interchange is being constructed at I-65, and much of the widened road is being built on a new right-of-way north of the current route.

The Daily News reports in this article  that a new section of KY 101 and KY 259 will open this Tuesday, November 27. The 3.9 mile section of road connects Brownsville and Rhoda.

This Ashland Daily Independent article  reports that the KYTC is seeking to replace a one lane bridge over Little Sandy into Greenup. Several public meetings have been held and work is expected to begin in late 2002 or early 2003.

This Courier-Journal article  provides a summary of engineering work being done to decide a route for the future extension of I-69. The article summarizes the history of the proposed route and information about work being done for I-69 in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.

According to this Courier-Journal article , a $5.3 million bonus awarded to Gohmann Asphalt and Construction for finishing work in I-64 in Jefferson County has drawn criticism for being so large. It is the largest bonus that the KYTC can remember being awarded, and it appears that bonuses for early completion will be smaller in the future.

In non-Kentucky news, the Indiana Department of Transportation is selling several historic bridges  online.

According to this Cincinnati Enquirer article , I-471 in Newport will be receiving its first billboards. The city agreed to allow the billboards after requesting billboards to be removed from other areas.

BTW: This is KentuckyRoads.com 100th news item.

The long awaited Draft Environmental Impact Study of the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridge Project is complete. The study details several options for recommended improvements, including the no build option, several options for downtown bridge, options for new bridge in eastern Jefferson County, and options considering the effect of two new bridges. A number of public meetings and open houses  have been scheduled. The DEIS can be found here  and articles about the DEIS from the Courier-Journal can be found here .

Slow going research into the site of Camp Dick Robinson, a Civil War encampment, have delayed the choice of a route for a new four lane US 27 between KY 34 and the Kentucky River for over a year. The Danville Advocate-Messenger has three items about the delay: an editorial blasting the historic preservation as excessive  (no longer online), an article detailing the site and the progress of the study  (no longer online), and an article about the effect of the late decision on local businesses  (no longer online).

As previously mentioned on KentuckyRoads.com, the Purchase Parkway has renamed in honor of former governor Julian Carroll. This article  in the Marshall County Tribune-Courier reports that the parkway is now known as the Julian M. Carroll Purchase Parkway. The article includes a history of the parkway and a quote from my next-door neighbor (literally) the state highway engineer, J.M. "Mac" Yowell, who says "(he looks) forward to when this parkway is part of (Interstate) 69.”

In a bit of old news, this June 28, 2001 article  in Hopkinsville's Kentucky New Era reports that recently approved funding means that the KYTC will be able to move ahead on right-of-way purchases for an extension of the Pennyrile Parkway from Hopkinsville to I-24.

Update 3:56pm Nov. 8: Here is a Jan. 31, 2001 article  about the extension to the parkway.

The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer reports in this Nov. 8, 2001 article  (no longer online) that plans for a wildlife refuge in Henderson County might interfere with proposed paths for I-69 between Henderson and Evansville.

According to this article  in the Bowling Green Daily News residents of the Hunting Creek neighborhood of Bowling Green, which was built after the parkway, are asking the KYTC to take measures to reduce noise coming from the nearby William H. Natcher parkway.

The Henderson Gleaner reports in this Nov. 7, 2001 article  (no longer online) that a Henderson county magistrate is asking the KYTC to consider building a new route through Henderson to relieve traffic from the US 41 and US 60 interchange.

The Union County Advocate reports in this Nov. 7, 2001 article  reports that the proposed Interstate 69 route across the Ohio River into Kentucky will be discussed at a public hearing set for next Thursday, November 15 at South Middle School's gym in Henderson.

Materials concerning a planning study  of a new connector between Radcliff and Elizabethtown have been posted on the KYTC website.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has launched an online service that allows Kentucky citizens to renew their motor vehicle registration online. Details can be found in this press release . The site itself is at www.kyrenew.com/ 

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports in this article  that a second lawsuit has been filed over alleged illegal activity regarding inspection of the Kennedy Bridge. In this lawsuit, a KYTC employee claims he was demoted after reporting that state inspectors were falsifying records, getting kickbacks from a supplier and soliciting bribes from contractors.

According to this Oct. 31, 2001 article  (no longer online) on MyInKy.com, a renovation of the Henderson bypass (which is part of US 41 and the Pennyrile Parkway) is still years away. The road was built in the 1960s and is beginning to show its age.

This Oct. 31, 2001 article  (no longer online) reports that a Kentucky Department of Highways official told the Henderson Lions Club that construction on I-69 is still six to ten years away. It also reports that no final route for I-69 in Kentucky has been announced and that construction of an Ohio River crossing could take more than five years to complete.