March 2002

Recent flooding has caused damage to a small county road that connects the AA Highway and US 23 in Greenup County, according to this Daily Independent article .

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary James C. Codell III and Federal Highway Administration Division Administrator Jose Sepulveda issued the following joint statement on the I-71 widening project in Jefferson County:

"We are working together to ensure that the proposed widening of Interstate 71 between Spaghetti Junction and the Snyder Freeway in Louisville is evaluated appropriately. The Transportation Cabinet has hired a consultant to perform preliminary engineering and environmental analysis for this route consistent with fiscal constraints and schedules contained in the Cabinet's Six-Year Highway Plan. The Cabinet will develop an environmental assessment for this project, and will work closely with the community throughout the development of the project to foster public ownership and participation in the decision-making process to determine if a six-lane improvement is acceptable."

More information: KYTC Press Release 

According to this Courier-Journal article , District 10 of the KYTC is looking for 10 volunteers to participate in Road Rally 2002. The idea is based on a similar program in Kansas. If the District 10 Road Rally is successful it may be tried elsewhere in state.

The budget bill passed by the state House of Representatives did not restore funding for pre-construction work for the extension of the Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway to I-24; however, State Senator Joey Pendleton (D-Hopkinsville) hopes that funding will be restored in conference committee meetings this weekend. In an earlier article, Pendleton had indicated he believed that the project would be added to the bill before its passage on Tuesday.

More information: Parkway funding not restored. Kentucky New Era. (March 27, 2002) , Pendleton says chances good for restoring parkway extension funding. Kentucky New Era. (March 26, 2002) 

"Three of the six proposed routes for an east-end bridge crossing the Ohio River would significantly harm wetlands, endangered animals, creeks and neighborhoods, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says."

Full Article: EPA fears 3 proposed bridge routes harmful. The Courier-Journal. (March 27, 2002) 

This Union County Advocate article  reports that nee warning lights have been turned on at the Morganfield by-pass. The road which opened in January has been the site of several fatal accidents.

This Mar. 25, 2002 article  from the Courier-Journal covers some of the things that went into the $22.1 Million study of the environmental impact of the proposed Ohio River bridges. The study and its technical reports stand over eight feet tall. Among the things that went into the report are studies of bats conducted by gluing radio transmitters onto them, dredging the Ohio River to look for mussels, cataloging and analyzing historic properties, and recording noise levels a 178 points. Of course for all of the detail that went into the report, anti-bridge groups claim that it fails to accurately represent the environment of the area.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Division of Planning has posted updated materials from Bowling Green area I-66 public meetings on its website .

State Rep. Jim Bruce denies a role in the funding delay for building an extension of the Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway from it current terminus near Hopkinsville to I-24. Funding for the project has been delayed from 2003 to at least 2005 in the new 2002 Six-Year Highway Plan. There is no formal record of how changes to the plan came about: it was conducted behind closed doors just like much of Kentucky politics has been done for 200 years; however, Rep. Bruce has been widely sighted as the cause for the delay.

Hopkinsville and Christian County officials say that the proposed extension is very important to development in the area.

More information: Kentucky New Era: Bruce denies role in parkway delay , Kentucky New Era: Officials say roadway extension important to county 

Environmental concerns may delay work on widening I-71 and I-64 in Eastern Louisville. The Federal Highway Administration is requiring Kentucky officials to conduct a full environmental assessment with a plan to widen Interstate 71. Local environmentalists suggest that widening the road will adversely affect the area and suggest the construction of a light rail system or having employers change work hours. Others suggest that a light rail system is too expensive and that commuters will continue to drive.

I-71 is currently scheduled to be widened beginning in 2007, and the I-64 widening project is more than a decade into the future. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to widen I-71 to six lanes from I-64 to the Gene Snyder Freeway. The current four lane highway is near its design capacity. The FHWA originally approved the plan, but is now concerned that six lanes may not be sufficient to handle projected 20-year traffic.

Congestion on interstates is measured using a grade system with A being the least congested and E being the most congested. Part of I-71 is graded D.

The 10-mile project is estimated to cost $40 million.

More information: WAVE3: Commuters Want Interstates Widened, Environmentalists Say No , Courier-Journal: Aldermen back study of alternatives to I-71 project , Messenger-Inquirer: Environmental worries may delay or derail I-71 project  (no longer online), Cincinnati Enquirer: I-71 project near Louisville may face delay , Courier-Journal: Widening of I-71 faces delay; study, alternatives requested 

J. Bryan Nicol, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation, recently made two speeches in Owensboro about the impact of road projects in Southern Indiana on the highway system in Kentucky. INDOT is widening US 231 from the new William H. Natcher Bridge to I-64. This project is expected to be completed in 2007. Eventually the widened US 231 will connect with the I-69 extension providing Owensboro with even better access to the road system.

More information: Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer: U.S. 231, I-69 projects moving forward  (no longer online)

Yea, KentuckyRoads.com 200th headline!

The Perryville Community Development Commission is studying a bypass around the historic district of Perryville.

More information: Advocate Messenger: Bypass gets top priority at Perryville community forum (3/12/02)  (no longer online)

H.B. Elkins suggests in two articles in the Usenet newsgroup misc.transport.road that work being done along the KY 7 corridor in Eastern Kentucky will eventually lead to a London-Ashland Highway similar to the Alexandria-Ashland Highway in Northern Kentucky.

More information: Re: Southern OH/ Eastern KY Roadtrip  and Re: KY: Expansion of KY 7 - Grayson-London Link 

The troubled US 60 Bypass around Morganfield will have flashing caution lights placed at several intersections. The road which opened in January has been the sight of several fatal accidents.

More information: MyInKy.com: Bypass safety gets a boost  (no longer online)

The Courier-Journal reports in this article  that GOP leader's in the state legislature are demanding an audit of the Highway Construction Contingency Account. The fund is intended for use in emergency highway repairs, but the GOP leaders accuse Gov. Patton of using it as a political slush fund to pay for pet projects in his home Pike County. Over the past 2 1/2 years Pike County received nearly 21% of the money spent in the account. This is 3 times as much of the second place Lawrence county and 25 times the average paid to Kentucky's 120 other counties. Transportation Secretary James Codell III says that there is no formal process for evaluating requests for use of the account.

The KYTC held the first of two I-66 public meetings in South Central Kentucky on Monday. This meeting was held in Brownsville. Area residents expressed their desire for the route to pass through Edmonson County. They feel that their county has suffered financially since it was bypassed by I-65, the Natcher Parkway, and the Western Kentucky Parkway.

Another meeting is scheduled for Thursday in Bowling Green. More information can be found on the KYTC website .

More information: Daily News: I-66 routes studied 

The Ashland Daily Independent reports in this Mar. 4, 2002 article  that $13.5 million in work on KY 7 in Elliott County will be let for bids this summer if all goes will with Army Corps of Engineers approval and state environmental reviews. The work requires approval from the Corps of Engineers because it borders a watershed property and from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife because it may impact bat habitat in the area. This project will reconstruct the road from the Laurel Gorge to KY 885. Other projects are planned along KY 7 in coming years.

The Bowling Green Daily News reports in this Mar. 3, 2002 article  that the Barren River Area Development Highway Safety Committee, a group composed of area elected officials and highway officials, is proposing education, engineering, enforcement, emergency services and enactment to change hazards they see on Kentucky roads. There have been nearly 200 deaths on roads in the Barren River area since 1997. Greg Meredith, from the Department of Highways, says that some of the improvements are more attainable than others, but that state budget constraints make it unlikely that many of the improvements can be implemented. On proposal, the construction of a barrier in the middle of I-65, is already part of the I-65 widening project.

The Courier-Journal reports in this Mar. 4, 2002 article  that the top donors to Gov. Patton's campaigns have been from the highway industry. The highest single donor has been John Stovall, who heads Road Builders Inc. in Muhlenberg County. Stovall and his wife have contributed $69,200 since the mid-1980s. When interviewed Stoval seemed surprised that he had topped the list.

In a bit of old news, here is a picture of Gov. Patton unveiling the new Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkways signs  on Sept. 13, 2000.

According to this article  from the Ashland Daily Independent a redesign of the exit 185 on I-64 at KY 180 is being considered. The interchange has been the site of numerous fatalities. If approved by the state legislature, construction could start in 12 to 18 months.

The KYTC is studying the possibility of building a bridge over Pond Creek Road in Pike County instead of the nearly 300 foot high embankment that had been considered. Local residents presented the KYTC with a petition after concerns were raised over the impact the new road would have on the accessibility of the valley. The new bridge proposal will be discussed at a public meeting scheduled for March 18. See www.us460online.com  for more information.

According to this press release , Kentucky's roads have ranked 10th among the 50 states in a review of the cost-effectiveness of highways.

Information about Gov. Patton's testimony can be found in this press release . This transcript  of his testimony is also available.

According to this article  (no longer online), Murray leaders have held a public meeting with KYTC officials to ask why it takes so long for stop lights to change along Murray's Twelfth Street.

Lancaster residents expressed their want for a US 27 bypass at a recent public meeting. The Transportation Cabinet is studying a reconstruction of US 27 from KY 34 in Garrard County to US 150 in Lincoln County.

More information: Danville Advocate-Messenger: Lancaster Residents Want Bypass  (no longer online)

After receiving mixed feedback on a proposed connector between Grayson and I-64, the Transportation Cabinet may consider multiple options to relieve congestion in Grayson. See this article  for more information.

The KYTC is planning to build a four lane corridor between Marion and Eddyville. The route is expected to stimulate economic development in an area whose current primary route is the two lane US 60. Planning and design is expected to begin this year with right of way acquisition expected in 2004.

More information: Evansville Courier & Press: Highway promises growth  (no longer online)

A large section of Dishman Lane in Bowling Green collapsed Monday evening. The damage is described as "a 40-foot collapse that encompassed an area about the size of a football field." Four cars were caught in the collapse, but there were no reports of injuries. There is no agreement on the cause of the collapse: some claim that a cave my have collapsed underneath the roadbed. The Bowling Green Road Department does not know when the damage will be repaired. The road, built by the City of Bowling Green, opened about two years ago.

More information: Daily News: Dishman Lane Collapses  Daily News: Experts Disagree on Cause