The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) presented the 2020 Recommended Highway Plan to lawmakers last week. The six-year proposed plan includes six road improvement projects in Wayne County during that span.
Overall, the plan features a historic biennium investment of $100
million to improve safety conditions on rural roads through the
Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), infuses $8 million in the
biennium to install more than 100 miles of life-saving guardrail
across the state and invests $376.5 million to accelerate progress on
the Mountain Parkway and I-69 Ohio River crossing projects.
Transportation officials said that the plan is based on a total of
$6.1 billion in available funding. This funding consists of $1.1
billion to address the backlog of pavement and bridge needs, nearly
one billion in federally dedicated funds and another half billion for
federal GARVEE debt service payments.
Beyond these obligations, there is $3.6 billion left for highway
project funding through FY 2026. The plan consists of projects to
address bridge and pavement needs, as well as critical roadway safety
improvements, road widening, reconstruction, construction of new
routes and interchange improvements.
KYTC officials called this plan "financially responsible and
regionally diverse."
At the top of the list for Wayne County is the continued work to
improve East KY 90 from Old Mill Springs Road to the bridge at mile
point 19.5. Plans for widening that area of KY 90—near Zollicoffer
Estates and the intersection at Mill Springs—have been ongoing for
several years.
This plan includes money for the actual construction phase of the
project, which is set for the year 2021. The plan includes $8.4
million for the improvement project.
The bridge on CR 1136, over Little South Fork, will be addressed
this year, according to the proposal. With construction slated for
2020, the project is projected to cost $445,000. The project notes
that deficiencies with the bridge will be addressed from mile point
0.225 to 0.25, southeast of the junction with CCR 5137.
Another local project included in the plan is the installation of
guardrail on KY 789. Money for the project is slated to be spent in
2023, with a total of cost of $64,000.
A pavement improvement project on KY 90, from mile point 0.00 to
mile point 3.54, is included in the plan. Estimates for the project
are $1.6 million, with funding to be spent in 2022.
A project on East KY 92 from Monticello to Stearns has funding
included for preliminary engineering and environmental study. The
proposal is to make safety improvements and create a scenic route
from Monticello to Stearns.
Funding for preliminary work on that project is $1.5 million and is
included in the 2023 budget.
Changes are planned for KY 1275 near the intersection with KY 833
(Rogers Grove Road), including resurfacing and improving the curve in
that area.
Money has been budgeted for the design phase, obtaining right of
ways and utility relocation in 2022. These include $123,500. Actual
construction is projected at $200,000 and is slated for 2023.
The final project included in the plan will see widening of KY 1275
to four lanes with four foot shoulders and five food sidewalks from
KY 90 to Bell Lane. The design phase of that project will cost
$490,000 and has been included in plans for 2021.
Obtaining right of ways and relocating utilities is estimated to
cost a total of $700,000, which is included in 2022. Actual
construction is slated to occur in 2023 at a cost of $3 million.
Several mega projects are included in this plan. One is the I-69
Ohio River Crossing Project. KYTC is working closely with Indiana to
develop an approach to funding the new I-69 bridge over the Ohio
River between Henderson and Evansville. The 2020 plan includes $267
million to develop the project and begin construction of a portion of
the project from the Henderson Bypass north to US 60.
Widening of the Mountain Parkway is another one of the large
projects in this plan. KYTC initiated work to four-lane the Mountain
Parkway from Campton through Salyersville in 2014. The first projects
to be constructed were located west of and through the developed
areas of Salyersville.
In recent years, the widening work has extended westward to near the
KY 205 interchange, leaving a "gap section" from Campton to KY 205.
The plan provides $97.3 million to complete the "gap section" and
another $3.2 million to begin the design phase for extending the four-
lane Mountain Parkway eastward along existing KY 114 toward Prestonsburg.
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