The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will hold a public meeting in Lexington Tuesday to discuss the state of the extension of Newtown Pike: Lexington Herald-Leader: Newtown Pike extension update is Tuesday (Sept. 18, 2009) 

A project to widen part of US 25 between Lexington and Georgetown will be delayed until 2011: Lexington Herald-Leader: U.S. 25 expansion delayed to 2011 (Sept. 8, 2009) 

Money will be released from the state's highway contingency fund to bury utility cables along the Newtown Pike extension in Lexington: Lexington Herald-Leader: Power lines along Newtown Pike Extension will be buried (Aug. 26, 2009) 

Critics are concerned that power lines will clutter the view along Lexington's Newtown Pike extension: Lexington Herald-Leader: Power lines will clutter Newtown Pike extension, project critics say (Aug. 13, 2009) 

There will be lane closures on Lexington's New Circle Road this Wednesday to allow some potholes to be repaired: Lexington Herald-Leader: Pothole repair to close New Circle lanes (March 30, 2009) 

A new bridge on Leestown Road in Lexington opened a week ahead of schedule in July. Work began on the bridge in April.

More information: Lexington Herald-Leader: Leestown Road bridge opens early (July 2, 2005) 

The annual 400 Mile Sale stretching along US 68 from Maysville to Paducah will be held June 2-5: Maysville Ledger-Independent: A 400 mile opportunity: Yard sale is a big chance for buyers and sellers (May 1, 2005) , West Kentucky Corporation: 400 Mile Sale Across Kentucky , Logan County News-Democrat & Leader: 400 Mile events listed along U.S. 68-80 (May 10, 2005) 

US 27 from Fayette County to Lincoln County has been targeted for the “Drive Smart” safety program: Danville Advocate Messenger: U.S. 27 corridor selected for safety campaign (Feb. 7, 2005) , Kentucky Transportation Cabinet: Drive Smart 

Engineers are studying how to best replace the cloverleaf interchange at New Circle Road (KY 4) and Newtown Pike (KY 922). The interchange was constructed in the 1960s when traffic on New Circle Road was less than a third of what it is today.

More information: Lexington Herald-Leader: Interchange having midlife crisis (Feb. 7, 2005) 

U.S. Representative Ben Chandler recently presented Lexington with $2 million in federal funding for a project to extend Newtown Pike. Plans are to redevelop Newtown Pike as a new gateway to the University of Kentucky from I-75. Work on the $36.5 million project is expected to begin in 2007 and take 15 years to complete.

More information: Lexington Herald-Leader: Newtown extension project gets $2 million (Dec. 15, 2004) , Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government: Newtown Pike Extension 

Last week the Lexington-Fayette County government held a public meeting to discuss plans to widen Clays Mill Road. Under the current plan, Clays Mill would be widened to three lanes—one lane in each direction and a continuous left turn lane—and five lanes at busy intersections. More information: Lexington Herald-Leader: Public comment sought on Clays Mill widening (Oct. 20, 2004) 

The September 2004 edition of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s newsletter, the Transportation Konnection, has been posted to the KYTC’s web site .

Interesting items in September’s Konnection are:

• Information about “Put the Brakes on Fatalities” day,
• Information about another award for the Paris Pike Project,
• Information about photograph of the ground breaking for Ken Bale Boulevard in Bowling Green,
• Photographs of the reconstruction interchange between the Western Kentucky Parkway and KY 259 near Leitchfield, and
• Photographs from the Simon Kenton Bridge rededication ceremony.

Download: [Transportation Konnection – September 2004] (2MB)

US 68 and KY 80 played host a 400 mile long yard sale the first weekend of June: Bowling Green Daily News: 400-mile yard sale kicks off on 68-80 (June 3, 2004) , (Hopkinsville) Kentucky New Era: The 400-mile sale (June 4, 2004) , Bowling Green Daily News: Buyers crossing nation for statewide sale (June 5, 2004) , Bowling Green Daily News: Festival gives Smiths Grove chance to relax, sell goods (June 6, 2004) 

The US 68 Yard Sale is underway today through Sunday in the 24 counties along the path of US 68 in Kentucky: more information .

The 60-day regular session of the Kentucky General Assembly ended on April 13. Thirteen bills relating to transportation were passed into law during the 2004 regular session. Click “read full text” below for summaries of each bill.

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Bad weather and problems with a temporary railroad bridge delayed the planned last summer completion of the Reynolds Road widening project; however, the project is now on track to completed this fall: Lexington Herald-Leader: End of the Road? (May 20, 2004) 

The Herald-Leader considers the entertainment value of road and street projects in the Lexington area: Lexington Herald-Leader: Traffic 'art' has a few nice highlights (March 20, 2004) 

The Valley View Ferry across the Kentucky River where Madison, Fayette, and Jessamine Counties meet is Kentucky’s oldest business. It has been in operation since 1785. The ferry is privately owned; however, payments from the Transportation Cabinet keep the service free.

More information: The Lane Report: A Kentucky Ferry Tale (March 2004) 

This summer will see an event known as “400 Miles of Antiques, Collectibles & Stuff” along nearly 400-miles of US 68 Kentucky. The event will be held June 3-6 and involve events along in 24 counties along US 68’s route.

More information: Central Kentucky News-Journal: 400 miles of opportunity -- June event will bring thousands of visitors, dollars to Central Kentucky (March 14, 2004) 

The Lexington Herald-Leader carried a short piece about the origin of Ironworks Pike’s name on Sunday: Lexington Herald-Leader: Ironworks Pike Once Led To A You-Guessed-It (March 14, 2004) 

When the 2004 Recommended Six-Year Highway Plan was released Transportation Cabinet Secretary Maxwell Clay Bailey assured legislators that no projects had been removed the 2002 Six-Year Plan; however, the Courier-Journal has found that fifteen projects scheduled under the 2002 plan were moved to the unscheduled needs list in the new 2004 plan.

More information: Courier-Journal: 15 projects cut from road plan (March 3, 2004) , WKYT: 15 Kentucky Road Projects Cut Due To Budget Crisis (March 4, 2004) , Hardin County News Enterprise: State drops I-65 widening (March 5, 2004) 

[Read Full Text]

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) 

Part Davistown, one of Lexington's poorest neighborhoods, will be razed to make way for a 1.25-mile extension of Newtown Pike through downtown Lexington. Many of the houses in the neighborhood will be cleared to make way for a new housing development and park associated with the project. Current residents have been promised opportunities to live in the new housing development.

More information: Lexington Herald-Leader: Neighborhood will be razed for road extension (Nov. 15, 2003) 

The commonwealth will use a provision of the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) to receive federal money to fund LexTran and TARC. The ISTEA allows states to use money spent constructing toll roads that are now part of the National Highway System to be used as credits to receive federal matching funds. Usually, states must match 20% of the federal money applied to highway and transit project; however, Kentucky will use credits accumulated through the construction of the Kentucky Turnpike and parkway system in place of the 20% state matching funds.

More information: KYTC Press Release: LexTran and TARC Public Transit Systems Receive Funding through Toll Road Monies (Nov. 12, 2003) 

Many residents of rural Fayette County have lodged complaints about new high-mast lights on I-64. The lights are said to be visible from two to three miles away.

More information: Lexington Herald-Leader: Longing for the dark (Oct. 1, 2003) 

Traffic on US 68 Harrodsburg Road in southern Fayette County will soon be switched to two new lanes. The project is expected to be completed next year.

More information: Lexington Herald-Leader: Progress in widening Harrodsburg Road (Sept. 20, 2003) 

The National Partnership for Highway Quality awarded its 2003 State Award to the team involved in the Paris Pike Reconstruction Project. Special care to preserve the character of the neighboring land was taken during the project to widen Paris Pike between Lexington and Paris.

More information: KYTC Press Release: Kentucky Highway Team Wins National Quality Award (Sept. 5, 2003) , Ohio Valley Roads: Paris Pike 

The University of Kentucky-based Kentucky Transportation Research Center is conducting a study of a system to provide drivers with up-to-the-minute information about traffic conditions through work zones on I-64 between Louisville and Lexington: KYTC Press Release: TIPS Helps Motorists Get through Highway Work Zones (Aug. 25, 2003) 

Archaeologists are conducting investigations of several sites along US 25 between Lexington and Georgetown as preparation work for major widening of the road. Actual construction of the route is expected to begin in late 2006 or early 2007.

More information: Georgetown News-Graphic: Crew digs for Native American artifacts along U.S. 25 South (Aug. 13, 2003) 

Two-hundred-and-sixty-two photographs of Kentucky's roads have been added to this website. The new photo galleries include:

• Bridges of the Ohio River - Several of Kentucky's 40 bridges across the Ohio River.
• William H. Harsha Bridge Photographs - Photographs of Kentucky's first cable stayed bridge: the William H. Harsha bridge near Maysville.
• I-64 - Sherman Minton Bridge - The I-64 and US 150 bridge over the Ohio River in Louisville.
• Shortway Bridge - The Old KY 1120 bridge over the Licking River between Kenton and Campbell Counties.
• I-65 - John F. Kennedy Bridge - The I-65 bridge over the Ohio River at Louisville.
• US 31 - George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge (Second Street Bridge) - The US 31 bridge over the Ohio River at Louisville.
• I-65 - Miscellaneous Images
• KY 30 - Miscellaneous Images - Photographs of the new section of KY 30 under construction in Laurel County.
• I-65 Warren County Construction - June 29, 2001
• I-65 Warren County Construction - May 22, 2002
• I-65 Warren County Construction - August 15, 2002
• I-65 Warren County Construction - July 5, 2003
• I-75 - Miscellaneous Images - Includes photographs of I-75 widening projects south of Lexington.
• William H. Natcher Bridge - October 26, 2002
• William H. Natcher Bridge - February 8, 2003
• Louisville - Miscellaneous Images
• KY 3 and KY 645 - Inez - January 3, 2003
• AA Highway - Miscellaneous Images
• KY 67 - Miscellaneous Images
• KY 80 - Miscellaneous Images - Along KY 80 in Pulaski and Laurel Counties.
• KY 101 and KY 259 - Edmonson County - November 18, 2001 - A new section of KY 259 and KY 101 under construction in Edmonson County.
• US 23 - Miscellaneous Images
• US 60 - Miscellaneous Images - Photographs of the Cumberland and Tennessee River bridges.

A few new images have been added to the KentuckyRoads.com - Miscellaneous Signs and KentuckyRoads.com - General Images galleries as well.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has established a website covering the widening of Harrodsburg Road (US 68) in Fayette and Jessamine Counties at us68.ky.gov . The site includes construction schedules, maps, and photographs.

A summer road project in Lexington will see the length of a ramp at New Circle Road and Nicholasville Road been extended by 850 feet and a new left-turn lane added.

More information: Herald-Leader: State plans to end gridlock on busy New Circle exit (May 30, 2003) , More Projects 

The Paris Pike Project was one 12 projects chosen for an Environmental Excellence Award. The widening of the road was originally proposed in 1966; however, fears that the beauty of the road would be destroyed by widening delayed the project for years. The project follows the contours of the land, preserved trees along the road, and used wooden fences instead of traditional metal guardrails.

The project was also honored by the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation, Inc, a not-for-profit group that advocated historic preservation in central Kentucky.

More information: Herald-Leader: Paris Pike Project Wins Award (Apr. 25, 2003) , Kentucky Transportation Cabinet: Paris Pike Corridor Commission Wins Blue Grass Trust Preservation Award (June 18, 2003) 

1.3 miles of Richmond Road are being widened to six-lanes.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has established a website with information about the Richmond Road project at us25.ky.gov . The site includes a construction schedule, maps of the project, and photographs relating to the project.

More information: Herald-Leader: Richmond Road work to begin Monday (Mar. 27, 2003) 

The Lexington Herald-Leader reported in this January 28, 2003 article  that a proposed reorganization of Central Kentucky's only regional transportation-planning organization would give Jessamine County more influence over the panel. Jessamine County joined the organization in 1998 in the hoops of researching a connector route between Nicholasville and Interstate 75.

When the first part of this bridge opened in 1946 it was the 7th tallest bridge in the United States. Today it is still an engineering wonder; two parallel bridges were joined together by a third bridge to form one continuous roadway. On July 5, 2003, I took these pictures of the I-75's crossing of the Kentucky River: the Clay's Ferry Bridge.

South end of the bridge viewed from KY 2328.	Looking south from underneath the bridge.	The central span of the bridge, viewed from KY 2328.
[Click Here for More Pictures and Information]

The federal budget for 2002 includes money for several road projects in Kentucky. These projects include:

• Planning for widening KY 101 in Edmonson County
• Planning for the construction of an interchange with I-65 for the Kentucky Trimodal Transpark in Warren County
• Right-of-way acquasiation and utility relocation for the Louisville-Southern Indiana Bridge Project
• Bridge rennovation in Lincoln County
• Construction of a sound barrier on I-75 in Fayette County
• Widening of I-75 to six lanes in Rockcastle County
• Construction of the I-66 Northern By-pass of Somerset
• Bridge replacement on Monticello Street in Somerset

More information: Daily News: Region lands more than $13 million in funds (Feb. 15, 2003) , Courier-Journal: Budget funds projects in area (Feb. 15, 2003) , Herald-Leader: Kentucky projects in federal budget bill (Feb. 15, 2003) 

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has released the I-64 Strategic Improvement Plan . The plan covers possible upgrades to the entire length of Interstate 64 through the state.

The entire length of I-64 in Kentucky has been designated the Purple Heart Trail. The Military Order of Purple Heart has undertaken an effort to have each of the 50 states and Puerto Rico designate one of their highways to honor recipients of the Purple Heart. Kentucky will erect 24 signs designating the Purple Heart Trail: one at each of I-64's entrances to the state and signs in each county along I-64.

More information: KYTC Press Release 

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has announced the following upcoming public meetings:

• Sept. 9 - Discussion of Upgrades to US 51 in Hickman County 
• Sept. 10 - Discussion of Upgrades to US 51 in Carlisle County 
• Sept. 10 - Replacement of the High Street Bridge 
• Sept. 19 - Construction of a new interchange and rest area on I-75 
• Sept. 24 - US 421 widening in Fayette County 
• Sept. 26 - US 460 Realignment in Morgan County 
• Oct. 7 - US 119 Reconstruction in Letcher County 

Federal, state, and local officials have pledged that housing and community input will be taken into account during the planning and construction of an extension to Newtown Pike in downtown Lexington. 180 new homes will be constructed by non-profit agencies during the process of building the new road. The new 1.25 mile road is expected to open in 2007. The road will connect West Main Street to Patterson Street.

More information:

• Herald-Leader: Newtown Pike area gets pledge of protection (Sept. 6, 2002) 
• Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government: Newtown Pike Extension 

A neighborhood group will present an alternative plan for reconstructing Clays Mill Road in Fayette County at a meeting on September 17. The time and place of the meeting has yet to be determined.

Plans exist to widen the road to three or five lanes. The crowded road is a residential corridor lined with schools and churches. Neighborhood groups oppose widening because they fear it will bring a great increase in traffic.

More information:

• Lexington Herald-Leader: New plans for Clays Mill? (Aug. 28, 2002) 
• Lexington Herald-Leader: Widening Clays Mill Road -- Letters to the Editor (Jul. 27, 2002) 
• LFUCG Division of Engineering: Clays Mill Road Scoping Study 

The Lexington Herald-Leader ran several articles discussing Lexington area traffic in their Sunday, Aug. 18, 2002. Among the articles was a look at the mayoral candidates' plans for congestion relief: the paper states that one candidate's plan may be impossible and the other's is already being implemented. Another article examines the work of the city's traffic signal systems manager who has recently been trying new traffic signal patterns on the city's highways. Another article attempts to answer frequently asked questions about traffic signals in Lexington, one article looks at how traffic on Man o' War Boulevard has developed since it opened in 1988, and a final article looks at the city's traffic television show.

According to one article, when Man o' War Boulevard opened in 1988 the 16.1 mile road had 11 stop lights and one flashing warning light. An Herald-Leader reporter was able to drive the road in 25 minutes. Now the road has 33 stop lights, and a drive from one end to the other took 30 minutes.

More information:

• Herald-Leader: Crosbie, Isaac focus on traffic (Aug. 18, 2002) 
• Herald-Leader: Traffic Q&A (Aug. 18, 2002) 
• man o' war: then & now (Aug. 18, 2002) 
• 'Traffic update' livens up newscast (Aug. 18, 2002) 
• Engineers work to reduce the stop-and-go in Lexington (Aug. 18, 2002) 

Work expected to begin in August will add two additional to Richmond Road between New Circle Road and Eagle Creek Drive in Lexington. The project is expected to take until fall 2004 to complete. Traffic on the road is projected to reach 80,000 vehicles per day by 2022, nearly double the traffic that used the road in 1999.

More information: Herald-Leader: Wider Richmond Road on way (May 25, 2002) 

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports in this article  (no longer online) that Harrodsburg Road (US 68) will be widened to four lanes beginning this summer. Work should be completed on the 3.4-mile section between Man o' War Boulevard and Brannon Road in late 2003 or early 2004.

After examining press releases from Congressman Fletcher  (no longer online) and Congressman Rogers , I have learned more specific details about what projects Kentucky's money in the 2002 U.S. Department of Transportation spending bill has been allocated for:

• $20 million for land acquisition and planning efforts for Interstate 66, with an additional $2.5 million provided for ongoing design efforts of I-66 in Pike County.
• $2 million for a new initiative at the University of Kentucky. The Academy for Community Transportation Innovation will educate professionals and study transportation development, planning and design of suburban and rural areas.
• $2 million to help Kentucky establish a statewide clearinghouse for public travel information.
• $2 million for a project to provide traffic information through a universal telephone number (5-1-1). The pilot project will build a first generation 511 call center in Kentucky that could become a national resource for traffic information.
• $15.5 million for bus and bus facility needs across Kentucky.
• $1.5 million for preliminary work on a project to straighten a dangerous section of the Daniel Boone Parkway in Leslie County between mileposts 37 and 44
• $4 million for improved access to the Parkway from the new Clay/Leslie County Industrial Park
• $2 million for continued work on a project to improve US 25N in Rockcastle County to provide for increased traffic at the new Country Music Hall of Fame
• $1.4 million to improve Cold Hill Road, located in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Laurel County
• $995,000 to improve a stretch of Craigs Creek Road on U.S. Forest Service land in Laurel County
• $885,000 for improvements to Kentucky’s Scenic Byways, including the Country Music Highway, the Wilderness Road Heritage Highway and the Cumberland Cultural Heritage Highway.
• $800,000 for the design phase of a 4-lane project on a section of US 27 south of Somerset to Burnside Island.
• $500,000 to widen Leestown Road in Lexington.

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.

According to this KYTC press release , work has begun to the last section of the new four lane Paris Pike connecting Lexington and Paris. This road is US 27 and US 68 and should be completed by November 2003.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports in this October 8, 2001 article  (no longer online) that the KYTC has formed a focus group to study upgrades to the northeast portion of New Circle Road (KY 4) in Lexington. The ideas for upgrades include upgrading the road to a freeway or just eliminating a few traffic lights.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports today in this article  that new lanes are being added to I-64 east of Lexington.