The Courier-Journal reports on a number current and upcoming road projects in their August 23 edition. Among these projects are:

• I-264 - A two-year project to reconstruct the western leg of I-264 between I-64 and Dixie Highway. This section of I-264 is known as the Shawnee Expressway. The 7.6-mile $60 million project will include adding two lanes near I-64. Work will begin in the spring.
• Hurstbourne Parkway (KY 1747) - A project begin in July to extend Hurstbourne Parkway from Bardstown Road to Fern Valley Road.
• Westport Road (KY 1447) - Westport Road will be widened to 5 lanes from Hubbards Lane to Hurstbourne Parkway. A new interchange will be constructed at I-264.
• National Turnpike (KY 1020) - Widen to five lanes from Southside Drive to Outer Loop.
• New Cut Road (KY 1865) - Widen to five lanes from Third Street Road to Outer Loop.
• Jefferson Boulevard - Construct a four lane extension from McCawley Road north to Poplar Level Road.
• Gene Snyder Freeway (KY 841/I-265) - Resurface three miles near Bardstown Road.

More information: Courier-Journal: ROAD WORK AHEAD: Watch for headaches (Aug. 23, 2002) 

Ballard County and McCracken County

Three possible routes for I-66 in Ballard County and McCracken County were revealed at a meeting in LaCenter on Tuesday:

• One route begins at Old Mayfield Road and I-24 in McCracken County and passes through the southern park of McCracken and Ballard Counties before crossing the Mississippi River at Wickliffe.
• Another route generally follows US 62 and KY 286 from Paducah to a new Mississippi River crossing at Wickliffe.
• A third route would follow I-24 into Illinois and construct a new route to Cape Girardeau, MO. Illinois officials are not participating in the study because of issues with building a route through the Shawnee National Forest.

The engineering firm of Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas is conducting the study along with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Another meeting is expected to be held later this year.

More information: Courier-Journal: Public input sought on possible I-66 routes in Western Kentucky (Aug. 22, 2002) 

Warren County and Edmonson County

The Glasgow Daily Times reports that I-66 public meeting in Warren County and Edmonson County were well attended. They report that the engineering firm of Bernard, Lochmueller and Associates, Inc. is working with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to provide alternatives for routes the proposed I-66 between the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway and the William H. Natcher Parkway. Parties interested in viewing information from the public meetings should contact Keirsten Jaggers or Jeff Moore at the KYTC office in Bowling Green. The phone number is (270) 746-7898.

More information: Glasgow Daily Times: I-66 meeting well attended (Aug. 22, 2002) , Glasgow Daily Times: I-66 public meeting draws large crowd (Aug. 16, 2002) 

A $1 million bonus was awarded to Scotty's Contracting for completing a 3-mile section of widening work on I-65 in Warren County ahead of an August 23 deadline. Scotty's stands to receive another $500,000 bonus if they can complete another section of the project from mile marker 30 to the Oakland exit before September 12.

More information: Daily News: Bonus helps roadwork get a timely finish (Aug. 22, 2002) 

The sentencing for Kevin Lee Earles has been rescheduled for Sept. 27 to allow his lawyers more to prepare arguments against extra prison time sought by the government. Earles, a 23 year veteran of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, plead guilty to soliciting bribes from contractor that was repainting the Kennedy Bridge in downtown Louisville. Lawyers for the government are seeking added prison time because it has been revealed that Earles threatened to kill his victims.

In conversations secretly recorded by the FBI, Earles told a foreman that he would kill the foreman is the foreman turned him in. Earles threatened to ruin the business of the contractor and claimed to have previously used his tactics against a contractor repainting a bridge in Owensboro.

More information: Courier-Journal: Bridge inspector's sentencing postponed (Aug. 22, 2002) , Courier-Journal: Bridge inspector threatened to kill foreman, tapes show (Aug. 20, 2002) 

The Kentucky New Era has published this editorial  about the project to extend the Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway to I-24.

A newly rebuilt six-mile section of US 150 in Lincoln County between Stanford and Crab Orchard has recently opened to traffic. The new road includes a dam on Cedar Creek. The project is expected to be completed soon and a dedication ceremony has been tentatively scheduled Sept. 4.

More information: Advocate Messenger: New Part of US 150 Opens to Traffic (Aug. 22, 2002) 

The above article also mentions a project on KY 501 to eliminate two 90 degree turns and a project to correct a rock fall hazard on US 27 in Lincoln County. The rock fall hazard was caused by people looking for the mineral millerite.

A bridge on Diederich Boulevard (KY 693) over White Oak Creek in Russell has been renamed in honor of Beverly "Verly" Miller. Miller was killed in action in 1944. The bridge is located on property that was once part of the Miller family farm.

More information: Daily Independent: Russell bridge dedicated to hero (Aug. 22, 2002) 

Here a couple of links related to the dedication of the William H. Natcher Bridge:

• Natcher Bridge Dedication  - Picture from Gov. Patton's Web Site.
• Natcher Bridge Dedicated at Owensboro  - Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Press Release dated Aug. 16, 2002.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will open bid proposals to remove the old Shortway Bridge over the Licking River between Covington and Newport on Sept. 27. It will be up to the contractor to decide how to remove the bridge: removing it piece by piece or with explosives are among the options.

The bridge was replaced by the Licking Valley Girl Scout Bridge and has been closed since the new bridge opened.

Before demolishing a bridge, the KYTC offers it to groups wishing to preserve it; however, no groups came forward to preserve this bridge. Covington and Newport both have requested parts of the bridge to use in other projects.

The Shortway Bridge had been a toll bridge in the past. Tolls were last collected in 1986.

More information: Kentucky Post: The Shortway Bridge: Rusting hulk (Aug. 21, 2002) 

The recommended route for the southern extension of the Pennyrile Parkway has been announced. The selected route, known as red-2, was chosen because it was cheaper, shorter, requires no relocations, takes less land, breaks up fewer properties, and has a better interchange with I-24 compared to other alternatives. The public is invited to comment on the recommendation until Sept. 4, 2002 at which time the Transportation Cabinet will summarize all information gathered and present the data to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The FHWA will then make a final decision to either approve or revise the recommendation. If approved, right of way acquisition could begin in 2003 with utility relocation in 2004 and construction in 2005.

More information:

• KYTC Hand Out - The handout provide information about the project distributed by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet at the August 20, 2002 Public Hearing.
• Map of Recommended Route - A map of the recommended route provided by the KYTC at the August 20, 2002 Public Hearing.
• Kentucky New Era: Public hearing set Tuesday on Breathitt parkway extension (Aug. 19, 2002) 
• Kentucky New Era: Officials reveal parkway route (Aug. 21, 2002) 

The new Campbellsville Northern Connector is nearly finished: new stoplights and signals on the road are already operational. When opened, the connector (KY 3350) will connect KY 210 (Hodgenville Road) to KY 289 (Old Lebanon Road) north of Campbellsville.

More information: Central Kentucky News-Journal: Bypass nearly finished (Aug. 19, 2002) 

In October, the city of Owensboro will begin work on the approach to the Glover Cary Bridge in downtown Owensboro. This work will include widening the approach to the bridge and widening J.R. Miller Boulevard between Third and Fourth Streets. This work includes demolition of a house that sits across the street from the approach to the bridge.

More information: Messenger-Inquirer: 'Tis the season for city's major construction (Aug. 18, 2002) 

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) 

The new William H. Natcher Bridge over the Ohio River was officially dedicated on Friday, August 16, 2002. The $70 million span connects eastern Daviess County, Kentucky to Spencer County in Indiana. During the dedication ceremony, politicians from both sides of the river remarked on the significance the new bridge will play in the development of Western Kentucky and Southern Indiana. They also recalled the hard work and determination of the late-U.S. Representative William H. Natcher for whom the bridge is named. After the ceremony, despite the rain, hundreds of visitors took an opportunity to walk across the nearly completed bridge.

The rumor date for the opening of the bridge is Sept. 25. Installation of guardrails and striping on the Indiana side still needs to be completed. Also the grouting of the cable stays has not yet been completed.

When the bridge opens US 231 will be rerouted onto the eastern portion of Owensboro's US 60 bypass, then along US 60, then onto a new four lane highway, and then across the bridge into Indiana. No word on what route number, if any, will be used to redesignate the existing route of US 231 which includes the Cary Bridge in downtown Owensboro.

A decorative "William H. Natcher Bridge" sign on display at the ceremony's stage.	Kentucky Gov. Patton and Indiana Gov. O'Bannon cut a ribbon marking the official dedication of the bridge.	The south tower viewed from directly underneath.
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I have recently completed a redesign of the KentuckyRoads.com website. My intention was to provide easier access to the information within site. Among the new features is a list of all topic used to categorize items on the site. I will also begin categorizing items by county where applicable.

Many of the topic pages are very slim in content; however, I will work to develop them as time permits.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions email me. My email address is <jeff@kentuckyroads.com>.

-- Jeffrey Carlyle

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will be holding a public meeting on Aug. 20 to discuss the I-66 project in Ballard and McCracken Counties. The meeting will be held from 5pm to 7pm at Ballard Memorial High School.

More information:

• Meeting Notice 
• KYTC's Division of Planning - Proposed Interstate 66  - Includes a project description and maps of the study area.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has released information pertaining to public meeting concerning I-66 in the Bowling Green area:

• Aug. 15 Meeting  - 10 am-7 pm CDT / Brownsville Community Center / 108 N. Main St. / Brownsville, KY
• Aug. 14 Meeting  - 10 am-7 pm CDT / Bowling Green Public Library - Depot Br. / 401 Kentucky St. / Bowling Green, KY

The information includes an overview of the project  (PDF format) and map of conceptual corridors  (PDF format).

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will be holding a public meeting on Aug. 22, 2002 to discuss Somerset Northern Bypass  which is part of Kentucky's I-66. The meeting will be held at the Center for Rural Development in Somerset and will consist of an open house from 4pm to 7pm and a formal comment period from 7pm to 8pm.

Information about the Pulaski County segment of I-66 including maps of proposed alignments can be found on the KYTC's Interstate 66 Corridor Project Information website .

More Information:

• Commonwealth Journal: Overflow On 80 (July 10, 2002) 
• Commonwealth Journal: Residents learn more about proposed interstate at public information meeting (June 19, 2002) 
• Commonwealth Journal: Preliminary lines for proposed bypass unveiled (Apr. 25, 2002) 

The I-24 bridge over the Cumberland River in Western Kentucky has been renamed in honor former Livingston County sheriff and judge executive Ralph Smith. Construction on the bridge itself began 1972.

More information: Lyon County's Herald Ledger: I-24 Bridge re-named in honor of Livingston Co. native Ralph Smith (Aug. 9, 2002) 

Work on Cemetery Road (KY 234) in Warren County is progressing. The new bridge over I-65 will open this week. The new interchange with I-65 is expected to open this fall.

Bids have been received for a 4.4-mile section of the new four-lane US 231 near the Warren County and Simpson County line. Grading on a section of the road near Scottsville has been completed and the surface may be completed this year. Another section of the road between Bowling Green and Alvaton including four new bridges over Drakes Creek and its flood plain could be complete by next spring. The entire project to widen the road from Bowling Green to Scottsville is expected to be completed in early 2004.

More information: Daily News: U.S. 231, new interchange work also progressing (Aug. 8, 2002) 

A three-mile section of I-65 in Warren County is expected to open soon. The contractor is being offered a $1 million bonus to complete the widening project by August 23. If they miss this deadline, there is a disincentive of $10,000 per day. This is the first time this incentive program has been used on a project in the area.

I-65 is currently being widened from KY 234 near Bowling Green to the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway in northern Warren County. Bids will soon be let for widening projects north and south of the current construction area.

More information: [r:http://www.bgdailynews.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?200208/08+bonus20020808_news.html+20020808|Daily News: Bonus a boost for I-65 work (Aug. 8, 2002)

As reported earlier, a new turn lane was added at the intersection of Winchester Avenue and 13th Street in Ashland to provide better access to the Simeon Willis Bridge over the Ohio River. The new turn lane appears to be working as intended.

More information: Ashland Daily Independent: New turn lane on Winchester makes difference (Aug. 9, 2002) 

Thanks to Sherman for the link.

A new stop light configuration is expected to relieve congestion at the intersection of Main Street (US 60) and Carol Malone Boulevard (KY 7) in Grayson. The new light will allow drivers to turn left from Main Street onto Carol Malone Boulevard without waiting for on coming traffic.

More information: Ashland Daily Independent: Changes planned at busy Grayson intersection (Aug. 9, 2002) 

Thanks to Sherman for the link.

A report commissioned by the FBI finds that the $14 million project to repaint the Kennedy Bridge over the Ohio River at Louisville was doomed from the start. The study reports that officials disregarded concerns that the project would wash old lead based paint into the Ohio River. The method of painting was also attacked: the state planned to "overcoat" the existing paint. The study predicted that this method would fail because the existing paint is unstable and would peel off. Work on painting the bridge was suspended in 2001 due to FBI inquiries alleged bribery and other flaws in oversight.

More information: Courier-Journal: Study blasts project to paint bridge (August 10, 2002) 

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has opened a new highway maintenance facility in Burkesville. The in memory and honor of Bruce Perry Parrish who was county foreman of the Cumberland County highway garage from 1975 until his retirement in 1992.

More information: KYTC Press Release: Cumberland County gets New Highway Maintenance Facility (Aug. 2, 2002) 

The KYTC has posted this press release  with information about the Natcher Bridge dedication ceremony. As mentioned previously on this website, the dedication ceremony will be held on the Kentucky side of the bridge at 1:30 pm Central Time. Parking will be available on the roadway leading to the bridge and at Hawe's Truck Stop located on 6057 SR 2830 (Old US 60). A shuttle bus will take visitors to the bridge.

Also, the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer notes that there have been no fatalities or very serious injuries during the 5-1/2 year construction of the bridge (the most serious reported injury was a broken ankle); however, six men were killed when a plane carrying engineers to study the construction site crashed at takeoff in 1990.

More information: Messenger-Inquirer: Bridge exacted a toll in lives (Aug. 6, 2002)  (free registration required)

Over $16 million in funds left over from projects that came in under budget are being used to upgrade existing portions of US 68/KY 80 near Hopkinsville. In recent years, US 68/KY 80 has been widened to four lanes; however, in some sections the existing substandard roadway was used to carry traffic in one direction. This saved money since only two new lanes needed to be constructed instead of four. Now that there is some extra money available, the old roadway will be removed and rebuild to bring all four lanes to modern standards.

More information: Kentucky New Era: 'Bonus' construction upgrading older sections of 68-80 (August 6, 2002) 

Driving on unopened highways can be dangerous. A wreck occurred this week on the unopened Campbellsville Bypass when a driver on the unopened highway pulled in front of a motorcyclist driving on a cross road. The motorcyclist suffered minor injuries.

More information: Central Kentucky News-Journal: Wreck happens when driver is on unopened bypass (Aug. 8, 2002) 

The Sierra Club has posted incorrect information about I-66  on their website as part of a report against urban sprawl. The group claims that I-66 would "cut through Mammoth Cave National Park." This statement is incorrect. Though a final path for I-66 in the Warren County has yet to have been chosen, a preliminary map  is available. Though the park is not shown on this map, the park is entirely to the north of KY 259 and US 31W which are shown on the map. None of the preliminary routes are north of these roads.

The West Kentucky Corporation  has a section with preliminary maps for I-66 and the Bowling Green Outer Beltline in Warren County .

There are a couple of more interesting presentations about road projects on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet web site. They can be found here .

• One presentation is of the I-64 Weekend Project  that was undertaken in Jefferson County late last summer.
• Another presentation covers the reconstruction of I-65 in Warren County . It includes this picture  of a vehicle used to create the rumble strips along the shoulder.

I recently discovered this presentation  about the William H. Natcher Bridge on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Web Site. The presentation contains information about the bridge along with pictures taken at several points during its construction.

More information: The William Natcher Bridge over the Ohio River 

The Kentucky Department of Highways will modify the interserction of Winchester Avenue and 13th Street in Ashland to provide two turn lanes for cars turning onto the Simeon Willis Bridge over the Ohio River.

More information: The Daily Independent: Road work set to change Winchester (Aug. 2, 2002) 

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will unveil the final decision on the route for an extension of the Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway from its current terminus near Hopkinsville to I-24 at a public meeting scheduled for August 20. The extension is expected to cost $79 million and will fill the seven mile gap between the end of the parkway and the interstate. The KYTC has also announced that there will be no permanent closures of state or county highways along the route.

More information: Kentucky New Era: Road officials to reveal parkway route at meeting (July 31, 2001)