Kentucky Transportation Cabinet – District 3
Now that winter is over, motorists can expect to see lots of orange cones and barrels as project construction begins to pick up. A pavement maintenance project on I-165 between I-65 and U.S. 231 Scottsville Road for pavement crack sealing is underway. The roadway will also be resurfaced approximately 90 days following the completion of the pavement crack sealing. The widening of U.S. 31-W Nashville Road in the Richpond area continues. Most of the road work is being done off the roadway, but as construction progresses some traffic impacts can be expected. The U.S. 231 Scottsville Road Highway Safety Improvement Project in the Alvaton area was recently completed. Motorists have safer intersections along the entire two-mile corridor from Dye Ford Road to Old Scottsville Road. As the warmer weather continues motorists can expect more resurfacing projects to take place. Motorists are advised to use caution while traveling through work zones, obey all speed limits, and avoid distracted driving.
City of Bowling Green
Construction is set to begin on the Shive Lane extension this spring. This project will continue the widening from the recently completed roundabout at Ken Bale Boulevard and the existing Shive Lane intersection and continue to Lovers Lane. With this construction, a roundabout will be included at the intersection with Middle Bridge Road. Additionally, a traffic signal will be installed at Lovers Lane and two signals will be removed – one at Middle Bridge Road and one at Fruit of the Loom Drive. A multi-use path is also included along the length of both phases.
Design is wrapping up on the Westen Street roundabouts project. The intersections of Highland Way, Patrick Way, Rockingham Ave, and Ashley Circle were selected for this project. Converting these all-way stop controlled intersections to roundabouts will help alleviate the delay motorists routinely experience, especially during the PM peak hour. All four roundabouts will have the same dimensions and will be sized to easily convey passenger vehicles, school buses, and fire trucks. Each roundabout will incorporate raised splitter islands to separate entering and exiting traffic as well as accommodations for current and future sidewalks. Construction of all four roundabouts is expected to be spread out over the next few years. The roundabout at Rockingham Ave. will take priority and construction should be completed late summer 2022.
The existing intersections with Ashley Circle and Scottsville Rd. – Ashley Circle (north) at Wilkinson Trace and Ashley Circle (south) at Ashley St. – were originally constructed approximately 50 years ago. Since then, development along the Ashley Circle corridor has continued to increase. The result of this growth are long delays experienced by motorists at these two signalized intersections. To reduce these delays, the City proposes installation of dedicated right turn lanes at both locations to allow motorists to make right turns without waiting for vehicles going straight to clear each intersection. Final design will be complete this spring. Improvements at the Ashely Circle (south) intersection are expected to occur in 2022 and construction for Ashley Circle (north) is currently scheduled for 2023.
The City is committed to providing a walkable community and therefore the City allocates funds to build new sidewalks in areas that show a need. Each year candidate projects are prioritized based upon a set scoring system to determine where funds will be spent. The projects for Fiscal Year 2022 include portions of sidewalk on Morgantown Rd., Creekwood Ave., Rodes Dr., Riverwood Ave., and Rockingham Ave. The design contract is pending and construction is anticipated later this fall. Additionally, the City continues to allocate funds annually to rehabilitate existing sidewalk. The Sidewalk Maintenance Program identifies the process by which staff inspects and choses which areas will be inspected in a given year. Depending on funding, the City can correct safety hazards in hundreds of locations across the city per year.
Additionally, sidewalk rehabilitation along state-maintained roadways began in late 2021. This project was funded by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and implemented by the City in an effort to address safety hazards along existing sidewalks within state right-of-way. Once complete, the City will be responsible for the long-term maintenance of all sidewalks along state maintained roadways.
The City’s newly implemented Greenways Program mimics the Sidewalk program where candidate projects are ranked and selected annually based upon allocated funding. The design contract is pending and includes proposed greenway along portions of Smallhouse Road, Bryant Way, and Lovers Lane. Additionally, a project is currently underway to connect the greenway trail on the Weldon Peete Park side of River Street to the trail to the west. The new connection will be beneath the roadway bridge and thus eliminate the need for users to cross the heavily traveled roadway as they do today.
The Public Works Department continues to work with the City’s Neighborhood & Community Services Department to provide better pedestrian connections throughout town. Sidewalk construction was recently completed along Johnson Drive and Dennis Way. Construction on a new section of sidewalk on 5th Avenue along Pioneer Cemetery will begin later this spring as well. Additionally, a Transportation Improvement Program (TAP) grant awarded to the City in conjunction with the former Greenways Commission that will provide pedestrian and bicycle connections between existing downtown greenways facilities, key destinations in the West End, and will ultimately improve problematic intersection crossings. Construction is set to begin later this year pending necessary property acquisition. Most recently the City was awarded a TAP grant in the amount of $1.6M to restore the College Street Pedestrian Bridge, a historic landmark and future gateway to the Riverfront Park development.