City of Bowling Green
The Shive Lane Extension project began early this summer. 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.
Construction on the first of four roundabouts along Westen Street began this spring. The roundabout and associated improvements to Westen at Rockingham Avenue are underway and will be completed in August. The intersections of Highland Way, Patrick Way, and Ashley Circle were also 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, schools 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.
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. Construction is anticipated in late 2022.
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 Avenue, Rodes Drive, Riverwood Avenue, and Rockingham Ave and are currently in the design phase. 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, which began in late 2021, will wrap up this summer. 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.
The City recently awarded the construction contact for the continuation of the 8’ multi-use path along Smallhouse Road from Ridgecrest Way to Broadway Avenue. This construction will provide access from numerous neighborhoods to businesses and parks in the Broadway Avenue and Covington area.
The City’s newly implemented Greenways Program mimics the Sidewalk program where candidate projects are ranked and selected annually based upon allocated funding. The locations selected to receive new greenways this year include portions of Smallhouse Road, Bryant Way and Lover’s Lane. These locations are currently in the design phase. Additionally, a greenway connection between the trail on the Weldon Peete Park side of River Street near the Barren River and the trail to the west was completed which now gives pedestrians access beneath the roadway and thus eliminates the need for users to cross the heavily traveled roadway.
The Public Works Department continues to work with the City’s Neighborhood & Community Services Department to provide better pedestrian connections throughout town. A Transportation Improvement Program (TAP) grant was 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.