Kentucky Transportation Cabinet – District 3
Construction season has come to a close in the District 3 area. One of the biggest projects wrapped up just before the winter season hit. The brand new five lane section of U.S. 31-W from Dillard Road to Buchanon Park in the Richpond area was recently opened. All the orange barrels and construction equipment have been removed. The project started in November of last year and represents a nearly $10 million investment in road upgrades. Scotty’s Contracting & Stone LLC was the awarded the contracted.
With construction season coming to a close, we have shifted our focus to snow and ice efforts. A two-punch winter weather storm system hit our area over the Christmas holiday season. However, that did not stop our hard-working crews from responding to the event and making roads as safe as possible. Crews worked through the night in snowy and white out conditions with wind chills well below -20 degrees to do the best job they could.
City of Bowling Green
The Shive Lane Extension project, which began in 2022, is progressing. This project will ultimately continue the widening from the recently completed roundabout at Ken Bale Boulevard and the existing Shive Lane intersection and continue to Lovers Lane. A new roundabout has been constructed at the intersection with Middle Bridge Road and the new connection to Lovers Lane has been built along with a multi-use path the entire length. Work continues on the widening of the existing Shive Lane section to three lanes and associated storm infrastructure and pedestrian facilities. Additionally, a traffic signal has been installed at Lovers Lane and will become operational once the two adjacent signals are removed – one at Middle Bridge Road and one at Fruit of the Loom Drive. The project is anticipated to be complete later this spring.
Construction on the first of four new roundabouts along Westen Street began in 2022. The roundabout and associated improvements to Westen at Rockingham Avenue were completed last summer. 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. Construction on the Ashley Circle roundabout is expected to start this summer.
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. This project is out for bid and will begin this spring.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has allocated funds to the city and county for much needed Cave Mill Road improvements between the Dishman Lane extension and Grider Pond Road. Improvements may include widening to three lanes, various intersection improvements, and a multi-use path. Design is expected to begin in March and will continue throughout the next year. As part of the project, there will be multiple opportunities for public input.
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 Drive, Riverwood Ave, and Rockingham Ave. Each of these sidewalk projects are currently in the design phase. The Sidewalk Maintenance Program identifies the process by which staff inspects and chooses 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.
An eight-foot multi-use path along Smallhouse Road from Ridgecrest Way to Broadway Ave was completed in December. This construction continued the multi-use path that was recently constructed from Campbell Lane to Ridgecrest Way and 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 Lovers Lane. These locations are currently in the design phase.
The Public Works Department continues to work with the City’s Neighborhood & Community Services Department to provide better pedestrian connections throughout town. A Transportation Alternatives 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. Property acquisition is complete and the project will go out for bids in early 2023.
The City was also 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. Combined with local funds, $2M is budgeted for improvements to the bridge. Construction is anticipated to begin in the spring.