More than 300 people attended a public meeting on November 19 to hear updated details on two options under consideration for extending the Mountain Parkway between Salyersville and Prestonsburg.
No decision has been made on whether to widen the parkway along the existing corridor (KY 114) or build a new road along a cross-country corridor to the north of KY 114. However, further studies over the last few months allowed the project team to refine plans and provide more details about the two routes.
During the meeting at Prestonsburg Elementary School, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet representatives presented a video comparing the alternatives, displayed detailed maps and used computer workstations to show residents how properties might be affected by the alternatives. Project leaders fielded questions and comments, and comment forms were made available for area residents to provide feedback.
Hundreds of area residents also attended a meeting in Prestonsburg in April to learn preliminary details about the two options and offer comments.
“It’s important that we have the public’s participation as we work to identify the best solution to extend the Mountain Parkway and close this gap in four-lane access for Eastern Kentucky,” said Marshall Carrier, a KYTC engineer who is project manager for the Mountain Parkway Expansion.
“We are grateful to members of the local community for being so engaged in this process, and their input will continue to be a key component of KYTC’s decision-making process,” added Carrier.
The Mountain Parkway Expansion is a 46-mile transportation improvement project that will create a wider, safer connection between Eastern Kentucky and the rest of the Commonwealth. It is a key transportation project designed to close the only gap in a 400-mile, four-lane, high-speed corridor for commerce and mobility across Kentucky from Pikeville to Paducah.
The project will widen 30 miles of the existing parkway from two lanes to four lanes, and will extend the parkway another 16 miles by widening KY 114 between Salyersville and Prestonsburg.
The Mountain Parkway Expansion is a key project of the Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) initiative. SOAR was formed in 2013 to help the region develop and put into action new locally oriented strategies to attack persistent challenges related to job training, health, education and economic development.
(story provided by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet)
