transportation

The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) is joining the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) during National Teen Driver Safety Week, October 20-26, to help empower parents to talk with their young drivers about the importance of driving safely.

The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) is driving home a safety message to motorists aimed at preventing crashes by encouraging two life-saving actions behind the wheel- buckling up and putting down the phone.

Launching today, the state’s first Buckle Up Phone Down campaign features videos, radio spots, digital advertising and a new dedicated website, kyhighwaysafety.com, to promote the initiative.

KY 1812 in northern Breathitt County will be closed beginning Monday, Sept. 23, for a bridge replacement project that is a part of the state’s Bridging Kentucky initiative.

The bridge at milepoint 14.3 crossing Hurst Fork, also known as Johnson Fork, will be closed for 45 days. The new bridge is scheduled to be open by Nov. 7.

The project location is less than 1 mile north of KY 205, and approximately one-half mile south of KY 1419. It is slightly more than two miles south of the Wolfe County line.

In anticipation of Hurricane Dorian and its potential to cause damage to the southeastern United States, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Greg Thomas has waived certain regulations on commercial motor carriers involved in the relief effort.

Secretary Thomas issued the emergency declaration that provides temporary regulatory relief for crews heading to the affected areas to deliver goods, restore utilities and remove debris.

"Lifting these restrictions allows crews to assist with the relief effort as quickly as possible,” Secretary Thomas said.

Repairing the damaged Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge (US 62) in downtown Maysville will require temporary daytime closures of the Ohio River crossing next week so Kentucky Transportation Cabinet crews can conduct further engineering analysis.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has posted a 3-ton weight limit on the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge (US 62) over the Ohio River in downtown Maysville.

Recent inspections by Transportation Cabinet contractors found damage to the bridge's cable suspension system, which prompted the change. The bridge had been posted at 20, 23, 25 and 37 tons, depending on axle type.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has awarded $300,000 for resurfacing work on KY 2026 (Maple Street in Stanton). Resurfacing repairs address existing surface cracks, potholes, rutting, crumbling shoulders, and base failures.

Motorists should expect traffic changes on KY 32 west of Morehead as contractors begin resurfacing operations this week on both sides of the I-64 interchange.

By Wednesday night, July 24, paving will begin on KY 32 between the Fairview Drive/Guardian Avenue area and I-64 off ramps. Work will take place at night to lessen impacts on traffic. Motorists should expect lane closures, one-lane traffic and possible flagged traffic for several days.

During Friday’s West Liberty City Council meeting, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Department of Rural and Municipal Aid Commissioner Gray Tomblyn II announced $100,500 in discretionary funds for resurfacing work and patching on portions of eight city streets.

Pavement repairs address existing surface cracks, potholes, raveling, and base failures. The investment supports Gov. Matt Bevin’s commitment to prioritize transportation infrastructure projects and increase economic opportunity across the Commonwealth.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Secretary Greg Thomas has approved the issuance of nearly $1.3 million in grants to improve multimodal freight transportation through the Kentucky Rail Crossing Improvement (KRCI) Program.

Jointly administered by the Division of Planning and Division of Right of Way and Utilities, the Cabinet will fund half of $2.5 million dollars in project costs to maintain and improve at-grade rail crossings in Kentucky.

Drivers using the Mountain Parkway and KY 1010 at Exit 53 in Wolfe County should prepare for a major traffic pattern change, as work continues on a pavement and bridge rehabilitation project between Stillwater and Helechawa (exits 46 and 57).

The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) is partnering with law enforcement agencies across the state in a speed enforcement blitz June 30 through July 13. 

The federally-funded ‘Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine’ campaign intensifies enforcement of speed violators, with an emphasis on roadways with a high number of speed-related crashes. 

According to KOHS Acting Executive Director, speed limits are established by Kentucky statutes.

Drainage replacements for a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet highway safety improvement project will require KY 32 to close twice next week at two locations along Christy Creek in Rowan County.

KY 32 closed Monday, June 24, and Wednesday, June 26

During the June 18 Rowan County Fiscal Court meeting, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Department of Rural and Municipal Aid Commissioner Gray Tomblyn II announced $457,397 in discretionary funds for vital resurfacing work on more than five miles of roadway.

Resurfacing repairs address existing surface cracks, potholes, raveling, and base failures. The significant investment supports Governor Matt Bevin’s commitment to prioritize transportation infrastructure projects and increase economic opportunity across the Commonwealth.

Two Kentucky Transportation Cabinet highway safety improvement projects on US 60 and KY 32 in Rowan County will require temporary road closures next week.

US 60 closed Tuesday, June 18 @ Lakeside Christian

Beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesday, June 18, contractors will close US 60 near Lakeside Christian Academy (milepoint 5.4) to trench across the roadway and install a new drainage system underneath it. The road will remain closed to all traffic for at least 12 hours, or until work is complete.

Due to excessive rain, the closure and paving Saturday of two I-64 access ramps at the US 60 interchange (Exit 181) at Coalton in Boyd County has been rescheduled for Monday, June 10.

Beginning about 7 a.m. Monday, contractors will pave the circular ramps – the I-64 westbound off ramp to US 60, and the I-64 eastbound on ramp from US 60. Each access ramp will be closed for several hours for the work, up until about 7 p.m. Electronic message boards will be used to notify traffic of closures. Motorists may use the following detours:

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is seeking public input on proposed Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goals to ensure certified businesses can compete fairly for federally-funded transportation projects.

The Cabinet’s Office for Civil Rights and Small Business Development (OCRSBD) is developing an annual DBE participation goal, in collaboration with the Federal Highway Administration. Once approved, the goal will be in effect for three years beginning Oct. 1, 2020.

Contractors expect to start a $1.8 million Transportation Cabinet highway safety improvement project on KY 158 in Rowan County next week.

The project includes several types of safety enhancements such as tree removal and roadside slope reductions for better crash recovery, culvert extensions to widen roadway shoulders, new highway signage, and curve revisions that will add banking in several areas, as well as ditch work and other maintenance.

The work will take place on KY 158 between the Fleming-Rowan county line and the KY 32 intersection, from the 0 to 3 mile markers.

Work to rebuild the KY 111 bridge over a branch of Hillsboro Creek in Fleming County has been delayed, and the highway will remain closed longer than anticipated.

Contractors began the KY 111 bridge project in early April at mile marker 7.6 just north of the KY 1515 (Orchard Road) intersection between Poplar Plains and Hillsboro, closing the road to remove the old superstructure and place new steel beams and construct a new concrete driving surface.

Contractors expect to begin joint repairs today, Monday, April 22, on I-64 over the Tygarts Creek bridges near Olive Hill just west of Exit 161.

Motorists should expect one-lane traffic across the bridges – the right lane will close first, followed by the left lane – during work hours, approximately 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day for the next couple of weeks.

In May, painting contractors will mobilize to paint bridge beams underneath each of the bridges.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has awarded improvement projects totaling almost $3.4 million for eight bridges Bath, Fleming, Carter, Boyd and Greenup counties.

Work on the projects will start soon, and will require temporary closures of the structures to expedite the projects and move Kentucky forward in its goal to rehab, repair or replace 1,000 bridges in six years.

The following Bridging Kentucky projects were awarded in February and March:

BATH COUNTY

A Kentucky Transportation Cabinet bridge painting and repair project totaling nearly $2 million will start next week along I-64 in Carter and Rowan counties.

Contractors will begin joint repairs Tuesday, April 9, or Wednesday, depending upon weather, on the I-64 bridges over the Little Sandy River east of Grayson.

Motorists should expect one-lane traffic across the bridges – the right lane will close first, followed by the left lane – during work hours, approximately 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day.

Contractors will improve five northeast Kentucky highway bridges through a $700,000 state Transportation Cabinet project now under way.

Improvements include a new concrete driving surface and waterproofing on the following bridges:

Fleming County: the KY 3304 bridge over Rock Lick Creek (milepoint 2.7)

Lewis County: the KY 59 bridge over Dry Run Creek (milepoint 23)

Lewis County: the KY 377 bridge over Kinniconick Creek (milepoint 8.5)

Greenup County: the KY 7 bridge over Little White Oak Creek (milepoint 3.6)

The Nada Tunnel in Powell County, located on KY 77 at milepoint 2.2, will be closed overnight on Tuesday, March 19, for an inspection.

The road will be closed to all traffic starting at 7 p.m., and should reopen to traffic by 7 a.m. the following morning. The tunnel will be inspected as part of the National Tunnel Inspection Program.

State snow plow and salt truck crews are prepared for another weekend of winter weather duty across northeast Kentucky.

Kentucky Department of Highways District 9 crew members in Bath, Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Fleming, Greenup, Lewis, Mason, Nicholas and Rowan counties prepped equipment today, and are on call to start work as needed Saturday night – depending on the timing of an expected winter storm.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has announced the anticipated rollout of the state’s new identity credentials, slated to become available gradually in counties beginning in March 2019 through spring.

The Cabinet is spearheading the Confident Kentucky initiative to offer two new license, permit and personal ID card versions applicants can choose from the next time they are due to renew existing credentials at their local Circuit Court Clerk office.

The credential Kentuckians rely on most to verify their identities will undergo major upgrades in 2019 to enhance security and to keep travelers on the move.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) officials have announced the launch of the Confident Kentucky initiative to improve the security of state driver’s licenses and introduce a new Voluntary Travel ID credential that meets federal standards to board U.S. flights and enter select federal facilities.

Residents of Menifee County are invited to attend a public informational meeting to discuss a proposed rockfall mitigation project on KY 1274 near Cave Run Lake.

The meeting will be held Thursday, Aug. 16, from 5-7 p.m. at the Menifee County High School cafeteria. It will be an “open house” format meeting with no formal presentation.

Motorists should watch for temporary lane closures on I-64 for bridge inspections this week in Bath, Rowan and Carter counties.

Beginning Tuesday, July 17, contractors will inspect bridges on I-64 between Mt. Sterling and the Rowan County line in Bath County around mile markers 118, 120, 122 and 129.

On Wednesday, July 18, contractors will inspect bridges in Carter County near Olive Hill at mile marker 161.