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Mountain Parkway Expansion Progress Report

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

Significant progress is being made in the Restaurant Row Segment, a roughly two-and-a-half-mile project in Salyersville.

Crews are moving forward with utility tie-ins to new gravity sewers in this business-dense section, and blasting/excavation work will resume soon behind the Magoffin County Health Department.

Construction and excavation also continues near the new bridge at the west end of the project and at the intersection with U.S. 460. A realigned intersection at U.S. 460 soon will open, and vehicles traveling the parkway will be diverted to the new, two-lane bridge over the Licking River.

This traffic switch, which is expected to occur next month, will allow crews to demolish the existing bridge and expand the new bridge to four lanes. Signage will be in place to alert drivers to the change.

Just west of Restaurant Row, crews in the Magoffin County Central Segment of the project are continuing work around the KY 7 interchange (Exit 75) and KY 30 interchange (Exit 72).

The Magoffin County Central Segment of the Mountain Parkway Expansion runs from just west of mile point 70 of the parkway to just east of mile point 75. The speed limit in the area has been reduced, and traffic on the parkway may be slowed or stopped periodically for the safety of workers and travelers.

At the KY 30 interchange, construction crews are working on lighting, drainage, seeding and shoulder work along recently constructed lanes. New asphalt will be added in coming weeks on the new lanes.

Near the KY 7 interchange, construction crews are working on a new bridge over KY 7, and excavation and draining work continues. Road crews also are beginning to lay rock as a base for new lanes, and they will add asphalt over the few weeks.

In this nearly 5-mile section – between mile point 65 and mile point 70 –  property and right-of-way acquisition continues. No timetable for construction has been set. The project calls for widening the parkway and realigning the corridor to the south of the existing roadway to eliminate a large curve. It will also add an interchange at KY 3046 (Kernie-Ova-Seitz Road) to provide local access.

Throughout this approximately 8-mile section through Wolfe, Morgan and Magoffin Counties, workers are continuing clearing, excavation and construction with minimal impacts to traffic on the Mountain Parkway.

At the Lee City/West Liberty interchange (Exit 57), crews are constructing piers and decking for several new bridges. Around the KY 134 interchange (Exit 60), workers are excavating for a new ramp and constructing a culvert, and occasional blasting is underway in the area.

Improvements in the Morgan County Segment will include widening the parkway to four lanes between mile points 56 and 65, improving and modernizing interchanges and eliminating an “S” curve near the Morgan/Magoffin county line.

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.

The project will widen 30 miles of the existing parkway from two lanes to four lanes, and will extend the parkway another 16 miles between Salyersville and Prestonsburg.

(provided by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet)

Paul Hitchcock earned his Masters in Communications from Morehead State University and Bachelors in Radio-TV/Psychology from Georgetown College. A veteran broadcaster for more than 40 years and an avid fan of blues, jazz and American roots music. Hitchcock has been with WMKY since 1986 and was named General Manager in 2003. He currently hosts "Muddy Bottom Blues" (Fri., 8pm-9pm), "Nothin' But The Blues" (Sat., 8pm-12am), "Sunday Night Jazz Showcase" and "Live From The Jazz Lounge" (Sun., 8pm-9pm) and "The Golden Age of Radio" (Sun., 2pm-3pm). He also serves as producer for "A Time For Tales" and "The Reader's Notebook."
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