By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
The often discussed road widening project on Carol Malone Boulevard could see some progress in the new year.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced last week that a contract has been awarded for the project which KTC expects to begin “early next year” according to a press release from the cabinet. The contract for the project, which was advertised for bid this past fall, went to Mountain Enterprises, who had the lowest bid on the project at $5,976,248.
That cost will cover wider travel lanes along the one and a half mile stretch of road between the entrance to Kentucky Christian University at Academic Parkway and the Little Sandy River, as wells as new right and left turn lanes. This will include additional turn lanes onto Main Street (US 60), and other work that is expected to help reduce congestion and improve traffic flow along the route. KTC said in their release that the plan should also help improve safety and reduce accidents along the route.
The stretch of roadway, which runs concurrently with portions of KY Route 7 and KY Route 1 through town, “serves as many as 17,000 vehicles per day” the KTC said, as well as serving as “an important I-64 connector in Carter County.”
While a construction schedule for the project hasn’t been decided upon yet, KTC said contractors and state highway engineers will be meeting “soon” to develop that schedule.
Contact the writer at editor@ cartercountytimes.com