Frankfort – Carter County will receive $29,044,840 in funding for road and infrastructure projects. Today’s announcement comes days after lawmakers adjourned a legislative session that resulted in a fiscally responsible state spending plan that makes significant investments upgrading and replacing the state’s outdated infrastructure, including transportation, water and waste water, and broadband.
“I believe it goes without saying that industry and healthy infrastructure go hand-in-hand,” Representative Patrick Flannery said. “These projects will surely serve as a catalyst for new growth in our community, and the impacts of these improvements will be felt for generations.”
The funding is part of HB 242, which provides more than $2.9 billion for the maintenance and construction of state roads over the next two years. The measure also includes $370 million for the rehabilitation and construction of bridges and sets aside $250 million to match federal dollars for mega projects in Northern, Eastern, and Western Kentucky.
The Carter County allocation is earmarked for the following projects:
- $28,000 for guardrail installation on KY-1947.
- $1,930,000 to improve safety at East Carter High School.
- $4,000,000 to reconstruct US-60 from west of Glenwood Hollow Road to east of KY-3296, including 12 lanes, wide paved shoulders, unobstructed clear zones, flatter vertical grades, and gently horizontal curves.
- $3,223,000 for a bridge project on KY-1.
- $1,111,000 for a bridge project on Gollihue Road at Little Fork Creek.
- $9,996,052 to address the condition of I-64 from mile point 154.28 to mile point 166.217.
- $4,165,788 to address the condition of I-64 from mile point 166.217 to mile point 171.2.
- $1,440,000 to improve the US-60 geometry at Olive Hill mile point 12.4 extending 1.1 miles to I-64 exit 161.
- $500,000 for geometric improvements on KY-1025 from US-60, east of Olive Hill extending north 0.30 miles providing access to West Carter Middle and High Schools. This will include bike and pedestrian facilities.
- $150,000 to improve the safety and operational efficiency of KY-3297 near East Carter Middle School and the new sporting complex.
- $2,501,000 to construct a two lane roadway from KY-3297 to the intersection of US-60 and KY-1 to mitigate congestion along Carol Malone Boulevard.
“Improving access and infrastructure around our Middle and High Schools will provide a safer route for our counties youth,” Flannery continued. “It will be exciting to see all of these updates come to fruition as a result of the hard work done by the legislature.”
In addition to HB 242, lawmakers also crafted a two year budget for Kentucky’s Transportation Cabinet. That bill, HB 241, includes funding for programs like an additional $4 million to increase access to driver’s license and permit testing and $11.4 million to be divided equally among the state’s 54 general aviation airports.
“This road plan and cabinet budget provide a very organized, methodical approach that both meets today’s needs and lays the groundwork for tomorrow. We only have one chance to spend each dollar and we owe it to the taxpayers of Kentucky to get it right,” House Speaker David Osborne added. “I commend House Transportation Budget Chair Sal Santoro and Representative Flannery for their commitment to prioritizing critical projects and identifying how we can make the most of the resources available to us.”
Lawmakers adjourned the 2022 Regular Session before midnight on Thursday, April 14. For further information about this legislation or any other actions taken by the Kentucky General Assembly, visit legislature.ky.gov
