Category: Updates

Lane Closures Go Up Sunday Night

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (Feb. 25, 2021) – Construction on the US 31W rehabilitation project along the northern side of Elizabethtown begins next week. As announced back in October, work will take place through summer of 2022 and will feature safety improvements along with addressing deteriorating pavement conditions.

The project will be constructed in sections in order to minimize corridor disruption. This initial section extends from Ring Road (KY 3005) to S. Wilson Road and will take several months to complete.

Beginning Sunday night, February 28th, traffic will be reduced to two lanes in each direction throughout the duration of the project. Crews will be working 24 hour schedules. During off-peak traffic volume (9 p.m. – 6 a.m.), the roadway may be reduced to one lane in each direction. Sunday mornings, the contractor may extend the reduction to one lane until 12 noon.

Delays will be possible. Motorists should be aware of changing traffic patterns through the work zone and pay close attention to signs. Though traffic engineers will closely monitor signals, maintaining timing and synchronization through the area will be difficult.

Access to entrances along the project will be maintained, although short duration blockages may occur with the construction process.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 4 staff will continue updating local stakeholders, local media and the general public via direct contact methods, the project website (US31W.org) and social media (@KYTCdistrict4 on Facebook and Twitter).

Contact: Chris Jessie
270-766-5066 (office)
270-619-2577 (cell)
Chris.Jessie@ky.gov

US 31W Work Next Week In Elizabethtown

All work will be at night.

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (Oct. 29, 2020) – Asphalt patching on US 31W in Elizabethtown will begin next week. Work will take place in northbound and southbound lanes from KY 361/Cardinal Drive to Veterans Way/Pear Orchard Road on Tuesday night November 3rd and Wednesday night November 4th. Motorists should be aware of lane closures in various locations throughout the corridor and there will only be one lane of travel for each direction in these areas. Contract crews will begin each night at 9pm with all lanes reopening by 6am the next morning.

Aside from addressing degrading asphalt conditions, this work is part of the preparation phase for a previously announced larger project along US 31W which is scheduled for 2021-2022.

Contact: Chris Jessie
270-766-5066 (office)
270-619-2577 (cell)
Chris.Jessie@ky.gov

US 31W Project Through Elizabethtown

Overall Completion Expected In 2022

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2020) – A project designed to address deteriorating pavement and reduce collisions is ready for construction through the northern half of Elizabethtown along US 31W between Saint John Road and Hutcherson Road. 

Originally constructed as a concrete surface in 1941, two lanes of US 31W were widened to four in 1959. Additional lanes were constructed with a concrete surface while the two original lanes were overlaid with asphalt. Over time, additional upgrades have been made, evolving to the current configuration. In simple terms, these upgrades were implemented as a trade-off between immediate needs and long term maintenance. From water drainage to snow plowing operations in winter, the corridor presents a unique set of maintenance challenges. Most of the current pavement issues are caused by continual expansion and retraction of concrete below the asphalt driving surface. Over decades, the answer has been to smooth the surface by doing shallow asphalt rehab projects. Afterwards, it only takes a seasonal change or two for the underlying issues to reemerge as “road bumps”. This project provides a longer term solution in providing a higher quality driving surface. 

Crashes continue to be a concern for the corridor. Between 2013 and 2017, there are 2,248 collisions recorded within the project area. Nine are listed as fatal crashes while 413 are listed as injury crashes. These incidents also negatively impact the local economy to an annual estimated total of $6.7M. The figure considers emergency response, insurance, medical and property damage implications. The new project addresses crashes by reducing conflict points. While crashes cannot be eliminated, types of crashes can be directly correlated to severity. When reviewing traffic history, severe crashes are often listed as side or T-bone collisions. Reduction of conflict points using RCUT designs significantly minimizes the likelihood of these types of crashes. RCUT is short for Reduced Conflict U-Turn. The design is widely implemented in modern road configurations and is specifically suited to address issues where high traffic volumes are combined with a high density of intersections and entrances along a divided highway. RCUT installations are featured throughout the US 31W project.

Set to begin next year with completion in 2022, the project will be phased to minimize disruption to traffic and adjacent businesses. A contract in the amount of $13.54M is awarded to Louisville Paving Company, LLC. for the work. As construction schedules become finalized, updates will be available through District 4 regular channels of communication and through the project website:  www.us31w.org

To address several immediate pavement needs ahead of winter, some temporary patch work will take place this fall. These are maintenance procedures intended to sustain pavement surface integrity through degrading winter conditions such as freezing, thawing, salt treatment and plowing. Patchwork described here is separate from the project.

Contact: Chris Jessie
270-766-5066 (office)
270-619-2577 (cell)
Chris.Jessie@ky.gov