By Portia Williams
Work is under way on a $10 million highway improvement project, which will mean 13 miles of new blacktop for the entire Industrial Parkway (KY 67) in Boyd, Carter and Greenup counties.
The work is being done under a $10,294,294.94 low-bid contract awarded by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to Mountain Enterprises Inc. The contractor has until Nov. 1 to complete the project.
Allen Blair, public information officer of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 9, said the resurfacing project has been a long time in the making.
“This is something that we have been working on for a while now because the condition of the Industrial Parkway is such that it needs repaved. The entire length of it does, and we have been working to get this project going for some time now,” Blair said. “So, we are happy to announce that we will begin almost immediately to repave the entire length of the Parkway from the I-64 interchange all the way over to US 23 in Greenup County.”
Contractors are installing work zone signs and making other preparations this week, then will begin intermittent lane closures Monday, July 13, along with repairs and lane closures at the US 23 and KY 67 intersection near Greenup.
“This first week, there will be lane closures here and there for a variety of reasons. Before you start a full-fledged paving operation you need to do some minor repairs, they call it leveling, especially in areas where there may be some dips, or maybe larger pot holes that need to be smoothed over first before we come along and pave,” he said. “So, that will take place first beginning Monday, right now they are doing some more prep work as well as getting some signs up.”
“Next week here and there, people will see different work zones along the Parkway where they are getting ready to pave. Also, there will be some lane restrictions at the US 23 and Industrial Parkway intersection. They will be doing some work on the signal detection loops and the pavement,” he said. “So that will be the primary areas where you will see the traffic impacted next week.”
By Monday, July 20, he said full paving operations will start, with crews beginning at the I-64 end and working north toward the US 23 intersection – resurfacing all lanes of the Industrial Parkway.
“Beginning July 20, the full paving operations will start. They will be filling and removing asphalt and then right behind that they will be paving back, and they will work one lane at a time, especially in areas where there will be turning lanes, they will be working one length at a time the entire length of the highway.,” he said. “Each day there could be different work zones, but it will always be one lane.”
According to Blair, there will be two crews working on the project due to the completion date of Nov. 1, 2015. Henceforth, there objective is to get the work completed as soon as possible. Paving work will take place 5 a.m. to midnight daily and will require one-lane traffic where crews are working. Motorists should heed flaggers, obey signs and follow pilot vehicles where appropriate. Expect delays.
Find more information about District 9 online at www.transportation.ky.gov/district-9.
Reach Portia Williams at 740-353-3101, ext. 1929, or on Twitter @PortiaWillPDT.
