Mountain Parkway Traffic Changes Start This Week

Traffic transition nears completion on Restaurant Row; Temporary traffic patterns allow crews to continue building safer medians and wider interchanges

SALYERSVILLE, Ky. (September 4, 2018) – This week will begin a series of traffic alterations across different areas of the Mountain Parkway. Drivers should be aware of changes impacting eastbound traffic exiting the Parkway at the KY 205 interchange, traffic over Burning Fork Bridge near Salyersville, and changes to business access throughout Salyersville’s Restaurant Row.

Burning Fork Bridge

Beginning this Wednesday, September 5, the four-lane Burning Fork bridge leading into Salyersville’s Restaurant Row will be reduced to two outer lanes of traffic—one moving in each direction.  Construction crews will be active within safety barriers while working on the median in the center of the bridge and on the roadway. Signs will be posted, alerting drivers to slow down when nearing the area.

Drivers may experience some delays in this area and will need to proceed slowly and with caution to allow workers to move safely in and out of traffic.

Restaurant Row

The flow of traffic through Salyersville’s Restaurant Row will also experience changes.

Transitioning business access on Restaurant Row from the mainline road over to the newly-constructed backage road will occur gradually over a period of days, as this aspect of the project nears completion. Once this work is finished, drivers on Restaurant Row will use the new backage road to access businesses on the north side of the road, while the mainline road will be exclusively designated for through-traffic moving forward.

“Transitioning business access fully from the mainline to the backage and frontage roads on Restaurant Row has been a long-anticipated step of this project,” said Marshall Carrier, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s project manager for the Mountain Parkway Expansion. “Completing this traffic transition is a decisive win for drivers and pedestrians along Restaurant Row. Having fewer, designated access points to businesses is a proven way to improve the flow of traffic and reduce potential conflicts, making the entire area noticeably safer for drivers and consumers alike.”

Exit Ramp 57 Eastbound to KY 205

Starting on Tuesday, September 11, motorists traveling eastbound on the Mountain Parkway will begin using a new ramp to access KY 205 near Helechawa (pictured to the right). A section of the Lee City/West Liberty KY 205 interchange (Exit 57) will be temporarily reconfigured so construction crews can continue working to complete the interchange and widening the parkway.

Eastbound traffic will exit just west of the Red River, approximately 1/4 mile before the existing exit ramp. The existing ramp will be closed.

Motorists will travel down the new ramp, turn right, and then travel south on a short section of newly constructed roadway until they reach a stop sign. They can then turn left or right onto KY 205.

Signs will be posted to alert drivers of the change. There is no impact on westbound traffic or for traffic entering the parkway from KY 205.

The temporary configuration will be in place for the duration of the KY 205 interchange project, which is scheduled to be complete within two years.

“This temporary traffic shift allows us to make significant progress at the KY 205 interchange in the coming months,” said Carrier. “This interchange is one of the busiest construction areas on the parkway right now. Workers are constructing six new bridges, building several new ramps, realigning a section of KY 205, and building new eastbound and westbound lanes for the parkway. When complete, the new interchange will make travel safer and more convenient for travelers in Eastern Kentucky.”

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About the Mountain Parkway Expansion

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. It is a key transportation project designed to close the only gap in a 400-mile, four-lane, high-speed corridor for commerce and mobility across Kentucky from Pikeville to Paducah. The project will widen 30 miles of the existing parkway to four lanes and extend the parkway by about 16 miles between Salyersville and Prestonsburg.