Drilling and Blasting to Begin Near New Mountain Parkway Interchange
Work could lead to brief traffic interruptions
SALYERSVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 5, 2015) – Crews with Bizzack Construction LLC continue to clear land along a 1.4 mile section of the Mountain Parkway, and soon they will begin creating a wider path to expand the road.
Drilling of rock is scheduled to begin Monday, Feb. 9, and the first surface blasting along the parkway is expected to take place late that day or early the next day, near mile point 70 of the Mountain Parkway.
Periodic blasting will continue to take place in the area over the next few weeks during daylight hours. Prior to each blast, traffic must be stopped on the Mountain Parkway for up to 20 minutes for the safety of the workers and the traveling public.
Scheduled blasts that will impact traffic will be shared at www.MtnParkway.com, on Twitter (@MtnParkway) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/mtnparkway). Updates also will be shared on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 10 website (http://transportation.ky.gov/district-10/Pages/default.aspx) and on its Twitter (www.twitter.com/KYTCDistrict10) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/KYTCDistrict10) pages.
The scheduled times of blasts may change in the event of unfavorable weather or other unforeseen activities.
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 from two lanes to four lanes, and will extend the parkway another 16 miles by widening KY 114 between Salyersville and Prestonsburg.
In addition to the construction near Salyersville, other segments of the project are undergoing design, right of way, environmental and utility work to quickly bring as much of the project as possible to shovel-ready status.
