KYTC looking at two alternatives to extend Mountain Parkway in Floyd, Magoffin counties
First construction contract awarded; plans advancing in many area
PRESTONSBURG, KY (April 8, 2015) – The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet invites citizens to provide input on two options under consideration for extending the Mountain Parkway from Salyersville to Prestonsburg.
Officials will hold a public meeting on April 14 in Prestonsburg to present information on two potential options to create a four-lane road – widening along the existing corridor (KY 114) or constructing a new road along a cross-country corridor to the north of KY 114.
KYTC will use public feedback to help determine whether the Mountain Parkway Expansion team should continue to study a cross-country option between Salyersville and Prestonsburg or instead focus planning and design work on the widening of KY 114.
KY 114 is a two-lane state highway that runs between Salyersville and Prestonsburg. It winds about 14 miles through the hills and valleys of Eastern Kentucky.
The Mountain Parkway Expansion team began looking at a cross-country alternative to widening the existing route because of the large number of homes and businesses along KY 114.
“It has been more than a decade since a plan to widen KY 114 was evaluated and presented to the public. After Gov. Steve Beshear and the General Assembly committed additional funds last year to expand the Mountain Parkway, our team determined that it makes sense to consider options for the extension,” said Marshall Carrier, a KYTC engineer who is project manager for the Mountain Parkway Expansion.
The meeting will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 14 at Prestonsburg Elementary School, 140 S. Clark Road, Prestonsburg, Ky. Citizens are invited to talk with engineers and project representatives and learn more about the benefits and costs of the two alternatives being studied. The meeting also will provide the latest maps on routes being considered to extend the parkway.
“Both of the options we have identified would substantially improve the safety and mobility for travelers on the route between Salyersville and Prestonsburg. However, we want to make sure that we choose the option that will best serve citizens of Eastern Kentucky for decades to come,” Carrier said.
The Mountain Parkway Expansion project will improve a transportation corridor that runs 46 miles between Campton and Prestonsburg. The project will widen 30 miles of the existing parkway from two lanes to four lanes and extend the parkway by about 16 miles.
When the entire project is completed in six to 10 years, it will close the only gap in a 400-mile, four-lane, high-speed corridor for commerce and mobility across Kentucky from Pikeville to Paducah.
