Magoffin West Letting Approaches as Progress Continues Along Mountain Parkway
Magoffin West segment will be let August 23; Restaurant Row on track to be finalized by the end of fall 2019
SALYERSVILLE, Ky. (Aug. 21, 2019) – The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) will receive bids from roadway contractors to widen the next section of the Mountain Parkway, known as the Magoffin County West segment, on Friday, Aug. 23. The letting process will allow KYTC to begin selecting a contractor to oversee the project through construction.
The Magoffin West segment will be the fourth segment of the Mountain Parkway Expansion project to go to construction, following the Magoffin County Central segment, completed in 2018; Restaurant Row in Salyersville, scheduled to be completed at the end of fall 2019; and the most recently added segment, the Morgan County segment, due for completion in the summer of 2020.
Combined, these project segments represent more than 20 miles of continuous roadway improvements that will widen the corridor to four lanes from the KY 205 (Exit 57) interchange to the KY 114/U.S. 460 junction, just east of Salyersville’s Restaurant Row.
When completed, the Magoffin County West segment of the parkway will run from west of the Cutino-Hager Road overpass, to west of the Middle Fork of the Licking River Bridge, covering about 4.6 miles of roadway. The planned improvements include widening the parkway to four lanes between mile points 65 and 69.6, making safety improvements to a sharp curve around the mountain, and adding an interchange at KY 3046 (Kernie-Ova-Seitz Road) to provide local parkway access.
“The Mountain Parkway Expansion has been making significant progress since work began on the first section in 2015,” said Marshall Carrier, KYTC’s project manager for the Mountain Parkway Expansion. “With each new segment our team has taken on, we have seen improved safety measures already beginning to make a difference, and the widened lanes making room for more travelers on the parkway. We’re excited to see the newest segment let for construction, and to know that our teams are doing great work to create a safer, more modern corridor for drivers throughout Eastern Kentucky.”
Restaurant Row
Salyersville’s Restaurant Row—one of the two sections of the Mountain Parkway Expansion currently under construction—is 85% complete, and is on track to be finished by the end of fall 2019.
The coming months leading up to the project’s completion will be busy, as crews work to make the most of clear weather during the summer and fall construction seasons. The remainder of the project will involve completing the eastbound lanes and laying several layers of asphalt on all roads, including a final layer on the access roads as well. The traffic lights will also be set to reflect final traffic patterns once the project is complete.
New striping will be applied to the parkway and access roads after the final layer of asphalt is paved.
Morgan County Segment
The Morgan County segment—the second of the two currently active sections of the Parkway—stretches from the Lee City/West Liberty interchange, near Helechawa (Exit 57), to just west of the Cutino-Hager Road overpass.
Much has been accomplished across the Morgan County segment over the course of the 2019 spring and summer construction season. Early this spring, the new eastbound lanes were completed and paved, before traffic was shifted onto those lanes so the team could begin the construction and widening of the new westbound lanes.
The Morgan County team has made significant progress on both the interchange near KY 134, and the interchange near Helechawa. The interchange near Helechawa will be completed and open to traffic by winter, once the final ramp – which is currently under construction – is complete.
Team members have also been hard at work pouring a new bridge deck and setting beams for new bridges. The team aims to pour the remaining two bridge decks by the end of the coming fall season.
“The Morgan County segment remains active, with much left to accomplish over the next year of construction. Travelers can see that activity when they drive through the area,” said Carrier. “As we move into the autumn months, our team will continue to charge ahead, making timely progress, and bringing this section closer to anticipated completion in the summer of 2020.”
