New Mountain Parkway Interchange Taking Shape in Magoffin County
Contractors pouring first concrete on 46-mile expansion project
SALYERSVILLE, Ky. (May 26, 2015) – The first concrete was poured on the Mountain Parkway Expansion last week, marking a significant milestone for the project.
Contractors working for Lexington’s Bizzack Construction are starting steel and construction work on a new interchange at Gifford Road, just west of Salyersville.
Construction crews working near Salyersville pour the first concrete on the Mountain Parkway Expansion.
Workers are beginning to build structures and pour concrete for what will become a ramp on the southwest corner of the new Gifford Road interchange. The initial work will create a culvert that will allow water to flow under the ramp.
“This project is really starting to take shape, and the public is starting to see the improvements that are coming,” said Marshall Carrier, a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet engineer who is project manager for the Mountain Parkway Expansion. “We’re quickly making progress here. With the construction season in full swing, we’ll soon have clearing and construction work going on about six miles of the project.”
The Gifford Road interchange is one of three areas where construction is starting in Magoffin County.
In addition to the work near Gifford Road, crews have begun clearing work around the KY 7/Salyersville interchange (Exit 75) and will start construction work soon. Work in this section of the project will include making improvements to the existing interchange and widening 1.1 miles of the parkway. The interchange improvements include reconfiguring the westbound exit ramp to KY 7 from the Mountain Parkway and re-aligning the three other ramps at the interchange.
Work also will start soon around the KY 30 interchange (Exit 72). In this section, contractors will modernize the existing interchange and widen the parkway. Work in this section includes realigning the parkway to remove a large curve to the east of Exit 72.
“All three of these sections are expected to be completed within two years,” Carrier said. “Early next year, we’ll start construction in Salyersville’s Restaurant Row area. At that point, nearly one-fifth of the 46-mile Mountain Parkway Expansion will be under construction.”
