New rules to ensure post quality. See this thread for details.
Was through there last week. They have done a lot of tree clearing and grading already. I agree that it is needed. Through traffic on an interstate shouldn't have to use a single lane cloverleaf ramp.
I have not seen the traffic forecasts, but 2 points in response to last post - today the traffic probably does favor the old WK parkway through movement, but for the design year (usually 20 years from opening year) the forecasts very likely favor I-69 movements. Second point - whatever the traffic forecasts are, the point of the reconfiguration is to make I-69 the through route through the interchange. The I-69 movement will not be considered an "exit". The traffic continuing on the parkways will use new right-hand exits.
Is having trees cleared out a certain distance from the road a standard for a highway to be an interstate?
Kentucky's been doing a lot of tree clearing on a lot of routes lately.
The new project will result in improvements to a 36.4-mile stretch of the Parkway in Hopkins, Webster and Henderson counties. The project includes pavement rehabilitation, new lighting, reconstructing ramps, widening overpass bridges and fixing vertical clearance issues on some overpass structures. Addressing outdated bridge barrier walls, disjointed pipes along the routes and low or damaged guardrails also fall within the scope of the contract ....Once complete, I-69 in Kentucky will run north to south from the Ohio River at Henderson to the Tennessee border at Fulton. Completion of the corridor requires improvements to portions of three Kentucky parkways, all of which originally were toll roads, the Breathitt-Pennyrile, Ford-Western Kentucky and Carroll-Purchase parkways ....The remaining portion of the I-69 Corridor is scheduled to have signs in place in late 2015.
This article reports that KYTC has awarded a contract to bring 36.4 miles of the Pennyrile Parkway up to interstate standards, and it reports that, "The remaining portion of the I-69 Corridor is scheduled to have signs in place in late 2015":QuoteThe new project will result in improvements to a 36.4-mile stretch of the Parkway in Hopkins, Webster and Henderson counties. The project includes pavement rehabilitation, new lighting, reconstructing ramps, widening overpass bridges and fixing vertical clearance issues on some overpass structures. Addressing outdated bridge barrier walls, disjointed pipes along the routes and low or damaged guardrails also fall within the scope of the contract ....Once complete, I-69 in Kentucky will run north to south from the Ohio River at Henderson to the Tennessee border at Fulton. Completion of the corridor requires improvements to portions of three Kentucky parkways, all of which originally were toll roads, the Breathitt-Pennyrile, Ford-Western Kentucky and Carroll-Purchase parkways ....The remaining portion of the I-69 Corridor is scheduled to have signs in place in late 2015.
In other words, KYTC just told Ron Payne to pound sand.
IMO, Payne doesn't shut up until the ribbon is cut on the new bridge, or 67 is approved.
Quote from: Captain Jack on June 18, 2014, 11:23:28 AMIMO, Payne doesn't shut up until the ribbon is cut on the new bridge, or 67 is approved.It's an election year for local offices in Kentucky. Does Payne have any opposition?I don't know if Owensboro's mayoral race is partisan or nonpartisan. If it's partisan, candidates will have already filed. If it's nonpartisan, they have until August to file. Some mayoral races in Kentucky are partisan and some are not.
Payne is, as of now, unopposed. I've no idea why. Our city races are nonpartisan.
This article reports that KYTC has awarded a contract to bring 36.4 miles of the Pennyrile Parkway up to interstate standards, and it reports that, "The remaining portion of the I-69 Corridor is scheduled to have signs in place in late 2015"
What about the Purchase Parkway?
A total of 59 miles of Interstate 69 has been added to the Interstate Highway System in Kentucky and more than $125 million is budgeted over the next few years to upgrade the remaining 95 miles of existing parkways to interstate standard. Some $34 million in construction is underway to reconstruct the interchange of the Pennyrile Parkway. It is anticipated that the entire 154 miles in Kentucky will be signed with the I-69 shield by 2017.Groups in Kentucky and Indiana are concentrating efforts on advocating construction of an I-69 bridge over the Ohio River at Henderson, Kentucky.
Press release on the I-69/Purchase Parkway public meeting. (Don't have to be a Facebook member to view).https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=681997218502696&set=a.193392244029865.38034.168622233173533&type=1
According to one local source, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will present two different redesigns to the I-24 and Purchase Parkway intersection at a meeting scheduled by the Transportation Cabinet on Thursday, June 26 at 5 p.m. in the Calvert City Civic Center. Both those plans will reportedly eliminate the stretch of Purchase Parkway from the intersection to Calvert City.The proposed change in the Purchase Parkway will affect hundreds if not thousands of commuters every day as well as large amounts of commercial traffic.The new design will force traffic to use the intersection at I-24 and U.S. Highway 62 some distance further east of the present Purchase Parkway and U.S. Hwy. 62 interchange or use Hwy. 95 from U.S. High 68 as north bound traffic to Calvert City did before the construction of Purchase Parkway.
Deputy State Highway Engineer Gary Valentine says there's been concern over the effect shutting down the interchange’s connecting spur would have on drivers' commutes. But he says the interchange doesn't meet Federal Highway safety requirements and must be updated. Valentine says it needs to accommodate the safety of out-of-state travelers who have to make decisions at high speeds.“Not the locals who know the area but the national traveler, it has to meet their expectations to make sure they maneuver the interchange safely," said Valentine. "So our initial options did do that but we do recognize that we have heard the public, and that’s a major concern. So what we’ve committed to is that we’re gonna go back to the drawing board. Reexamine is there any way to meet the national and regional needs of I-69 and kinda mitigate the impacts to the local community here.” Valentine says project engineers will now look at other options, present them before the FHWA and come back later in the year to meet with the public again.Construction on the interchange has been tentatively scheduled for 2016.
I don't know why they can't use a design similar to what's being used at the WK/Pennyrile interchange.
Gov. Steve Beshear on Wednesday formally announced the awarding of a contract to upgrade the Kentucky 56/Sebree interchange to help the Pennyrile Parkway become part of Interstate 69.Dumey Contracting of Benton, Missouri, was awarded the contract on a low bid of $10 million. The project has a completion date of Oct. 1, 2015. ....The contract to Dumey was the second awarded this year for the I-69 corridor. The first, to Hall Contracting of Kentucky Inc., was for improvement of a 36.4-mile stretch of the Breathitt-Pennyrile Parkway in Hopkins, Webster and Henderson counties. It has a completion date of August 2015.Late last year, Hazex Construction was awarded a contract to rebuilding the Kentucky 416/Robards interchange in southern Henderson County.With the awarding of a contract for a new interchange near Sebree, the only interchange remaining is the KY 813 interchange with the Breathitt-Pennyrile near Mortons Gap. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet expects to put it out for bids in January 2015.
This article from the Alliance for I-69 Texas website provides state-by-state I-69 updates and reports that all of I-69 in Kentucky (with the exception of the Ohio River bridge) should have I-69 shields by 2017:QuoteIt is anticipated that the entire 154 miles in Kentucky will be signed with the I-69 shield by 2017.
It is anticipated that the entire 154 miles in Kentucky will be signed with the I-69 shield by 2017.
This July 23 article reports that ... the final Pennyrile interchange upgrade project, KY 813 near Mortons Gap, is scheduled to be let January 2015
Gov. Steve Beshear today announced the awarding of a contract for improvements needed to bring a portion of the Julian M. Carroll Purchase Parkway up to interstate highway standards and eventual designation as Interstate 69.The project involves reconstruction of 30 miles of the parkway from Exit 22 (mile point 22) in Graves County to U.S. 62 at Calvert City (mile point 52) in Marshall County. Hall Contracting of Kentucky was awarded the contract on a low bid of $8.08 million. The project has a completion date of Sept. 15, 2015.
