Department of Highways District 9

For Immediate Release
June 17, 2008

Media contact: Allen Blair
Allen.Blair@ky.gov
(606) 845-2551
(606) 748-3716

 

KY 519 construction progresses near Morehead
Temporary ‘runaround' required at US 60 intersection

FLEMINGSBURG , Ky. – A traffic change will take place this month on KY 519 in Morehead as work progresses on a $10.6 million project to rebuild 2.7 miles of the Woody May Highway there.

The highway, which connects Morehead to West Liberty , will be widened and straightened. Road work includes sections of new roadway, turning lanes and new bridges.

In addition, a new culvert and concrete pavement will be added to KY 519 where it meets US 60. That work requires traffic to be temporarily diverted away from the existing highway just past the intersection.

Contractors expect to have a short “runaround” roadway built in the next two weeks. Then, for the next two months, traffic will use it instead of KY 519:

• Once through the US 60 intersection, motorists will shift to the temporary road, then 300 to 400 feet later will shift back to the existing KY 519 roadway. Travelers coming into Morehead must also use the “runaround,” but in reverse. The intersection itself will remain unaffected.

The work and runaround should not cause traffic delays. However, drivers should exercise caution as workers and construction equipment will be nearby.

Road-building activities on the KY 519 project will intensify throughout this summer and fall, with paving and other work anticipated – all to make safer a route that's a vital transportation link for Rowan County communities and Morehead State University students.

Some “fast facts” about the project:

• The Walker Company of Kentucky Inc. started work on the project in July 2007. It stretches from where the US 60 Bypass meets KY 519 in Morehead to the bottom of Clack Mountain about a half mile south of Warren Branch. Along the way, crews will widen the road to include two 12-foot lanes, 8-foot paved shoulders and turning lanes at several locations.

• There are two new bridges in the project: one over Triplett Creek and one over Morgan Fork. One bridge, over Dry Creek, will be rebuilt.

• It's expected that traffic will be using some newly-constructed roadway this year. The project is slated for completion in mid-2009, weather permitting.

• It's expected that two-lane traffic will be maintained on KY 519 throughout the project, except for short durations when blasting, when tying new sections of roadway into existing sections, or when other work necessitates one-lane traffic with flaggers.

Traffic changes will be announced but motorists are reminded to “Drive Smart” while construction is ongoing, and heed all warning signs and traffic control devices in work zones.

  

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