Construction will begin this week on the William Thomason Byway (Hwy 3155) extension project.
The project will connect KY 259 near the Western Kentucky Parkway interchange to US 62 and KY 54 on the northwest side of Leitchfield. With hopes of improving safety and efficiency, the byway extension “will allow better access to locations along US 62 and KY 54,” the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) said.
The project was awarded to Scotty’s Contracting & Stone on January 29 in the amount of $22.77 million.
“(The design) utilizes the best overall fit for cost, constructability, public feedback, right of way impacts to landowners — including utility and railroad interests — and for addressing current and future transportation needs,” according to the KYTC.
The extension also gives truck drivers a better option coming off the parkway, helping relieve commercial vehicles routing through downtown Leitchfield.
“The project includes safer intersection designs with a bridge for P&L Railway track over the bypass and a roundabout at US 62, which upon completion, will outfit both bypass sides of US 62 (west and east sides of Leitchfield) with roundabouts, in conjunction with a separate upcoming project to convert the eastern side intersection.”
There will be no immediate impact on the flow of traffic, as the work over the next few weeks includes installation of construction signage on intersecting routes, along with excavation and ground clearing on the section between KY 54 and the railroad tracks, the KYTC said.
Construction will take place over the next 18 months to two years, as the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, the KYTC noted.
The project was initially approved by the Leitchfield City Council in June 2018, and was fast-tracked in September 2019, only months before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
(Photo: The William Thomason Byway extension project, courtesy of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
