FREDONIA, Ky. (Aug. 27, 2019) – Leaders from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) met with local officials, area residents and citizens from across the region to discuss the selected Preliminary Preferred Alternate for the U.S. 641 project in Caldwell and Lyon counties.
During the public meeting in Fredonia on Tuesday, KYTC leaders and representatives were joined by Transportation Secretary Greg Thomas to share the latest information on a 9.2 mile project to realign and widen the U.S. 641 corridor between Fredonia and Eddyville.
The project is part of a regional initiative to improve the U.S. 641 corridor and better connect communities in Western Kentucky with Interstate 69, Interstate 24 and Interstate 40 in Tennessee. Late last year, KYTC announced the award of a $23 million federal BUILD grant to Calloway County for reconstruction of U.S. 641 between Murray, Ky., and the Tennessee line. KYTC also completed construction of a “Super Two” section of 2-lane along U.S. 641 between Fredonia and Marion, Ky., that will connect with the section between Eddyville and Fredonia to provide better access to I-69 for businesses in Crittenden, Caldwell and Lyon counties.
“This is an important corridor for counties throughout Western Kentucky. It is a high priority for Governor Bevin,” Secretary Thomas said. “For this project, we’ve evaluated more than a dozen alternatives and selected a route that is safer, saves taxpayer dollars, and limits the impact to homes, farms, businesses, and private lands along the U.S. 641 corridor.”
KYTC initially studied widening and improving the U.S. 641 corridor from Fredonia to Eddyville in 2004 and has gleaned public input through about a half-dozen public meetings. However, the project did not move forward due to a lack of available funding. Last year, the cabinet resumed engineering studies to assess the region’s current needs and select a preliminary preferred alternate when additional funding was made available in the state highway plan.
“Based on additional study of the corridor, local feedback gleaned from public meetings, and through collaboration with other state agencies, our engineering and design staff has developed a plan that protects homes and farms by maximizing the use of state-owned property,” said KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Kyle Poat. “The preliminary preferred alternate, with an estimated total cost of $65.4 million, will utilize parcels that are part of the Western Kentucky Correctional Complex and a regional industrial park site in Lyon County.”
Poat noted that hundreds of comments submitted by the general public made an important contribution to the planning process.
This section of existing U.S. 641 currently carries about 4,000 vehicles per day. With its expansion, that number could grow to more than 5,300 vehicles per day by 2030, based on KYTC traffic projections.
The improvement project will realign U.S. 641 in Caldwell and Lyon counties and widen the corridor to accommodate a four-lane roadway. Following selection of the preliminary preferred alternate, the state will finalize environmental and design studies allowing the start of property acquisition required to move the project toward construction with the goal of starting construction within three years.