Kentucky state officials are espousing the benefits of a Department of Transportation (DOT) grant awarded under the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) to fund the Mountain Parkway Expansion through Wolfe County.
Gov. Andy Beshear said the $55,150,000 funding allotment was awarded to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) to widen 11 miles of the Mountain Parkway and create a safer and modernized four-lane corridor for drivers traveling between Interstate Highway 64 and Salyersville.
“This is a great step forward for the people of Eastern Kentucky, is great news for Team Kentucky, and will open up the region for so many opportunities,” Beshear said.
The effort would also increase capacity for freight and goods along the corridor, reduce travel time, and connect eastern Kentucky to the rest of the commonwealth.
The scope of work will include an upgrade of the last remaining two-lane section of the Mountain Parkway corridor between I-64 and Salyersville; provide for the reconstruction of the existing Campton interchange to allow full eastbound and westbound access; and modernize the Hazel Green interchange to improve safety and mobility.
“Moving forward with construction on the Wolfe County segment will bring the Mountain Parkway Expansion one step closer to closing the only gap in a 400-mile, four-lane, high-speed corridor for commerce and mobility across Kentucky,” state Secretary of Transportation Jim Gray said. “Closing this gap is an investment in safety, in future economic development, and most of all, in Kentuckians.”