On Thursday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear approved a round of more than $6 million in discretionary road funds for 42 of the state’s local governments.
The fund will go toward repairs to local streets and roads, his office said. So far, Beshear’s administration has approved more than $68 million in discretionary awards to date.
“I’m glad we are able to allocate this funding, especially for communities still recovering from the devastating tornadoes of 2021 and widespread flooding of 2022,” Gov. Beshear said. “Local streets and roads help connect and define a community, but roadway needs can quickly mount up and overwhelm a local government’s budget.”
Some of the funding includes repairs due to natural disasters during Beshear’s administration. In Buckhorn, a city in Perry County, the administration approved $69,714 to resurface three streets that were damaged during flooding in eastern Kentucky in 2022. Additionally, nearly $300,000 was approved for Graves County to resurface roads there. While the damage is due “to the high impact of farm equipment, larger commercial vehicles and everyday travel,” the area took the brunt of a tornado outbreak in December 2021.
Also approved for funding were the counties of Adair, Allen, Anderson, Bath, Boyle, Bullitt, Carlisle, Casey, Clark, Cumberland, Floyd, Franklin, Greenup, Hardin, Hart, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Lewis, Lincoln, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, McCreary, McLean, Mercer, Muhlenberg, Pike, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell and Wayne, along with the cities of Harlan, Hazard, Madisonville, Maysville, Russell Springs, Sharpsburg and Versailles.
The discretionary funding is administered through the Department of Rural and Municipal Aid at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC).