The city of Louisville, Kentucky, recently launched the New Dixie Highway Project, a $22 million project funded by a $16.9 million federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary grant as well as $600,000 from the city and other federal grants.
The project involves a 14-mile stretch of highway in the South End of Louisville. Intersections will be improved, medians will be raised and upgrades will be made for pedestrians. Turn lanes will be improved and better signage added.
Improvements also are planned to improve traffic flow by installing Bus Rapid Transit infrastructure and Intelligent Transportation System upgrades.
The Dixie Highway is one of the busiest in the city. Every day, 60,000 vehicles travel the road. It has a fatality rate three times higher than similar roads in Kentucky.
“I have spent a lot of time driving Dixie Highway and am delighted to be part of this effort to improve the safety and efficiency of the city’s busiest traffic corridor,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said. “As a fellow Kentuckian and Louisvillian, I am so delighted that the U. S. Department of Transportation is able to contribute in such a vital way to improving the quality of life for the community that I love.”