Kentucky’s Mountain Parkway Expansion project received a $116 million federal grant that will speed up construction.
The Mountain Parkway Expansion project calls for widening and expanding the existing parkway to four lanes and extending the Mountain Parkway to connect near U.S. Route 23. The project will complete a four-lane, high-speed route across the length of the state.
Over 30 miles of highway have been widened so far from western Wolfe County to Salyersville, and work continues daily.
“The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant will help to complete the nearly $300 million construction project for the final piece of the parkway, a nearly 13-mile stretch of new construction known as the “Magoffin-Floyd” segment that will extend the parkway from Salyersville in Magoffin County to Prestonsburg in Floyd County,” announced Gov. Andy Beshear’s Office.
Kentucky Senator Phillip Wheeler said this is great news for a region that has suffered for a long time. The project is not only allowing for better transportation but a hope for the future.
“Not only provide shovel-ready jobs for people in the region working on building the road, but again, provide hope for the future in the form of new industries and new opportunities for the people that live here,” said Wheeler.
Transportation leaders said the new work will not affect current traffic patterns, so motorists will not have to worry about long wait times.
Source: WDKY, Yahoo!, MTNParkway.com
