Governor Andy Beshear’s draft state budget is still a work in progress, but it’s causing some concern on several fronts.

One is right here in Eastern Kentucky in the form of the U.S. 460 highway construction project in Pike County. Beshear’s proposed budget would delay the project, in particular the construction of the Beaver Creek Bridge, for upwards of five years.

The budget removes the funding for the bridge, which is one of the most important phases of the project. State Representative Chris Harris told Mountain Top News that he is confident the bridge will be finished in the original timeframe, in 2021, and that the budget is still in development and is nowhere near final.

The new U.S. 460 replaces the current two-lane highway between Pikeville and the Elkhorn City area.