City to study visitor patterns to aid plans for economic development and transportation.

The post Pikeville plans for future needs appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 12 provides details on bridge relocation that aims to reduce congestion and improve safety.

The post Pikeville’s Helen Brown Bridge is being moved to make things easier for drivers appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

Bridge work is underway in Letcher County as part of a project that was delayed nearly two months due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Highway District 12, work on the Ky. 2034 bridge at Craft Colley near Whitesburg got underway June 4 and 46 more bridge projects will soon follow. A statement from Highway District 12 said the project was originally slated to start in April, but was delayed due to the pandemic.

The bridge at Craft Colley is expected to keep the span closed for up to 60 days.

Highway District 12 also said that on Monday, June 29, construction is set to start in Knott County to replace a bridge along county road 1408, Sly Branch, at the intersection of Ky. 7 over Right Fork of Beaver Creek. That project, too, was delayed due to the pandemic

More from Highway District 12:
The design-build contract is part of KYTC’s Bridging Kentucky initiative which is a commitment to improving safety and soundness of the Commonwealth’s bridges by rehabilitating, repairing, or replacing critical bridges throughout the state. The program is designed to open closed structures, improve bridge lifespans, ensure appropriate weight capacities are met, and improve access and mobility for all Kentuckians.

The remaining 45 District 12 bridges include 12 more in Letcher County, five in Floyd, one each in Johnson and Lawrence, 13 more in Knott, three in Martin, and 10 in Pike County. Expected start dates, which were originally listed for each bridge, are not listed at this time. It is not known if or how concerns about Covid-19 might affect the start dates, which we set before the advent of Covid-19.

LAWRENCE:
County Road 1317 (Little East Fork Road), one-tenth of a mile south of KY 1496 near Trinity School.
JOHNSON COUNTY
KY 825 over Little Paint Creek; one mile south of KY 40, the Charlotte Conley Bridge.
MARTIN COUNTY:
County Road 1120 (Dans Branch Road/Willis Dials Road) over Pigeonroost Fork.
County Road 1374 (Rockhouse Mill Road) over Rockhouse Fork, one-tenth of a mile west of KY 1224.
County Road 1379 (Hunters Lane) over Rockhouse Fork, one-tenth of a mile west of KY 1224.

FLOYD COUNTY:
KY 550 .05 of a mile southwest of KY 850 over Brush Creek.
County Road 1253 (Bryant Branch), one-tenth of a mile south of KY 122 over Left Fork of Beaver Creek.
KY 466 at Upper Weeksbury, 2.1 miles south of KY 122 over Left Fork of Beaver Creek.
KY 194 (Twin Branch), two miles east of KY 1428 over Cow Creek.
KY 1427 (Bonanza), .05 mile west of KY 1750 over Abbott Creek.

PIKE COUNTY:
County Road 1789 (Elwood Road/Buckeye Drive), 100 feet east of KY 610 over Shelby Creek.
County Road 1801 (Old Blackberry School/Big Blue Springs), at the junction of KY 1056 over Blackberry Creek.
County Road 1597 (Ail Branch), .01 of a mile north of KY 1056 over Blackberry Creek.
Old US 119 near Open Fork, two miles east of KY 194 over Bent Branch.
KY 199 1.7 miles southwest of KY 1056 over Pond Creek.
County Road 1935 (Dorton Street/Dorton School), .05 miles east of KY 610 over Shelby Creek.
County Road 1906 (Beefhide Creek/Pilgrim Rest Church), 1.4 miles southwest of KY 610 over Beefhide Creek.
County Road 1460 (Deskins Road), .05 miles east of US 119 (mile point 8.73) near Meta Mart over Johns Creek.
County Road 1842 (Elm Branch near Phelps Fire Department), one-tenth of a mile southeast of KY 632 over Right Fork of Peter Creek.
KY 3419, .542 miles south of KY 1056, the second bridge from the intersection with KY 1056 over Left Fork of Blackberry Creek.

KNOTT COUNTY:
City Street 1018 (Frogtown Road), 400 feet south of KY 160 over Troublesome Creek.
County Road 1053 (Wiley Fork Road), one-tenth of a mile east of KY 1098 over Combs Branch.
County Road 1565 (Frankie Jane Drive), .01 miles off KY 899 over Caney Creek.
County Road 1249 (Eagles Nest Road), a half-mile southeast of the intersection with KY 550/KY 1102 over Troublesome Creek.
County Road 1020 (Dismal Branch), east of the junction of KY 550 over Jones Fork.
County Road 1100 (Upper Mill Creek), southeast at the junction of KY 550 near Leburn over the Left Fork of Troublesome Creek.
County Road 1230 (Elk Fork Road), one-tenth of a mile south of KY 1088 over Lotts Creek.
County Road 1021 (Huff Town Road), fifty feet northeast of KY 550 over Jones Fork.
County Road 1020 (Sarah Everage Branch) at KY 550 over Troublesome Creek.
County Road 1006 (Dry Creek Road), 1.2 mile south of KY 7 over Dry Creek.
County Road 1174 (Honeycutt Road), one-tenth of a miles south of KY 582 over Carr Fork Creek.
KY 1098 (Elmrock), five miles northwest of KY 1087 over Laurel Fork of Quicksand Creek.
County Road 1133 (Willard Branch Road), one-tenth of a mile south of KY 582 over Carr Fork.

LETCHER COUNTY:
KY 160, 2.6 miles southeast of KY 588 (third bridge from KY 588) over Muddy Branch.
County Road 1055, .05 of a mile south of KY 317 over Dick’s Branch.
County Road 1714 (Gallup Drive), .01 of a mile off KY 588 over North Fork of the Kentucky River.
City Street 3000 (East Potter Road), one-tenth of a mile east of KY 317 over Yonts Fork.
Paradise Lane at the junction of County Road 1799 over Kingdom Come Creek.
County Road 1231 (Henry Ison Hollow), one-tenth of a mile northwest of KY 931 over Cowan Creek.
County Road 1386 (Campbell Town) at the junction of KY 1103 over Linefork.
County Road 1331 (Sackett Loop), one-tenth of a mile east of KY 7 over Rockhouse Creek.
County Road 1737 (Orchard Road), 200 feet east of KY 931 over North Fork of the Kentucky River.
County Road 1442 (J. Adams Acres), two-tenths of a mile north of KY 805 at Seco over Boone Fork.
County Road 1473 (Band Mill/Dusty Row Road), one-tenth of a mile southeast of KY 343 at McRoberts over Wright Fork.
County Road 1252 (Cornetts Branch), 100 feet west of KY 1103 over Linefork.

Additional information about Bridging Kentucky is available on the program’s website: http://www.BridgingKentucky.com, which provides an overview, a list of frequently asked questions, and the full list of bridges that will be addressed. Additional updates are shared on social media sites: facebook.com/Bridging Kentucky, twitter.com/BridgingKY, and Instagram.com/BridgingKY.

The post COVID-19-delayed bridge work underway in Letcher County appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

Pike County, KY — Mary Westfall-Holbrook, Highway District 12 chief district engineer, announced that construction is set to begin this week to replace the South River Road bridge over the Levisa Fork that leads from US 460 to Big Hackney’s Creek. Bush & Burchett of Allen, Floyd County, won the low-bid contract in the amount of $1,147,374.40. This is a Bridging Kentucky project. The county bridge near the Virginia state line in Pike County was closed in the summer of 2017. Since then, residents of Big Hackney’s Creek have traveled a difficult road into the neighboring state to access US 460 and get back to Pike County. Work hours are 7:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. The contractor has 120 working days to finish. However, working days are only charged during the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s annual construction season, which starts in April and runs until November. Therefore, the days that the contractor works between now and the first of April are not charged against the contract. In other words, by April 1, Bush & Burchett will be ahead of schedule. The new bridge site is about 100 feet west of the current structure, which will be demolished. The goal of Bridging Kentucky, launched in mid-2018, is to replace or restore/rehabilitate more than 1,000 county and state-owned bridges throughout the Commonwealth before the end of 2024.

The post Construction To Start On Long-Awaited Bridge appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

Jackson, KY — Width restrictions for a bridge on the Mountain Parkway in eastern Wolfe County will take effect Monday, June 17, as a major pavement rehabilitation and bridge repair project gets underway on the two-lane portion of the highway east of Campton. The bridge crossing KY 1419 (Upper Gillmore Road) will be reduced to one lane, with traffic controlled by temporary signals. Drivers should slow down in advance of the signals and expect slight delays. Vehicles wider than 12 feet will need to detour via KY 191 and Spur KY 15 through Hazel Green and Campton. The width restrictions will be in effect until July 31. The work is part of a larger project that begins at Exit 46 and ends at the start of the current widening project near Exit 57. The speed limit throughout the work zone will be reduced to 45 mph, and some traffic pattern changes will be instituted at the KY 1010 exit (Exit 53) later during the project. All work is scheduled to be completed by Oct. 31. Drivers are reminded to observe posted speed limits and warning signs in work zones, and to watch for workers and equipment in these locations. Road conditions and traffic patterns can change on short notice in construction areas.

The post Width Restrictions For Mountain Parkway In Wolfe County appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

VIRGIE, Ky. — Starting Monday, residents in Virgie who travel along KY 610 may need to find a new route to travel.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is rehabilitating the bridge on that road in Pike County between Penny Road and Save-A-Lot Grocery store.

The bridge will be closed to all traffic starting on August 13th.

“We know its going to put a damper on work traffic and school traffic,” said Highway District 12 Pikeville Section Engineer Vince Hayes. “But we’re going to get this done as soon as we can.”

The bridge is slated to get a complete makeover.

“We’re taking the deck and beams off, removing those structures and replacing them with new box beams. This bridge is one of the worst in the county and it definitely needs some work,” added Hayes.   

An alternate route is 1.5 miles longer than going through the construction work zone. This would be taking KY 610 to KY 122 to KY 2167 to the intersection of U.S. 23.

On the other side of the bridge, travelers can take Penny Road to U.S. 23 and back track those roads.

“It will be a lot better and safer in the long run,” Hayes said. “We know we’re getting this started right as school starts. Its a bad time, but the bridge really needs work done to it and we’re going to totally rehab it.”

The contractor has until November 30th to put traffic back on the bridge.

The post Bridge restoration starts Monday on KY 610 appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

Crews in Letcher County worked Monday evening and Tuesday morning to save a temporary bridge across Rockhouse Creek.

Rainy weather Monday into Tuesday morning brought debris and high water down Rockhouse Creek and up against the temporary crossing into Perkins Branch in the Jeremiah community of Letcher County. Portions of the structure began to fail, but the crossing was saved by county crews who removed debris from drain tiles, allowing water to flow freely.

Letcher Judge-Executive Jim Ward said crews worked until midnight and after to clear the debris and repair the washed out portions of the temporary bridge.

Perkins Branch was the site of a bridge collapse in March that stranded dozens of people in their community. The temporary crossing was installed days later, and itself washed out just weeks after the bridge collapse. It was re-installed shortly after and has since provided access to Perkins Branch.

The new Perkins Branch Bridge is set to be installed soon. Ward said he had hoped to have the new bridge installed before wet weather, such as what the region has experienced of late, had set in.

Portions of the bridge have already been delivered to the site, and Ward said the bridge will be constructed after drilling is done to install supports.

Ward commended county crews for their work in preserving the temporary crossing.

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/eWhKqS6U2hE” height=”340″]

The post Letcher County crews work to save temporary bridge from washout appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

In a special meeting Tuesday, the county’s magistrates approved hiring Greg Hale Construction to install the new bridge at Perkins Branch in the Jeremiah Community, which collapsed in March following flooding in February. The court accepted Hale’s bid of $131,900 to install the bridge.

All total, the bridge replacement project will eclipse $235,000.

In addition to the cost to install the bridge, the bridge itself — a 100 foot steel span — will cost $102,000, plus $2,500 shipping. The county’s responsibility, however, will likely total only $38,000 thanks to matching emergency funds for the project.

The court voted to extend the bridge it originally intended to purchase from approximately 75 feet to 100 feet. That extension added approximately $25,000 onto the cost of the project. Officials said the additional footage will add more stability to the structure.

A water line will have to be moved before the new bridge can be installed. Once that line is moved, it is expected to take a month to get the new bridge installed.

The court’s votes on the bridge project were unanimous.

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/BJwoo6ftIE8″ height=”340″]

The post Letcher officials move forward with bridge replacement appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

The Letcher County Fiscal Court took action Wednesday to replace a flood-damaged bridge that collapsed last month.

In a special meeting, the Letcher Fiscal Court approved an emergency measure to purchase a new bridge to replace the Perkins Branch Bridge. The court also approved bidding out the installation of the bridge.

The original span — the only access into Perkins Branch from adjacent Ky. Highway 7 — was damaged by flooding in February, and collapsed in early March, stranding dozens of families across Rockhouse Creek at Jeremiah in Letcher County. A Perkins Branch resident attending Wednesday’s Fiscal Court meeting was happy to hear the news.

The residents of Perkins Branch were stranded when their only bridge collapsed March 7 after having been damaged by floodwaters in February. A temporary, low-water crossing and an access was installed and open within about three day.

That temporary low-water crossing washed out about three weeks after it was installed, but has since been repaired.

Letcher County Attorney Jamie Hatton said since the county has declared an emergency in regard to the Perkins Branch Bridge collapse, the court can forego the bidding process for the cost of purchasing the bridge. The project to install the bridge will be bid out.

Letcher Judge-Executive Jim Ward said the new bridge, which will cost around $77,000, plus installation costs, will restore permanent access to Perkins Branch. He said he hopes the project will be completed in about six weeks.

All of the magistrates in attendance Wednesday approved the measure. Magistrate Terry Adams was not in attendance at the meeting.

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/DmrPRMLft1I” height=”340″]

The post Letcher officials move to replace collapsed bridge appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

The temporary low-water crossing for Perkins Branch in the Jeremiah community of Letcher County washed out Saturday night following a day of steady rain and snow.

The washout once again stranded more than two dozens families in the hollow just off Kentucky Highway 7, just as a washout had on March 7th, when the community’s only bridge collapsed due to flood damage. Residents say the new washout occurred between 9 and 10 p.m. Saturday evening.

The washout was not unexpected, residents and officials said.

Letcher County road crews worked Sunday and Monday to get the temporary passage across Rockhouse Creek rebuilt. Letcher Judge-Executive Jim Ward said he hoped the reconstruction would be complete Monday evening.

This weekend’s washout is the latest development for the residents of Perkins Branch. After the March 7 washout, crews got the temporary crossing completed in about three days.

On March 12t, the Kentucky National Guard delivered a bridge to the mouth of Perkins Branch. But after learning that only emergency vehicles, and not the residents of Perkins Branch, could use the bridge, and that an armed guard would have to be stationed at the bridge to keep civilian traffic off, the county declined to utilize the military-style bridge.

But while frustrated, the residents of Perkins Branch are taking this latest hit in stride.

Ward said with more rain forecast for the coming week, he plans to closely monitor the condition of Rockhouse Creek, and continue searching for a permanent solution to the situation.

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/LgEfcZbiXA4″]

The post Second washout in a month isolates Letcher community again appeared first on Mountain Top Media.