PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — Once the new section extending the Mountain Parkway from Salyersville to Prestonsburg is complete, it will include a new transportation feature not yet seen in our region.

Plans announced Monday by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet call for the installation of a roundabout in front of Prestonsburg Elementary.

The highway will bypass the road in front of the school. Eastbound and westbound traffic will exit off of the highway onto a road that loops back under the parkway to get to Route 114. Route 114 will continue west from the school, but the road east will serve as an access road to the parkway.

Officials say roundabouts improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, reduce the risk of severe collisions, and lower vehicle emissions.

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CAMPTON, Ky. — Two area women are dead following a crash Tuesday afternoon on the Mountain Parkway in Wolfe County.

According to Kentucky State Police, Robby Burchett, 58, of Flat Gap, was driving east in a minivan, when he crossed the center line and collided with a passenger car driven by Russell Sowers, 32, of Summerfield, Fla.

A passenger in the minivan, Robbin Burchett, 56, of Paintsville, died at the scene.

Sowers and three passengers were taken to a local hospital. One of those passengers, Katelyn Harmon, 27, of Salyersville, later died. Sowers and a 9-year-old girl suffered serious injuries and are listed in critical condition. A 2-year-old in the car only suffered minor injuries.

The incident remains under investigation by Kentucky State Police Post 8 in Morehead.

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Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear visited the Mountain Arts Center to help kick off the construction of the final segment of the Mountain Parkway.

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Michigan man who was arrested in Magoffin County after police found nearly 2 lbs. of meth in his car has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge.

The case began when sheriff’s deputies pulled over a car for weaving on the Mountain Parkway, then noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle then turned up two packages containing a combined 843 grams of meth, or about 30 ounces.

The driver of the car, Cortez Harris, 38, of Detroit, was arrested at that time and later indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of possession of more than 500 grams of meth with the intent to distribute.

Harris appeared in court Friday to plead guilty to the charge. He will now face a penalty of between 10 years and life in prison when he returns to court for sentencing Sept. 8.

Harris is being held in the Pike County Detention Center.

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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear announced Wednesday that a federal grant will help the state finish the Mountain Parkway earlier than planned.

The governor announced that Kentucky is receiving $116.3 million to fund the construction of the final leg of the highway, from Salyersville to Prestonsburg.

“Kentucky is continuing to move forward with essential projects that will strengthen our commonwealth and drive progress to make life better for Kentuckians,” Gov. Beshear said. “We’re grateful for these federal dollars, which will help move us closer to the finish line on this promising and much-needed project. Thank you to all the local and state leaders who advocated for this funding, and thanks to President Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg for getting it done.”

The Magoffin-Floyd segment is expected to cost a total of $300 million to complete.

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CAMPTON, Ky. — Continuing progress on the Mountain Parkway will mean a change in traffic patterns, beginning tomorrow.

Eastbound and westbound traffic in Wolfe County, from Mile Marker 45 to Mile Marker 49, will switch over to the newly constructed eastbound lanes starting Wednesday, June 19.  The switch will be in place for several months to allow crews to complete bridge construction.

Message boards, barricades, barrels and arrow signage will be in place to alert motorists to the change. 

Drivers should reduce speeds and use caution when traveling through active work zones.

Construction schedules may be adjusted due to weather or other unforeseen events.

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SALYERSVILLE, Ky. — Two people were arrested for meth trafficking after being stopped for speeding on the Mountain Parkway.

A state trooper spotted a car traveling at 49 mph in a road construction area, where the speed limit is 45.
The officer also noted the car was tailgating a UPS truck.

After stopping the car, he spoke to the driver, Jerry Dale Finch, 46, of Salyersville, and passenger, Felisha Crace, 34, of Jackson.

The officer noted in his report that Finch exhibited slow reflexes and slurred speech, but he said he couldn’t perform a field sobriety test because of a previous brain injury. The trooper then asked for permission to search the car, which Finch granted. That resulted in the discovery of two syringes, one empty and one loaded with meth, hidden in a work glove.

Finch told police he didn’t know anything about the syringes and wouldn’t have given him permission to search the car if he had.

The officer then went to the trunk, at which point Finch tried to withdraw his consent to search, but the officer told him he now had probable cause due to finding the drugs in the front of the car. Inside the trunk, the officer found 51 grams of meth, a handgun and digital scales.

The officer wrote in his report that he believes Finch and Crace had been traveling to buy the drugs and intended to sell them in Magoffin County. They were both arrested for meth trafficking, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of drug paraphernalia.

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SALYERSVILLE, Ky. — Two men were arrested near Salyersville, after leading police on a high-speed, and at times very low-speed, chase for 70 miles.

It all began just after midnight Tuesday morning, when a state trooper spotted a car weaving in and out of its lane near exit 94 on Interstate 64 at Winchester.

The trooper got behind the car, which was going 40 miles an hour on the interstate and still weaving in and out of its lane. When the officer activated his lights to pull the car over, it continued down the interstate and onto the Mountain Parkway, continually changing lanes without signaling and driving at speeds ranging from 35 to 103 miles an hour.

The trooper wrote in his report that the two men in the car were constantly throwing items out of their windows during the entire pursuit, which lasted for 70 miles with several other police agencies joining in.

The chase finally ended when the car broke down near mile marker 68 in Magoffin County. Both men in the car — identified as Austin Blanton, 29, of Prestonsburg, and Richard Brandon Mullins, 38, of Lexington — were immediately arrested.

Police found a large bag of meth in a bag and spilling into the seat of the car, as well as scales and sandwich bags.

Both men were charged with meth trafficking, possession of drug paraphernalia and littering. As the driver, Blanton was also charged with DUI, fleeing police and numerous traffic violations.

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SALYERSVILLE, Ky. — A Floyd County man was arrested after police conducting a roadblock on the Mountain Parkway in Magoffin County allegedly found him with a significant amount of fentanyl.

During the roadblock Thursday night at mile marker 72, police pulled a car to the side just before midnight when it came through without a license plate.

When they asked a passenger — identified as 41-year-old Chad Wallen, of East Point — to step out of the car, an officer noticed him reaching for something in his waistband as he tried to keep his back turned to police. The officer grabbed him and found the object was a bag containing roughly 75 grams of fentanyl.

They also found him with $700 in cash and a set of digital scales.

Wallen reportedly admitted to buying the fentanyl during a trip to Lexington. He was arrested and charged with aggravated fentanyl trafficking and possession of drug paraphernalia.

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FRANKFORT, Ky. — The expansion of the Mountain Parkway is another step closer to completion, as the Federal Highway Administration has given the state permission to obtain public comments on a Supplemental Environmental Assessment required to complete the project.

The assessment is for the final piece of the project, running from Salyersville to Prestonsburg. Officials say an entirely new route will cause fewer disruptions to homes and businesses than attempting to expand Route 114, which currently links Prestonsburg to the Parkway.

The 98-page assessment is required to determine the environmental, historical and archaeological impact of building the highway.

The public will now have until Feb. 26 to review the assessment and submit comments. You can find a copy of the assessment and instructions for how to submit comments on the project website, mtnparkway.com.

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