OWENSBORO, Ky. (WEHT)- The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet held a public meeting on Tuesday to discuss ways to improve the safety of a portion of Kentucky highway in Eastern Daviess County.
Three plans were presented that would reconstruct KY-1456 from KY-54 to Hayden Road. Denetra Henderson, the Chief District Engineer, talked about the changes.
“So Thruston-Dermont has been a topic of conversation for several years now by that committee because there is so much traffic on the route that are using to access retail businesses on KY-54. The group felt that the widening of Thruston- Dermont would be necessary to keep accommodating that additional traffic,” says Denetra Henderson, Chief District Engineer for KY DOT in Madisonville.
Critics of the project say the construction is “unnecessary”, and don’t believe they have seen the statistics to support the project.
“I think widening the road right now is gonna cause more traffic, is going to tear into people’s properties, it’s not necessary,” says Bill Crabtree, a property owner in the path of the “rural” plan.
Others are hesitant about one the logistics of such a large project. One man voiced concerns about having a sidewalk so close to his home, and says there is a simpler solution.
“I am trying to tell the engineers, they don’t need all this. All they need is a yellow light and the left turn signal to turn yellow,” says Vann Bracewell, another property owner in the potentially affected area.
The Transportation Cabinet will meet in April to review the projects further after taking into account design modifications and public feedback.
