Heartland Parkway - Project Status

Current Project Status

December 2014
The Heartland Parkway Foundation, Inc. Executive Committee gathered at Campbellsville University on Tuesday, November 18 for purposes of discussing plans for 2015 and 2016 in the ongoing efforts to educate the public on the benefits and need for the Heartland Parkway project. The Heartland Parkway project involves the upgrade to a modified “2+1” of the Highway 55/555 corridor from the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway at Columbia to the Martha L. Collins Bluegrass Parkway north of Springfield. The corridor runs from Columbia to Campbellsville to Lebanon to Springfield and north to the Collins Bluegrass Parkway.

While the original project proposal was for a four-lane upgrade, a decision was made by the Heartland Parkway Foundation Board of Directors a year ago to support the modified “2+1” – thereby reducing the proposed cost from more than $400 million to around $65-70 million.

A portion of the project involves a seven-mile bypass around the southern and eastern boundaries of Campbellsville to connect sections of Highway 55. Engineering design work is ongoing for the bypass project and construction is projected over the next several years.

An engineering design contract will be announced by the state on the Columbia-Campbellsville portion of the Heartland Parkway during the current fiscal year. Construction on this section of the project is anticipated over the next few years.

Funding for engineering design and construction for the remaining 40 miles of the project will be pursued over the next few years through a combination of contacts in Washington and Frankfort.

A full meeting of the Heartland Parkway Foundation Board of Directors is tentatively scheduled in Lebanon, Kentucky on January 22, 2015. Details will be announced.

You may secure additional information on the project by contacting Ron McMahan at ron@teamtaylorcounty.com.

December 2013
The Heartland Parkway Foundation Board of Directors held a progress update recently in Campbellsville University's Virginia Ponser Flanagan Technology Training Center. The proposed connector road from the Martha Layne Collins Bluegrass Parkway north of Springfield, KY, to the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway at Columbia, KY, is to serve as a major north-south connector opening up the heartland of Kentucky and help facilitate in the economic diversification and quality of life in the region.

Gary W. Sharpe, project representative for Palmer Engineering which has done planning with the project for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, presented a two-plus-one (2+1) alternative that could speed progress by saving dramatically on construction costs. This would mean the addition of a third lane to move traffic more smoothly and safely as opposed to holding out for four full lanes.

Sharp said, "The 2+1 option is being used across the country as an option to enhance existing roads. This can be done within current rights of way, thus significantly lowering costs." By moving to this type expansion, he said the project could possibly see portions of the project done over the next couple of years.

After thorough discussion of the maps and facts presented by Sharp, Heartland Parkway foundation chair John Chowning opened the floor for a motion stating the position of the Board's support for the 2+1 plan, encouraging Legislators to work for funding of a design build all the way from Columbia to Springfield. Board member Sue Stivers, Columbia-Adair County Chamber of Commerce and tourism executive director, made the motion, seconded by John A. Settles, Washington County Judge-Executive. The Board unanimously voted to support the 2+1 option. Chowning stated, "This greatly expedites the likelihood of a major upgrade of this important highway corridor in the relative near future. With federal and state aid funds limited this is the best option available. We fully support it."

August 2013
The approximately 7-mile-long Campbellsville Bypass is the only portion of the 21-mile-long project addressed in this Environmental Assessment that is in the state’s FY 2012-2018 Six Year Highway Plan, enacted May 9, 2012. The plan allocates $4.9 million in federal monies for this section of the project: $3.9 million for design and $1.1 million for right-of-way acquisition.

With funding available, the Campbellsville Bypass portion of this project will move into final design later this year. Funding must be identified for future phases to begin the right of way acquisition and utility relocation required to construct the project. Improvements along KY 55 will commence when necessary funding is available to complete the design.

Public meetings were held in August 2013 to obtain public opinion on the alternative route, specifically at the beginning and end of the proposed Campbellsville Bypass and the intersection with the Columbia Bypass.

The handout from the August 2013 public meetings can be found here.