MURRAY – Barely two weeks after the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) began repaving U.S. 641/12th Street, the cabinet announced that the project is nearing completion, with crews scheduled to finish the final paving work Friday.
The work zone covers a 3.4-mile stretch of road from near Tabard Drive on the south side to KY 80 just north of Murray. Paving will focus on the turn lane and crosswalk areas. Unlike the previous phases of the project which were done at night, the final phase of paving will take place during the day, starting at 4 a.m. tomorrow, KYTC advised in a press release.
While crews are expected to fully wrap up the paving on Friday, the project will not be complete until the roadway is permanently striped. In its release, the cabinet noted that the project remains on track to be completed by Aug. 29. In the meantime, motorists are encouraged to follow signs and use caution.
The scope of the project, which started on Aug. 7, included fine milling around curbs and ramps and the application of a “thin overlay” of blacktop, KYTC District 1 Public Information Officer Carrie Dillard told The Sentinel.
In order to meet the goal of completing the project within the prescribed three weeks, the contractor used two crews, working simultaneously, with one moving north from Tabard Drive, while the other moved south from KY 80.
One week in, fresh blacktop covered all northbound and southbound lanes as well as the turn lane in town; however, intersections were still missing pavement markings, several turn lanes north of town had yet to be paved and, in town, the butt joints – where the new pavement transitions to existing streets – still needed work.
KYTC planned to start the project before August; however, upon learning of the state’s plan for the roadway, city officials asked the cabinet to postpone it long enough for the Murray Street Department to replace six manholes – one on Glendale Road, near the intersection with 12th Street, and five on the east side of the street from Glendale to Pogue Avenue, Mayor Bob Rogers told The Sentinel in July.
