KENTUCKY — Through a $5 million transportation investment, renewed road and infrastructure repairs are headed for much of Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday. The funding will resurface, repair or build nearly 60 miles of roadway.

“Better roads make for a better Kentucky,” Beshear said. “This infusion of funding will improve the safety of routes Kentuckians rely on daily to stay connected within their communities. It also will fund new roadways to improve access and mobility.”

Beshear announced in 2020 a total investment of nearly $17 million in discretionary funds to improve local infrastructure. The most recent $5 million funding award will go toward nearly 70 projects in a total of 32 cities and counties.

The funding will be administered by the Department of Rural and Municipal Aid within the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC). A list of awarded projects is available here.

All but five of the awards are for roadway resurfacing projects that will address existing surface cracks, potholes, raveling and base failures. One award will fund a new access road to a convention center in Hopkinsville while another $140,000 award will fund a new street in Cadiz.

“Improving the condition of our roads is more than cosmetic,” said KYTC Secretary Jim Gray. “Good roads attract business and support economic development at a time when we need it most.”

KYTC district staff evaluated projects submitted to the Department of Rural and Municipal Aid for discretionary fund consideration to assess the condition of roads and determine the most critical needs based on factors such as safety, economic impact and traffic volumes.

“Many of the roads in Magoffin County are hard for folks to travel, for the residents who live there especially and for our school buses,” said Magoffin County Judge/Executive Matt Wireman. “They’re hard to maintain and they’re hard to clear when the snow hits. Thanks to this program, many roads in Magoffin County will be repaved using these funds. Thank you, Governor, for this allocation. We surely do appreciate it.”

North Industrial Drive in the City of Morgantown is one resurfacing project selected for $500,000 in funding. Poor pavement conditions pose safety hazards to commercial and passenger vehicles on the city's largest industrial park. According to a release from the governor's office, the city would be unable to finance the project without the funding. 

“With continued growth in Rowan County, it is essential to maintain our roads for our children to travel safely to school and our workforce to get to work,” said Rowan County Judge/Executive Harry Clark. “We would like to sincerely thank the Office of the Governor for the allocation for Rice Road and Caudill Cemetery Road – two of the most highly trafficked and populous roads in Rowan County. Being relatively lengthy roads, the county would not be able to afford these resurfacing projects totaling $125,875 and give them the attention they need without this help. We appreciate Gov. Beshear and our Transportation Cabinet.”

The awardee for each project – the county fiscal court or city council – is responsible for administering the work and will be reimbursed by KYTC.