GEORGETOWN, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear's office allocated $11.3 million in projects across the Commonwealth aimed at improving air quality and reducing traffic congestion.

What You Need To Know

  •  Just under $1.6 million will allow Georgtown to expand Cardinal Drive by adding a left turn lane into the high school

  •  Currently, the road is one way during the morning drop off and afternoon pick up times at the schools

  •  Nearly 2,000 Scott County Schools children attend one of the three schools on Cardinal Drive

  • Many days traffic will backup starting from the high school and stretching all the way to downtown 

Five counties will split the money for various projects, with one of them happening soon in Georgetown and Scott County.

The city received $1,597,550 to improve Cardinal Drive, the road that passes outside Scott County High and Middle Schools. With the funds, the city will make the road accessible for two-way traffic by designating a left turn lane in front of the high school.

Scott County Schools superintendent Billy Parker said this area has been an area of concern for years.

“One way in, one way out that makes it tremendously difficult, so that’s what we’re kind of dealing with,” Parker said.

Every Monday through Friday in the morning and afternoon, the backup happens as parents and buses turn in to drop off over 2,000 Scott County students between the middle, alternative and high school buildings. 

“There’s times after dismissal even now where there will be a backup all the way from downtown Georgetown by the courthouse all the way back to Scott County High School,” Parker said.

Currently, cars can only travel only one direction on Cardinal Drive during the morning and afternoon drop-off and pickup times. Parker said this was done to help ease the backups, but it’s still not ideal.

“It creates some difficulty for some of the neighborhoods near the school and we hate that, but what we have done is we have two high schools, so it’s relieved some of the congestion but it’s still quite an issue,” Parker said.

“Once this project is done, it’s going be now two way,” said Georgtown Mayor Burney Jenkins.

Jenkins said discussions and planning on this project started well before his tenure as mayor. He just took office in January after winning the election last year.

“This is something that is long overdo and I have to thank the previous administration for getting this started,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins said getting the project completed will improve the quality of life for Georgetown residents while also taking advantage of state grants to help fund the entire project.

“It’s an 80/20 match, which means the state pays 80% of it and we pay 20% of it, so now we actually have enough to cover this project,” Jenkins said.

Parker added it was a cooperative effort between school district, city and Scott County leaders.

“You got the county park across the street from us so they had to have some level of cooperation, you’ve got us and our school buildings and then you got the fact that the road is controlled by the city,” Parker said.

In 2024, a new high school building will be complete which will alleviate some of the traffic, but Parker says the district will repurpose the current high school for a different use.

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