Published: July 16, 2008 11:19 pm      

Ky. 32 is focus of study, meeting

Elliottville — It’s a study to find out what, if anything, should be done to improve Ky. 32 through rural Rowan and Elliott counties.

And the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is asking for help. At a public meeting this month, state engineers and consultants will take ideas about how to make the Ky. 32 drive a better one.

Should it be reworking short sections of the route? Building a completely new highway? A combination of the two? Or do nothing?

Residents are invited to the Ky. 32 Alternatives Study meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. July 31 at the Elliottville Baptist Church Meeting Facility at 8100 Hogtown Hill road (Ky. 32).

The purpose of the meeting is to provide information about the project and to solicit ideas, concerns and opinions from the public that will help the Transportation Cabinet make decisions about the design of future improvements to the roadway.

It will be an “open format” meeting, which will include handouts and the viewing of maps that outline the project study area and that describe potential environmental, community, traffic and engineering impacts. Also, officials will be available in the exhibit area to answer questions and listen to comments from area residents, business owners and highway users.

“That’s why these public meetings are so important.” said Deanna Miller, planning engineer for Department of Highways District 9. “We have traffic crash data, measurements of the roadway and maps of the terrain. Now we need data from the most important source — those who drive the roadway and use it every day.”

The Ky. 32 study began in 2007 with a $300,000 contract awarded to Wilbur Smith Associates, a Lexington engineering firm, for an alternatives study of the state route from Elliottville in Rowan County to Newfoundland in Elliott County.

Since then, engineers have been gathering data and talking with stakeholders such as local officials and area industry. Public input is being gathered this year, beginning with the July 31 meeting. The project will culminate with the identification of alternatives and a second public meeting this fall.

For those unable to attend the meeting, various maps showing the project study area will be available for viewing from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for 15 days after the meeting at the Kentucky Department of Highways District 9 office at 822 Elizaville Ave. in Flemingsburg.

Information can also be found at http://transportation.ky.gov/d9 by following the link to “KY 32 Study.”