A traffic study published last year that recommended several improvements for the I-275 and Kentucky Route 9 interchange was brought before Wilder City Council in May.
The final results include a long-term project plan and two short-term options to reduce congestion for drivers headed northbound toward the interstate on Licking Pike or coming off the ramp headed east.
The two more immediate solutions involve extending the left turn lane for I-275 under the westbound and eastbound overpass or widening the southbound side of Route 9 toward Town Drive and turning it into a right-in/right-out with a turnaround spot after Rosewood Drive.
The long-term option calls for a complete reconstruction of the area, with a dedicated flyover ramp and dual lane entry to the interstate. Both short-term fixes would take at least two years to design and construct while the major project would not be finished for another 10 years. However, that final recommendation could reduce interchange delays by over a minute during morning and evening rush hour.
Two things must happen before the projects are approved though: The transportation’s ranking process and the passage of Kentucky’s state budget next year. The department is currently ranking thousands of potential infrastructure projects statewide via a number of factors including cost/benefit rations and safety improvements. Within two months, cabinet members will determine where this project stands and if it will need a greater push by state legislators to gain priority over others.
“The biggest thing for the Transportation Cabinet is making sure traffic does not backup onto the interstate,” said Mike Bezold, branch manager the department’s District 6. “If it does you get fatalities where if traffic backs up on Rosewood or Town Drive you just get delays…one fatality is a lot worse than a dozen or so rear end accidents.”
Furthermore, no additional funds have been approved beyond the planning study, so the state must allocate potential design costs into the new budget next spring.
“We would hope to at least receive some money for one of these three projects in that, but until then we have to count on our state legislatures,” Bezold. “Ultimately, they are the ones that will decide if it receives funding or not.”
The final report and executive summary is available on the Transportation Cabinet’s website.