- The proposal seeks up to $3.42 million for design, environmental work and pre-construction planning to upgrade 1.9 miles of Longbranch Road.
- The project would connect Longbranch Road directly to KY-42 and address traffic and safety concerns raised by residents near the Orleans neighborhood.
- The City of Florence has pledged $126,000 toward the effort if awarded, but county officials emphasize the grant is highly competitive and no funds have been secured yet.
Boone County has submitted an application for a U.S. Department of Transportation BUILD grant to help finance forthcoming improvements to Longbranch Road.
According to the Transportation Department website, Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants are a federal funding program that helps state and local governments complete significant transportation infrastructure projects. On Tuesday, the Boone County Fiscal Court discussed the county’s application during the ‘new business’ section of its regularly scheduled meeting.
Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore stated that if the county receives the grant, the funds will be used to ease traffic issues along the route.
“We have made an application for a BUILD grant,” Moore said. “That’s a federal transportation grant in regard to the Longbranch Road improvements that have been discussed and explored to deal with trying to more efficiently move traffic east and west and lessen the impact to communities that are along that route.”
Boone County Engineer Rob Franxman explained that the two-part project would upgrade approximately 1.9 miles of roadway, including a segment from Cooper Middle and High School to Orleans Boulevard, and another from Orleans Boulevard to KY-42. A key component would connect Longbranch Road directly to KY-42 rather than to Old Union Road. The improvements were outlined as a priority within Boone County’s Transportation Plan.
Furthermore, Franxman said the proposal, valued at $3.42 million, would cover pre-construction activities such as design and environmental work, rather than physical road construction.
“What we submitted for is designed for about 1.9 miles of reconstruction and realignment that would cover design, environmental – basically everything up to purchasing property, relocating utilities or building the physical road,” Franxmans said.
In addition, Franxman said the City of Florence had agreed to commit $126,000 toward the effort if the application is selected.
Moore emphasized that Boone County was strictly applying for the grant, and has not been awarded any money at this time.
“We’re just applying for the grant,” Moore said. “I don’t want anyone to hear this thinking, ‘Oh, they got the award. They won it.’ We will have to compete with other entities, and there are always many more requests than there are dollars.”
The BUILD grant program is highly competitive nationally, with the program fielding hundreds of applications annually. In order to be selected, the applicant must demonstrate how the project will provide a clear public benefit, through factors such as boosting economic impact, improving safety, or reducing congestion.
In 2025, the Transportation Department awarded approximately $488 million through the BUILD grant program to 30 projects nationwide, according to an agency press release.
Boone County Administrator Matthew Webster explained that the discussion about the grant application primarily stemmed from public questions about possible roadway enhancements near the Orleans neighborhood, which is close to Longbranch Road. Last March, Orleans resident Trevor Nelson urged the fiscal court to address the issue, citing safety concerns due to increased traffic on Orleans Boulevard.
“The nexus for this grant is the discussion we had around, ‘how do we really deal with the issues in the Orleans neighborhood?’ I think that’s probably where Florence is a very willing partner, because if we solve this problem, and we are looking for some short term, quick relief, and this will be the longer term solution that I think we were charged to try to come up with, and I think Florence is a very willing partner, because whatever we do in this corridor does positively impact the City of Florence,” he said.