- Camp Ernst Road’s 4.11-mile corridor carries more than 8,000 vehicles daily and has Boone County’s highest roadway hazard score.
- Residents urged project leaders to improve safety and reduce congestion while preserving the road’s rural character.
- Officials expect the design phase to take about two years, with final engineering plans anticipated in 2028 and construction still years away.
Improving roadway safety, relieving traffic congestion, and preserving the area’s rural character are among the chief concerns of Boone County residents regarding the future Camp Ernst Road improvement project.
Boone County leaders have highlighted a more than four-mile stretch of Camp Ernst Road for safety upgrades, as increased residential development has led to higher traffic levels. Past roadway safety analyses conducted by Boone County have found that Camp Ernst Road has the highest hazard score among all county roads when evaluated for horizontal curves, operating speed, average daily traffic, vertical curvature, recovery areas and roadway width.
The project focuses on improving 4.11 miles of Camp Ernst Road, from the Pleasant Valley roundabout on KY 237 to KY 536, locally known as Hathaway Road. The roadway is currently two-lanes wide.
The Boone County Public Works Department found that stretch of road sees over 8,000 vehicles on a daily basis, including teens driving to nearby Cooper High School, commuters traveling to and from work, and families heading to Central Park.
On Monday, the public met with members of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Boone County Fiscal Court, Planning Commission, and the project’s designers at the Boone County Enrichment Center in Burlington to express their concerns and offer feedback.
During the open house, Boone County Engineer Rob Franxman explained that event is kicking off the project’s design phase, which he expects to take around two years.
“We really wanted to get out with the folks and find out what they see on a daily basis,” Franxman said. “We didn’t want to jump in and design a road that nobody wants. We want to meet the safety aspects that we definitely need to meet, but we also want to make sure that it’s the right thing for the people that live there.”
Boone County resident Andy Wilson told LINK nky that he supports the project’s goal of improving roadway safety, but also wants the project’s leaders to preserve the corridor’s country feel.
“We have kids that are in the area, so it is a safety issue on that road, but I do like the country feel of the road, I’m hoping we can maintain some of that; get some safety, but I’m also not looking for a five lane road with sidewalks and everything else – maintain some of the country feel,” Wilson said.
Franxman said actual construction on the roadway remains years away, as the project’s leaders are still in the design phase. In January, the Boone County Fiscal Court selected Cincinnati-based consulting firm Gresham Smith to design safety features along Camp Ernst Road.
Following the open house, Franxman said county leaders will evaluate public feedback, balancing their input with engineering data to inform the design process over the next year. A presentation board at the open house indicates that the project’s Final Engineering Plans are expected to be completed in 2028.
