The city of Edgewood plans to begin widening Charter Oak Road in the first half of 2027, starting from the cul-de-sac and traveling north to meet recent renovations on Dudley Road by the end of 2028.
Edgewood City Council discussed plans to widen the road last month, just before the holiday. Consulting firm Verdantas, formerly CT Consultants, holds the contract for the project. Martin Hellman represented Verdantas at the meeting to present a three-phase construction plan for Charter Oak.
Verdantas recommends adding to the existing pavement, as opposed to tearing out the existing road to replace it.
“It’s going to save the city a lot of money,” Hellman said. He estimated the entire project will cost about $2.7 million.
Before construction can begin, Verdantas must finalize the design and coordinate any utility relocations with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
“It’s going to be about six to eight months on any [utility] pole that we have to move,” Hellman said. The Transportation Cabinet defines utilities to include electrical lines, energy pipelines and water mains located along the road.
Verdantas anticipates completing the design and utility coordination, which does not entail any physical construction, in 2026. Once that stage is complete, construction would then unfold along Charter Oak Road in three phases: the cul-de-sac to White Oak Drive in the first half of 2027, White Oak Drive to Hergott Drive in the second half of 2027 and then Hergott Drive to Dudley Road in the second half of 2028. Construction is not planned for the first half of 2028 to distribute project costs across three fiscal years.
Cost expectations as presented to the council in December are listed below.
Time Period Projected Costs Calendar Year 2026 $250,000 Calendar Year 2027 $1,578,500 Calendar Year 2028 $847,000
Under the current design, Verdantas will add asphalt pavement as needed to widen Charter Oak before resurfacing the entire road with asphalt. Recent construction on Dudley Road followed a similar plan. Charter Oak will be a minimum of 24 feet from curb to curb at the project’s completion, according to Hellman. The road’s current width varies from 18 to 22 feet.
The exact designs, however, have not been finalized. The council plans to host an open house for residents to provide feedback before the final design is approved in the first half of 2026.
Councilman Jeff Schreiver brought up one possible change when he proposed adding lighting along this stretch of Charter Oak.
“Between Turkeyfoot and Homestead, there’s no streetlights hardly at all,” Schriever said. The council was split on the topic, with members such as Councilwoman Bridget Grady Spears concerned about the impact this lighting might have on Charter Oak’s homeowners.
Schreiver also suggested flattening a hump which minimizes visibility between Beckridge and Timber Ridge Drives. Chief Administrative Officer Brian Dehner, however, anticipated this would significantly increase costs.
“When you lower a road or raise the road, you’re impacting all the sides, as well, because you’ve got to now meet that new elevation,” Denher said.
You can view preliminary design documents about the project below.