Preparations underway for new bypass

Mary Beth Sallee

Reporter, Hart Co. News-Herald

 

Anyone who has recently traveled along US 31W (South Dixie Street) in Horse Cave may have noticed excavations taking place adjacent to the old Bale Warehouse.

Crews have been hard at work relocating that area’s sewer system in preparation for the city’s new bypass that is to be constructed in the future.

According to Chris Jessie, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) District 4 Coordinator, the bypass will create a connection at US 31W across from Tri-County Auto and Oil’s fueling location over to KY 218 near Friendship Baptist Church, where additional utility work has been taking place since January.

With most of the city’s industrial developments located south of town along US 31W, large trucks are required to pass through downtown Horse Cave to reach their destinations. Therefore, the purpose of the bypass will be to improve mobility and address traffic concerns.

“When complete, the bypass will alleviate a large amount of truck traffic from the railroad crossing and the KY 218/US 31W intersection downtown, making a safer and more efficient connection between Horse Cave’s industrial community and I-65,” Jessie explained. “It will include a new bridge over railroad tracks on the west side of town, eliminating the need for a railroad crossing to travel between the two existing roads.”

Jessie stated that the project concept was conceived over a decade ago by local officials with the county and state identifying needs, particularly at the KY 218/US 31W and CSX Railroad vicinity. It was determined that having a bypass would provide safety and efficiency, particularly for commercial traffic, but also for routine motorists and pedestrians. Reduced truck traffic would also decrease the potential of any train collisions.

In April of 2018, KYTC conducted a study for the proposed new road. The project team developed design concepts and conducted studies to determine if the bypass should be built. Five build concepts were presented to a group of local citizens. With 58 total survey responses received, 87% of those in the survey group agreed that an improvement was needed. However, those surveyed also stressed the importance of minimizing disruptions to homes and private property, as well as the downtown area, historic district, and Hidden River Cave. Those surveyed also preferred a plan that would create a bridge over the railway line, separate truck traffic from residential areas, and overall be cost-effective.

In moving forward with the bypass project, the building concept that was chosen was the least expensive option, does not require any homes to be relocated, and only impacts the warehouse storage facilities of two businesses. Again, this will connect US 31W across from Tri-County Auto and Oil’s fueling location over to KY 218 near Friendship Baptist Church, and a bridge will be constructed along KY 335 over the CSX Railroad.

“It has minimal impacts on wildlife habitat, sinkholes, historic resources, the community, or other environmental factors,” stated the KYTC Horse Cave Connector Study information from July 2018. “It bridges the railroad without resulting in substantial construction disruptions along KY 335 – for automobile traffic or bicyclists following this regional trail.”

Today, the utility work and relocation of sewer lines that is taking place is only the beginning phase of the overall project.

“Clearance needs of overhead power lines is obvious, but buried cables and other utilities are often not thought of by the public because they are not visible,” Jessie said. “Just like clearance of a crossing power line overhead, location and depth of buried utilities must also be adequate to prevent damage during construction or keep them in a place where they can be maintainable.”

As for construction dates, the contract has not been sent out for bids as of this time but is anticipated to go out later this year.

“Bids will dictate acceptance or rejection,” Jessie said. “Best case scenario if the project gets in a letting before the end of the year, it would likely be next spring before any construction can begin. Again, this is best case. Construction would most likely be a two-year term, depending on how aggressive a winning bid contractor schedules their work. The bridge over the railroad/335 is a significant portion of the project with respect to coordination and time required to build.”

According to Jessie, funding for the bypass is part of the overall project cost, which is broken down into three areas:

• Right-Of-Way Cost (R) – Includes the purchasing land and easements for the road project footprint;
• Utility Cost for Relocation (U) – May include the relocation of sewer lines and buried cables; and
• Construction Cost (C) – Entails the building of the road.

“The current (2022) highway plan has $6.24 million for construction of the project,” Jessie explained of current estimates. “Actual cost depends on bids. Funding for right of way and utilities was included in the 2020 highway plan at $2.1 million for right of way and $1.5 million for utilities…There were two business-owned properties purchased through right of way acquisition for the new route.”

Therefore, the total cost of the future bypass is estimated at $9.84 million.