Trigg County Fiscal Court put feet to pavement Monday night, unanimously approving the 2023-24 Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District One Rural Secondary Roads budget presentation from Maintenance Engineer Michael Oliver — whose purview involves Trigg, Calloway and Marshall counties.
In all, Oliver said Trigg County’s allocation this fiscal year includes more than $1.47 million in new funding, as well as an undistributed layover balance north of $330,000.
Oliver noted six recommendations from KYTC should spend the full $1.8 million or so to meet project standards. And they include:
1) The upkeep and maintenance on 137.147 miles of rural roads at $3,600 per mile. ($493,729)
2) The bolstering of county flex funding (which is 25% of the new $1.47 million, or more than $367,000)
3) The repaving of KY 124 Cerulean Road from KY 139 to White Road, or nearly 2 ½ miles.
4) The repaving of KY 128 Wallonia Road to the Caldwell County line, which approaches four miles.
5) The repaving of KY 164 Linton Road to Beechy Fork Road, which constitutes more than 1 ½ miles.
And 6) The stashing of $100,000 for safety allocations to be used in patching at various locations
Other suggestions from magistrates of needed repair and maintenance included, but weren’t limited to:
— KY 1253 Hardy Road from the Little River/Casey Creek Bridge to KY 525
— KY 128 where it butts up to US 68 all the way back up to KY 126
— KY 1489
— And KY 274 from Hamtown US 68 to Mershon’s Bridge
Oliver also addressed concerns about the US 68/80 bypass and its steep eroded banks, which could be addressed over the next few months.
Oliver added that mixed signals with the City of Cadiz over the ownership of Lakota Drive lights, which are currently dim to dark, will also be rectified sooner rather than later.
Oliver also noted:
— Last year’s patching fund, north of $169,000, was recently spent for bridge-ins along US 68, as well as two miles of KY 274 from the Lyon County line to Goose Hollow Road. This full project is going to begin soon.
— Last year’s road projects are in the middle of being finished. This includes a section of KY 124, KY 274 from Beech Bend Road to Little River Bridge, and then most, if not all, of KY 1507 Barefield Road.
— Trigg County has 137-plus miles of rural-secondary roads, and other more oft-used roads, like KY 139, are funded and repaired through different pots of state appropriations.
In other court news:
— Humphries and the court members openly sent their condolences to the nine families of the 101st Airborne Division soldiers who died Wednesday night, March 29, in the two-helicopter crash above Trigg County.
Humphries added Trigg County’s Emergency Management and first-response personnel did “an admirable job” in a tough incident to work, and all “in light of a bad circumstance,” and he noted Fort Campbell still has work to do on site.
Magistrate Mike Wright noted there is a desire to honor those nine soldiers in some way, perhaps through a Hometown Heroes banner somewhere in the community. Humphries said in due time, avenues of remembrance would be explored.
