Dangerous paving on Ky. 39 to be redone

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November 7, 2009

By HEATHER PYLES, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Sat Nov 07, 2009, 08:15 PM EST

When the repaving work on Ky. 39 began around a month ago, residents who use the heavily traveled roadway assumed its conditions would be improved.

By the end of the three weeks it took to complete the work, a much different result had emerged.

Drivers were appalled to discover that a significant stretch of Ky. 39 — from just before the Eagles Nest turn off to the area of Buck Creek bridge — was much worse than it had been before.

“To me it’s just a safety concern for our kids and the buses that travel it (Ky. 39) every day,” said Brenda Cable, who lives approximately 12 miles out. Cable had contacted the Commonwealth Journal on Wednesday with her concerns.

Dips and rises are obvious, and drivers came to the conclusion that Ky. 39 — long considered a dangerous road often taken too fast by motorists — was actually more dangerous than it had been before.

Calls began to flood local officials’ offices.

Pulaski County Judge-executive Barty Bullock, the county magistrates, the Kentucky Department of Transportation, and even U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers received complaints from residents.

“We’ve had lots and lots of calls from the people living on Ky. 39,” said Neil Shoemaker, chief district engineer with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

But those officials don’t blame them. In fact, they want those residents to know that what happened during that repaving will not happen again.

“We have not received the desired results to result in a safe driving situation,” said Shoemaker.

Shoemaker said a review process has been set in motion from the state’s side, and Hinkle Contracting, which carried out the work, is also retracing steps to determine where the work went wrong — and why it wasn’t corrected.

“It’s sparked concerns with quality control both within the transportation cabinet and within Hinkle Contracting,” Shoemaker said. “They’re aware of it too.”

According to Shoemaker, problems began when workers first milled the road. In other words, the old existing road surface was removed by machine to expose the road base. When that step was carried out, the surface was not leveled out as well as it should have been, resulting an uneven riding surface.

“During the initial construction phase of the project, we didn’t get the quality we desired,” Shoemaker said.

Shoemaker said corrections were attempted during the paving through leveling and wedging, but the imperfections were too significant to be fixed.

That’s why crews are going back out to start from scratch and correct the problems. Beginning this Tuesday, work should begin again.

“The public should see us out there,” Shoemaker said.

Some sections of the road will be remilled, while others will be leveled. Shoemaker said the repairs should take around two weeks.

“Hopefully, we’ll come out with better results,” Shoemaker said, noting that situations such as the one on Ky. 39 do not happen often. He added that Hinkle has consistently done good work on the roads.

And that work is not at the expense of taxpayers. The new work will come at the cost of the contractor.

“We have a great working relationship with Hinkle,” Shoemaker said. “We’re professionals working with professionals.”

Shoemaker emphasized that the Ky. 39 situation will be looked at as a learning experience by the state and Hinkle — and that the public can expect not to see a situation like that again.

“We don’t spend taxpayers’ money unless we get a good result,” Shoemaker said.

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