Pulaski road projects to go under review

Local News

August 7, 2008

Local News

By BILL MARDIS, Editor Emeritus The Commonwealth Journal Thu Aug 07, 2008, 06:52 AM EDT

Gov. Steve Beshear’s “practical solutions” initiative announced earlier this week will put all of Pulaski County’s road projects under review and examination but apparently will not drastically change major highways under construction.

Neal Shoemaker, chief district engineer for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s District 8, assured the Commonwealth Journal that the $157 million worth of roads currently being built in Pulaski County will be completed without major changes in design. In other words, despite an indication in the governor’s initiative that many highways designed as four lanes could end up with two-lanes, four-lane highways under construction in Pulaski County will be completed as four-lane roads, Shoemaker said.

This includes the final section of four-lane U.S. 27 from Ky. 452 (Bull Road) north to Ky. 70 at Eubank; the final two contract sections of the southwestern bypass from Oak Hill Road to Cumberland Parkway; four-lane Ky. 1247 from Ky. 914 (southeastern bypass) to Bend of the Lakes Road near Burnside; the partial cloverleaf intersection of Ky. 1247, U.S. 27 and Ky. 90 in northern Burnside; and 3.7 miles of Somerset’s northern bypass (I-66) from Cumberland Parkway to an interchange with new four-lane U.S. 27 south of Science Hill.

Likely to be delayed are roads still in the early stages of design and for which no contracts have been awarded, particularly those funded with state money.

“Any state-funded projects will be pushed back to allow us time to review and make sure we’re making the right decisions,” said Shoemaker.

The district engineer nodded in the affirmative when a reporter suggested that projects such as extending four-lane U.S. 27 through the Burnside business district to the entrance of General Burnside Island State Park might be put on the back burner.

Also, Shoemaker said saving federal dollars is just as important as saving state money. This indicates that the last part of Somerset’s northern bypass (I-66) from U.S. 27 across Ky. 39 to Ky. 80 west of Ky. 461 is also a candidate for delay. The same probably holds true for developing the already selected I-66 corridor from Barnesburg at Ky. 80 through Shopville, Stab and Squib and across western Laurel County to I-75 south of London.

Shoemaker reiterated that roads under contract and construction will be reviewed and examined. He did not rule out elimination of “frills” along these four-lane roads under construction.

Such things as “ ... do we need a bridge there? Is there a better way to get there?” Shoemaker suggested. Changes in contracts would be negotiated with the contractor. “We might have to pay the contractor some money ... but it would be feasible if overall we saved money,” he reasoned.

Mentioning the need for bridges raised a question about the 85-foot-tall span over Pitman Creek on the Ky. 1247 project.

“That’s too far along ... I don’t think that will be changed,” said Shoemaker.

Most of the roads currently under construction in Pulaski County were designed and let to contract under the administration of former Gov. Ernie Fletcher. Beshear, quoted in a news release, said Secretary Joe Prather and his staff have submitted a sensible plan that emphasizes value and long-term vision to ensure we build safe, quality roads that meet the needs of our commonwealth.”

Both Shoemaker and Stephanie Daffron, public information officer for District 8, said the state has more road projects than money.

“For some time now, we have built roads like money is no object,” said Shoemaker. “We simply have to come up with a smarter way to spend our money.”

Pulaski County currently has 23.3 miles of active road projects. District Construction Engineer Bill Chaney said these projects will require an estimated 828,375 tons of asphalt; 7.3 million cubic yards of roadway excavation/embankment; construction of 33 bridges and culverts; 23,715 cubic yards of concrete; and 3.8 million pounds of steel reinforcement.

Pulaski County is believed to have more roadwork under way than any rural county in Kentucky, according to Rodney Little, District 8’s TEBM for construction.

The Transportation Cabinet said that faced with rapidly escalating construction costs and stagnant revenues, Beshear has directed the cabinet and its engineers to find a way to meet the state’s transportation needs in challenging economic times. The result is Practical Solutions, a forward-looking approach to ensure highway projects remain within an appropriate scope while freeing funds for other projects, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

For example, the cabinet said with $500 million the state could build 23 miles of a divided four-lane highway with 12-foot lanes and 8-foot shoulders.

For the same amount, the state could build 69.4 miles of a two-lane highway with identical lanes and shoulder widths. The cost per mile is reduced from $21.5 million for the four-lane to $7.2 million for the two-lane highway.

Prather and Shoemaker said safety and quality will not be sacrificed. “We will not cut corners,” Shoemaker declared.

“Practical Solutions will allow us to do more to improve the overall condition of Kentucky’s aging 27,000-mile highway network, meaning safer roads for the traveling public,” Prather said.

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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