Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials briefed elected leaders from Caldwell, Crittenden, and Lyon counties Monday to update them on the status of potential routes for an improved US 641 between Fredonia and Eddyville. The proposed expansion would connect with a recently completed US 641 improvement project between Fredonia and Marion.
According to a release, the Cabinet has not selected a preferred route and has not set a timetable for the start of the construction project. KYTC officials have received feedback from local leaders and the public to guide the selection of the ultimate route and will inform the public when the current phase of studies is completed.
Transportation Secretary Greg Thomas says there has been some confusion and misformation about this project in recent months, and they want to ensure that all of the county leaders in the area have the latest and most accurate information regarding this key western Kentucky corridor. He notes they have evaluated more than a dozen alternate routes in the past decade and made modifications over the years based on valuable public and local input. Thomas says their team of transportation experts are committed to finding the best solution to deliver a safe route that balances taxpayer dollars, and limits impacts to homes, farms, businesses and private lands in Caldwell, Crittenden, and Lyon counties.
In addition to the communities of Eddyville and Fredonia, officials say a rerouted US 641 likely could impact a major quarry, large wetlands, and the Western Kentucky Correctional Complex. Cabinet officials have been in discussions with the Kentucky Department of Corrections about the potential impacts a high-volume road might have on the medium security institution, which houses male and female inmates.
Currently, state officials report US 641 serves about 4,000 vehicles per day, and with the expansion, that number could grow to more than 5,300 vehicles per day by 2030 based on a KYTC traffic study.
