A road project 20 years in the making had another public hearing on Monday night, when Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials listened to the concerns of local citizens ensconced in a decades-long tug-of-war surrounding new construction for US 641 from Eddyville to Fredonia — impacting Lyon, Caldwell and Crittenden County, and greater west Kentucky.
To some, the planned 9.2 miles of fresh blacktop, new signage and wider lanes means commerce, safety, efficiency and economic opportunity.
To others, it’s governmental encroachment, a concerning boondoggle and an unwanted change to the local landscape.
Prior public hearings, gathered intelligence and stakeholder input have helped pave the way to a very preliminary design of the proposed four-lane fast pass.
Paul Looney, of EA Partners and a consulting engineer on the project, notes there have even been revisions to the proposed sketches from 2019 — with recommendations to realign north of the Fredonia Quarry along the rail bed.
While a four-lane installation with a 40-foot median was drafted in 2019 drawings, Looney also noted a four-lane with a flush median — as well as a two-plus-one construction with alternating passing lanes and no media — would be fair recommendations from an engineering standpoint.
But Monday proved more negotiations and revisions could be on the way. Chris Kuntz, KYTC project manager and acting utility supervisor, says a master plan is not complete at this time, but is scheduled to be coming in the fall of 2021.
Jim Seibert, mayor of Fredonia, was among the many to bring about questions and concerns around the project, and Kuntz had some answers.
Number one: Will the project replace outdated utilities, particular the old asbestos water lines of Fredonia that went in the ground in 1964?
Number two: With the removal of direct tourism traffic to Fredonia due to redirected roads, can the Transportation Cabinet provide bike lanes from Eddyville to Fredonia as a means of creative marketability? Can some signage point to Fredonia? Can a barbecue circuit be promoted between Marion, Princeton, Fredonia and Eddyville?
And number three: With the proposed road going uphill all the way through the Fredonia Valley, can flooding be controlled effectively, without creating and/or destroying more sinkholes?
For more information on the project, visit KYTC’s website, www.641connect.com. Another round of public comments are being taken through August 6.
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One of the queries from Monday night: why not just improve and extend the existing corridor with a two-and-one construction and a widened shoulder? Would that help avoid right-of-way issues and other concerns?
Kuntz noted it just wasn’t that simple.
Kuntz added the plan is to continue discussions with both local officials and property owners regarding the facility master plan, before enacting on right-of-way property purchases beginning in 2023.
