$23.3 million construction will add two lanes and a concrete median to one of the busiest roads in Daviess County
MADISONVILLE, Ky. (March 26, 2024) – Getting around on the ever-congested Kentucky 54 in Owensboro will be getting a little easier as a project to widen the roadway is set to begin on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
Motorists might experience a few growing pains during construction, but it will likely be several months before significant traffic delays or lane restrictions begin.
KY 54 may be one of the busiest stretches of roadway in Daviess County, with around 32,000 cars passing between Heartland Crossing Boulevard, just west of the US 60 bypass, and Bold Forbes Way in the east every day. In order to accommodate existing traffic, and to allow for continued development in the area, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is beginning the process of widening the roadway to three-lanes in each direction and adding a concrete safety median for added safety.
For two days, beginning on Thursday, personnel will be placing construction signage along the roadway, a process that should have little to no impact on traffic flows either on KY 54 or side roads.
Once signs are in place, crews will begin locating and moving buried utility lines that are in the route of the expanded roadway. Some delays and lane restrictions are possible during this process, which could take several months.
The largest impact of this project on local traffic will begin in late July or early August, when Phase 1 of the project will begin. During this phase, while all lanes will remain open, there will be a lane restriction of 10-feet put in place. Eastbound lanes will also be shifted to allow for construction on that side of the roadway. When Phase 1 is completed, work will switch to the westbound side, with those lanes being shifted.
During the third and final phase, the new concrete median will be constructed and asphalt will be applied to the widened roadway. The expected completion date of the project is Nov. 30, 2026. Crew plan to work 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily throughout the construction period, although occasional night hours may be necessary.
Yager Materials is the contractor on the $23.3 million project, which will widen just over 1.3 miles of roadway to three-lanes.