OWENSBORO, Ky. (November 14, 2025) – A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will implement a significant traffic shift on the Kentucky 54 widening project corridor in Owensboro beginning Sunday.
This will mark the completion of Phase One and the start of Phase Two of construction. Motorists should anticipate delays throughout the day, according to a news release.
Between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., crews will block the left lanes and turning lanes of Kentucky 54 from Heartland Crossing Boulevard, just west of U.S. 60, to Bold Forbes Way. Workers will remove existing roadway striping using water-blasting, install new traffic-control striping and adjust traffic signals to support the new configuration.
Once complete, all four lanes of Kentucky 54 will shift from the current traffic pattern onto the newly constructed south side of the highway. Motorists will continue using the same layout that has been in place since project startup—four 10-foot travel lanes with a shared center turn lane.
This traffic shift will allow crews to begin constructing the new westbound lane on the north side of Kentucky 54. Weather permitting, earthwork and installation of storm-water drainage systems will begin immediately.
Kentucky 54 remains one of the busiest roadways in Daviess County, carrying approximately 32,000 vehicles daily between Heartland Crossing Boulevard and Bold Forbes Way. The $23.3 million project will widen the existing four-lane highway to six lanes, supporting continued commercial and residential development in the corridor.
The third and final phase of construction will include building a new concrete median and placing new asphalt throughout the project area.