Update as of 8/25/16

Hall contracting is indeed beginning work in the area from Bethany lane to Stonestreet road. Before traffic can be shifted in this section to the north bound side of the roadway, a storm sewer pipe must first be installed across Dixie highway at Fazoli's.  

After this shoulder is safe for traffic, lanes will be shifted from Bethany to Stonestreet so storm sewer work can begin in the area in front of Valley High School. 

It is important that most of the storm sewer work be completed before much of the asphalt can be placed.  The contractor currently does not have any utility or tree delays. Crews are actively working under night time lane closures. Some lane closures are kept in place during the day to protect the construction work that is underway.

Update as of 8/11/16

Our contractor will begin moving materials (storm sewer pipes, equipment, traffic control) from Section 3 on Monday, August 15. They will be setting up traffic control in Section 2 next week. This section of the work zone has been lengthened and will extend from Bethany Lane to Stonestreet Road. The contractor has some storm sewer work to finish in front of Valley High School before asphalt pavement work commences.

The reason the contractor did not begin work the week of August 1 is that they were waiting on a change order to be processed by KYTC to cover the additional costs for removing the striping and other traffic control in Section 3 and setting it all up again in Section 2.  Change orders on our construction projects must be reviewed by district staff and our central office in Frankfort as well, then signed by upper management. This contractor chose to wait until all signatures were obtained before proceeding with the change in traffic control in the work zone.

Update as of 7/29/16: 

The contractor began working in Section 3 this spring while utility issues were being resolved in Section 2. They have storm sewer pipe to be placed as part of the project and there are some small trees in the way that have to be removed.  Due to an environmental restriction involving potential habitat of the Indiana Bat, trees over four inches in diameter cannot be cleared between June 1 and August 15. So that has prevented the contractor from making progress in Section 3. All of the storm sewer work must be done before the asphalt paving can begin.

The Louisville Water Company completed water line relocation in Section 2 last week. This morning we met with our contractor and requested that they move back to Section 2 as soon as possible. Because our contract only allows traffic impacts in one section at a time, the contractor will have to move all traffic control items from Section 3 to Section 2. This includes pavement striping, cones, delineators, etc. The pavement in Section 3 will have to be restriped to the normal lane markings present prior to construction. We anticipate the contractor starting work in Section 2 sometime next week.

Once the tree clearing restriction ends on August 15, the contractor will also have crews working in Section 3 to clear trees and install storm sewer pipes in advance of the asphalt work.

Completion of the entire project will not happen in 2016 due to the delays described above and weather limitations for asphalt paving associated with cooler temperatures. When work ceases late this year, all lane closures and traffic control devices (cones, barrels, delineators) will be removed until construction can resume in the spring.

Update as of 7/28/16:

The Louisville Water Company has completed their work relocating the water main. 

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has notified President Yates' office that they are awaiting return communication from the contractor in the near future.

President Yates' office will continue to provide updates as provided by the Transportation Cabinet regarding the paving of Dixie Highway. 

Update as of 7/21/16: 

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) awarded a contract in the summer of 2015 for pavement replacement on a five mile section of US 31W (Dixie Highway) in Jefferson County. The project involves removal and replacement of the asphalt pavement between Stonegate Manor Drive and Greenwood Road (mile points 6.6 to 11.7). The old asphalt is to be removed down to the original concrete pavement. An intermediate material is being installed as a means to prevent reflective cracking between the concrete and asphalt layers. Base and surface layers of asphalt will be paved to complete the roadway.

There were horizontal bumps in the pavement on Dixie Highway about every twenty feet. This is due to reflective cracking from the concrete joints below. The intent with this project is to not just resurface the roadway, but solve recurring problems coming from the base.

Work began in August of 2015 proceeding from the south end of the project to the north. The project is divided into four sections of work:

• Section 1 - Stonegate Manor Drive to Bethany Lane (mile points 6.6 to 7.7)
• Section 2 - Bethany Lane to Valley Station Road (mile points 7.7 to 8.6)
• Section 3 - Valley Station Road to West Pages Lane (mile points 8.6 to 10.5)
• Section 4 - West Pages Lane to Greenwood Road (mile points 10.5 to 11.7)

Contract crews had planned to remove the asphalt, install the intermediate layer and repave the roadway in each section before moving to the next one.

Section 1 was completed last year. When work began on Section 2 last fall, the contractors began running into utility issues. The utility companies could not indicate the exact locations of all the lines, particularly the depth of the water and gas lines. Many of the underground utilities have been crammed into a small section underneath the shoulder of the roadway. These lines were not buried very deep and when our contractor began digging up the old pavement, they hit these lines. The contractor also uncovered some abandoned utility lines.

So, work on Section 2 was halted last fall due to water line relocation.  The original project plans had called for work to be halted on Dixie Highway from November 15 through April 1 due to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season and the winter months when asphalt paving cannot be performed.

Work resumed this spring on Section 3. Storm sewer work is underway and will last for a few weeks. Then the asphalt paving will begin for that section.  This section of Dixie Highway continues to have two thru lanes of traffic in each direction. Lane closures can occur on weeknights in the northbound direction from 9:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. Closure times for the southbound direction are from 9:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m.  Weekend lane closures are permitted from 9:00 p.m. until 10:00 a.m. the following morning on Fridays and Saturdays.

Crews are currently working in the existing northbound lanes and all traffic is shifted to the southbound lanes. During this construction, motorists do not have access to a continuous center turn lane along US 31W. This turning lane as well as the shoulders on both sides of the road are being used to accommodate traffic shifts. Left turning lanes are provided at the signalized intersections.

Our contractor has currently skipped Section 2 because they are waiting on the Louisville Water Company to perform water line relocation in that area.

All of the traffic signal upgrades have been completed. New poles and signal heads have been installed. Motorists may see some signal heads that are covered. These will be activated when the traffic is moved to its permanent configuration.

Hall Contracting of Kentucky, Inc. was awarded this contract in the amount of $14.5 million.  The original contract completion date was June 30, 2016, but due to these delays work is currently expected to last into November, barring any other major utility delays.

The 3rd Division LMPD will host a weekly “Peace Walk” each week. Major Hardison will be joined by a lieutenant and resource officer from the 3rd Division and they will be walking to promote unity and compassionate inclusion of all members of our community. Please see the schedule below and join the LMPD officers for a positive community event. 

Tuesday, August 30th - Glengarry Area (starting at Glengarry/Buckingham Drive). 

**Note that all scheduled walks begin at 6:00 pm and will end at 7:00 pm**

Please stay tuned to the District 12 eNews for locations and dates of upcoming events.