Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Installs Permanent Signs to Mark Emergency Detour for I-24 Work Zone
More practical than temporary message boards --effort is a first for I-24 Corridor
PADUCAH, Ky. (July 22, 2021) — The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is testing the use of permanent signs to mark an emergency alternate route for traffic in the Interstate 24 work zone that runs between mile markers 55 and 65 in parts of Caldwell and Trigg counties.
In the event of an incident blocking I-24 in the work zone, the permanent signs direct traffic along U.S. 68 and KY 139 between Exit 56 and Exit 65. The new signs got their first test this morning when a 2-vehicle crash near the 59 mile marker eastbound required traffic to detour for about an hour.
"When we have a crash or other emergency situation that blocks I-24 in the work zone, our people have to put up message boards and signs to mark the detour route," said KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Kyle Poat. "When the detour route gets gridlocked with traffic, our personnel can get blocked out. We think this system with permanent signage will make things run more smoothly when an emergency blockage occurs."
The signs are modeled on permanently marked detour systems used in Mississippi and Pennsylvania, as well as signs used along the I-65 and I-75 Corridors in Kentucky. But some of those systems require the use of portable message boards to direct travelers to follow color-coded signs. Others require highway personnel to flip down permanently mounted signs to an emergency message. The signs developed by KYTC District 1 for I-24 at this site require no additional action.
”If we have a blockage in either direction, the detour signage should be helpful in maintaining flow along the detour," Poat said.
If the system works for the I-24 work zone, Poat says engineers will consider placing similar signs along additional routes that parallel the I-24 corridor through the region.
The system is intended to help motorists find and follow the most viable detour route and reduce the number of police and rescue squad personnel required to direct traffic at key locations on the detour route. "Local Traffic Only" signage on side roads is aimed at keeping SEMI truck traffic off winding rural secondary highways. During the 2020 construction season several SEMI trucks crashed or got stuck when drivers incorrectly read GPS maps and thought I-24 was closed in the work zone.
The main work zone selected for the permanent detour signage has a centerline barrier wall with 2-way traffic running along the eastbound lanes of I-24 from the 55.5 mile marker to the 65.5 mile marker. Orange barrels extend the work zone to the 69 mile marker.
The westbound exit ramp at the KY 139 Cadiz-Princeton Exit 56 Interchange is closed for the duration of the project, so no fuel is available for 20 miles along I-24 westbound between the Exit 65 Interchange and the KY 293 Eddyville-Princeton Exit 45 Interchange.
The KY 139 Exit 56 westbound entry ramp and both eastbound ramps are open. Truckers should be aware of maximum load widths in the work zone – 15 feet for eastbound vehicles and 12 feet for westbound vehicles.
Hall Contracting of Kentucky is the prime contractor on the $17,359,000 project. The target completion date is Dec. 15, 2021.
To get timely traffic updates via email for KYTC District 1 Counties, please go to https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/KYTC/signup/13651 and click on the District 1 counties you regularly drive through, or for any of the specialty corridors you travel. Be sure to check your SPAM filtering to assure Gov Delivery is on your approved list.
Timely traffic advisories for the 12 counties of KYTC Highway District 1 are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict1. You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.
Navigate traffic at goky.ky.gov, at waze.com, or with the WAZE App.
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