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Governor Steve Beshear's Communications Office
Gov. Beshear announces plan for additional I-65 median barriers
Governor says ‘chief concern is saving lives’ until highway widened
MUNFORDVILLE, Ky. — Gov. Steve Beshear today announced a plan to extend median barriers along a 13-mile stretch of Interstate 65 in portions of Hart, LaRue and Hardin counties.
“Our chief concern is saving lives,” Gov. Beshear said. “Additional barriers will help provide more protection against crossover crashes and make I-65 safer for the traveling public.”
Barriers will be added from near the 67 mile marker, north of Munfordville, to the 80 mile marker, just north of the LaRue County line in Hardin County, where a stretch of cable barrier currently terminates.
About six miles of temporary concrete barriers, typically used in highway construction zones, are available and can be installed by the end of the year. The remainder – temporary concrete or cable – can be in place by early 2011.
With the installation, the entire stretch of I-65 in Hart and LaRue counties will be protected by cable or temporary concrete barrier.
Currently, I-65 between the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway and Elizabethtown has 18 miles of cable barrier and 11.6 miles of temporary concrete barrier. But it also is the only remaining four-lane section of I-65 in Kentucky and has been the site of several deadly crashes.
In March, a crossover collision involving a tractor-trailer and van near Munfordville killed 11 people.
The Governor said the tragedies underscore the importance of the state’s push to widen the highway. “While temporary barriers provide an additional safeguard, they are not the ultimate solution,” Gov. Beshear said. “I am committed to working with our legislative and community leaders to make sure that completing the widening of I-65 remains a priority.”
The process of widening the four-lane section is under way in various stages in Barren, Edmonson and Hart counties. A construction contract for a 4.5-mile section in Edmonson County between the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway and the KY 255 interchange at Park City could be awarded this fall. Widening typically includes construction of a permanent concrete median barrier wall.
“This is one of the busiest highways in the state, and by including language in this year’s transportation budget bill encouraging the cabinet to be as forward-leaning as possible with the new median barriers, it is my hope that the many travelers who drive I-65 will do so in a safer manner,” Sen. Carroll Gibson, of Leitchfield, said.
“Our hope is that the additional median barriers will help prevent more tragedy along I-65 until we can get six lanes built,” Rep. Dottie Sims, of Horse Cave, said.
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