Future Improvements To Exit 58 Discussed Tuesday

CENTRAL CITY, KY- Officials with the Kentucky Transportation Department in Frankfort, the District 2 office in Madisonville, and contracted engineering firms, were in Central City Tuesday evening to discuss potential redesigns for Exit 58 on the Western Kentucky Parkway. Officials noted the redesign was crucial for the Parkway to be taken into the network of Interstate highways. The potential designation would be "Interstate 569" a spur of Interstate 69 running through Hopkins County currently.

Officials presented two potential redesigns at the meeting. The first design is what highway engineers call a "Diamond" interchange due to its shape similar to a diamond. This design, an overwhelming favorite by most attendees, is the "safest" design in that it does not retain any of the original "Clover Leaf" design that was built as part of a toll plaza in the 1960's. The current design is considered by many to be dangerous and obsolete due in part to the sharp curves and the lack of an acceleration lane & deceleration lane. The design, unchanged from the 1960's, was suitable when the toll plaza was below the bridge, but is now avoided by many trucking companies and neighboring industries. Below is the 1st Alternative presented Tuesday night.

Alternative 1. CREDIT: Kentucky Transportation Department

The second alternative for the redesign on Exit 58 includes retaining the two on-ramps from the current "Clover Leaf" design and creating an acceleration lane for both. This design would essentially create two new off-ramps and leave the current on-ramps in place. Officials with the City of Central City and Muhlenberg County expressed concerns regarding the second alternative. Many concerns centered around the existing on-ramps being left in place without any redesign. In essence, these ramps would not receive any redesigns retaining their original design without any improvement or widening. This has caused concern with industries looking at potential industrial sites in and around Central City in the past. These concerns were expressed to the state by city and county officials. Below is the 2nd Alternative.

Alternative 2. CREDIT: Kentucky Transportation Department

State officials also displayed the improvements to US 431 between US 62 and the Parkway that will happen in conjunction with the ramp improvements. US 431 will become a "three-lane" highway that will have north and south traffic split buy a turning lane similar to US 62 improvements in Central City that happened in 2021-22. This upgrade is designed to allow constant traffic flow while improving safety for left turns performed by vehicles traveling north into Central City. Below is a diagram showing the widening to US 431.

US 431 Improvements. CREDIT: Kentucky Transportation Department

Timeline for the project will likely shows construction for the entire project starting in 2028 with a target finish in 2029. Officials with the County, along with Kentucky State Representative Rebecca Raymer, assured everyone in attendance that this is the single most important project in the county currently. The priority has been shared in Frankfort as well. Officials also said funding for the project should proceed through the states budget without much opposition.

Timeline of the Exit 58 Project

Public input is crucial, state officials stated, to the process. They state has set up a website (www.improvingexit58.com) and placed a survey at the bottom of the page for citizens to fill out. Total time to fill it out is roughly 5 minutes. Officials said that input from the survey will be used as the process progresses out of its current state.