The proposed redesign of U.S. 127 between Jamestown and Russell Springs is currently in the environmental portion of the project’s first design phase.
Jeff Dick, Planning Section Supervisor with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s District 8 office, says residents along the corridor may have received letters advising them that personnel from Stantec could request access to their property.
The consultants will be looking for archaeological or historic resources that could be affected by construction. Dick says the review is required under federal guidelines and is intended to ensure that any significant sites or artifacts are identified and preserved.
The environmental process typically takes six to eight months. Transportation officials hope to complete the review by December and then advance the project into its second design phase.
Dick says construction could begin within the next 12 to 18 months.
However, some money earmarked for the project remains subject to approval by the Transportation Cabinet’s central office in Frankfort.
The current redesign extends from the Jamestown Bypass to the traffic light near Arby’s in Russell Springs. Dick says two previously proposed roundabouts have been removed from the plans, leaving ten along the corridor.
Dick says a future, separate project could potentially extend that path north of the U.S. 127 and KY 619 intersection to Northridge Shopping Center.
He expressed appreciation to State Representative Josh Branscum for helping secure funding for the U.S. 127 project in Kentucky’s biennial highway plan.
PROPOSED U.S. 127 REDESIGN: This preliminary Kentucky Transportation Cabinet rendering shows proposed improvements along U.S. 127 between the Jamestown Bypass and Russell Springs. The project remains in the design and environmental-review process, and elements of the plan remain subject to change. Courtesy: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 8.
U.S. 127 Russell Springs Improvement Project | KYTC