Options for Four-Laning U.S. 641 Draw Audience
By Shelley Byrne, The Paducah Sun, Ky.
Dec. 5–FREDONIA, Ky. — — About 100 people viewed maps and gave feedback to Kentucky Department of Highways planners Tuesday about plans for a four-lane U.S. 641 between Marion and Eddyville.
Tuesday’s meeting at the Fredonia Lions Club focused on the section connecting Eddyville and Fredonia. The six-year road plan calls for right of way to be purchased in 2010, with utility work in 2011. Construction is not scheduled.
Planners presented four routes for the section closest to Eddyville, two for the one nearest Fredonia.
All the plans call for the highway to cross the existing two-lane U.S. 641 between Fredonia and the Caldwell-Crittenden line, then come around the west side of Fredonia and follow close to the existing route to within a few miles of Eddyville before connecting with U.S. 62 near the West Kentucky Parkway’s Exit 4.
The Marion to Fredonia section is estimated to cost $39 million, and the Fredonia to Eddyville section is expected to cost about $70 million, for a total of about $110 million for the 16-mile route, Kentucky Department of Highways spokesman Keith Todd said.
The road would pass near the Pennyrile WestPark industrial park.
None of the routes proposed would displace a business, said Tim Choate, transportation engineer branch manager for pre-construction. Roughly three homes are affected on each route, he said.
Several farmers said they preferred the easternmost of the four route alternatives near Eddyville because it is shorter, cheaper and most of it crosses property already owned by the Western Kentucky Correctional Complex.
The two routes that more closely follow the existing U.S. 641 would cut across several farms.
“It would kill us,” said Brent White as he pointed to a route labeled “Alternate 1″ that crossed his family’s Lyon County cattle farm. White said he would be unable to rotate cattle between pastures if the highway separated the land.
His neighbor, Terry Duncan, said the same route would cause problems for three farms in his family.
“It puts all the buildings on the front side, goes through my barns and leaves all the ground on the other side,” he said. It would also take his largest pond.
“I’ve worked and struggled paying the mortgage for 19 years,” he said. “I’ve got one more payment and now … it’s basically worthless that way.”
Highway planners have no preferred route, Choate said.
Anyone who wishes to comment on the proposed routes may drop by the Department of Highways office in Reidland before Dec. 19.
Shelley Byrne can be contacted at 575-8667.
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