Work is scheduled to begin Monday, June 17, on a pavement rehabilitation project on a 3.21-mile section of the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway in eastern Powell County.
The work zone will extend from milepoint 32.787 (the east end of the bridge over KY 11 at Exit 33 at Slade) to milepoint 36 (the Wolfe County line) and includes Slade Hill, as well as the ramps from KY 11 to the eastbound Mountain Parkway and from the westbound Mountain Parkway to KY 11.
During the first phases of the project, drivers can expect intermittent lane and shoulder closures for base failure repairs and work along the median and shoulders. When work begins in earnest, both inside (left/passing) lanes will be closed first; then the closures will shift to the outside (right) lanes. All work is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 1, with no work to be done during the Independence Day holiday weekend (July 4-7). The ramps will remain open during the project.
A work zone speed limit of 55 mph will be in effect, with fines doubled when workers are present. Law enforcement has been contracted to patrol the area during the project.
While the road is reduced to one lane, drivers should watch for slow-moving trucks, particularly on the eastbound side as the Mountain Parkway ascends Slade Hill. Portable electronic message boards will be deployed to alert motorists to the possibility of slowed or stopped traffic.
Approximately 8,000 vehicles use this section of the Mountain Parkway each day, with 11 percent of those vehicles being trucks.