Staff Report

Rep. Rick Nelson has announced a $1.8 million resurfacing project for a section of U.S. 119 in Bell County.

The resurfacing will cover U.S. 119 from Blackmont Bridge to the Industrial Park Bridge. The project, from mile point 7.7 to 13.8, will cover 6.17 miles. The road work will include full shoulder rehabilitation.

The project has been awarded to Hinkle Contracting, which is expected to finish work by Nov. 15.

“We’ve been working to get this section of 119 resurfaced for the past couple years,” said Nelson. “We’re glad this is one of the projects selected to be completed this year.”

Earlier in the year, there were more paving projects that occurred throughout the county. One project focused on microsurfacing 3.3 miles of the northbound lane of U.S. 25E between the 2.8 and 6.2 mile markers.

Microsurfacing is a new process that seals and protects highway paving. Part of the southbound lane was done last year. This $285,000 project was handled by Temple and Temple paving.

A second improvement project was on KY 190 from U.S. 25E to the junction of KY 1491. This 4-mile project was handled by Hinkle Contracting at a cost of $345,000.

The final project that occurred during the summer, the biggest of the three, started at the junction of U.S. 25E and KY 66, and goes on KY 66 for 9.4 miles. The $1.14 million resurfacing project, which includes the repair of two railroad crossings on KY 66, was done by Hinkle Contracting.