Officials from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet district office in Bowling Green shed some light on regional road construction following the 2006 General Assembly.

Regional recommendations at the legislative session seem to have been heeded, said Keirsten Jaggers, the district office’s public information officer.

A major crash in the past week on Interstate 65 southbound between Greenwood and the Natcher Parkway interchanges underscores the need to continue widening roads and installing new technologies, Jaggers said.

Cameras on the road allowed the cabinet to monitor the situation, which stalled traffic for about 10 hours.

Sen. Brett Guthrie, R-Bowling Green – the state’s transportation chairman – said six-laning Interstate 65 to the Tennessee border will continue for another two years. The section being constructed should cost about $31 million, according to the cabinet.

Jaggers and Jeff Moore, the district office’s planning branch manager, layered Guthrie’s major-project overview for the region with financial figures and details.

Moore said I-65 is by far the biggest regional project in &#8220scope, expense and impact,” as it will accommodate roughly 50,000 vehicles that traverse the nation’s fourth busiest north-south highway daily.

Reconstruction of Ky. 163 in Monroe County is significant to Interstate 65 traffic, as it provides a link to Interstate 40 in Tennessee between Nashville and Knoxville, which is a well-worn path, he said.

&#8220Instead of having to go through Nashville and up to I-65, it will give (commuters) an alternative route,” Moore said.

This summer, Guthrie said, Veterans Memorial Lane will be four-laned from Russellville Road past Wal-Mart on Morgantown Road. The entire road will eventually be four lanes, with additional turning lanes where necessary.

The Veterans Memorial project will be done in two continuous segments – Russellville Road to Morgantown Road and Morgantown Road to Barren River Road, Moore said.

This new &#8220design-build” approach meets pressing needs, he said. The first segment is projected to cost $4.3 million and the second should require $7 million.

&#8220Instead of having to go through different phases, it’ll be like a cradle-to-the-grave thing where the contractor will carry it from design to when it opens,” Moore said.

In November, extension of the Natcher Parkway to Scottsville Road commences, Guthrie said. This is expected to cost $30 million, according to the cabinet.

November also marks major improvements to Three Springs Road from Scottsville Road past Flealand. Lovers Lane will also be five-laned from Scottsville Road to Cemetery Road, he said.

About $8.3 million for Three Springs Road and $10 million for Lovers Lane, according to the cabinet.

Lovers Lane will &#8220look like a mirror image of Campbell Lane” when finished, replete with new curbs and sidewalks, Moore said.

In north Warren County, Ky. 101 will be straightened, offering a direct route to I-65 for commuters coming from Edmonson County, Guthrie said. About $10.5 million is devoted for this, according to the cabinet.

A segment in Brownsville will have three lanes, gutters and sidewalks, at a price tag of about $4.1 million, Jaggers said, and about $7.2 million is needed to modify another segment through Chalybeate. The Ky. 259 corridor, which runs from the Green River northward to the Kyrock community, will improve access for Edmonson, especially to I-65.

Until these improvements to Ky. 101 and Ky. 259, it’s been at least 30 years since Edmonson’s last major project, Moore said.

In Simpson County, Guthrie said, Ky. 100 will be widened at exit 6 to ease existing congestion. This also paves the way for Camping World founder David Garvin’s pending RV outlet with anticipated tourist attractions. This widening calls for $16.2 million, according to the cabinet.

Moore said completion of the Glasgow outer loop and the southern Russellville bypass is also in the works. The cabinet has budgeted $43.5 million for the loop and $6.5 million for the bypass.

Russellville’s long-awaited bypass project will relieve truck traffic on U.S. 68, along with traffic from southern highways U.S. 79 from Clarksville, Tenn., and U.S. 431. Glasgow’s outer loop should have a similar effect. The projects will be built off the road, so traffic flow isn’t impeded, he said.

&#8220It helps clean up the congestion in the heart of cities,” Moore said.

Finally, Allen County will see another lane added to Ky. 100, also known as Gallatin Road, to deal with safety concerns, he said. About $360,000 is needed for this.

Guthrie said he yearns for the time when these projects move past the authorization stage.

Needs must be addressed statewide – not just in the south – to ensure suburban areas don’t lose economic development opportunities. To that end, Interstate 75 between Lexington and northern Kentucky will soon become six lanes, and the interchange between Interstate 64 in Shelbyville and the Snyder Freeway will be cleaned up, he said.

Guthrie said the state’s transportation secretary, Bill Nighbert, backed a lot of regional projects.

&#8220Southcentral Kentucky is a major economic force,” Guthrie said. &#8220It’s growing and producing a lot of revenue for the state.”

Jaggers emphasized the fluid nature of state plans, but said there is a comprehensive strategy to alleviate stress on major thoroughfares.

&#8220The six-year plan is kind of a living document,” she said.

The cabinet gathers grassroots information from an assortment of leaders in each county to maintain the plan, which runs from 2007 to 2012 and takes effect in July, Moore said.

The plan calls for more efficient traffic technology. Roughly $2.38 million has been set aside for three permanent &#8220Intelligent Transportation Displays” along I-65 from the state line to north of Bowling Green, Moore said.

Inclement weather warnings and travel information can be posted on the large signs, which are similar to ones found in Louisville, Jaggers said.

Above all, commuters need to exercise patience as the state upgrades infrastructure, she said.

&#8220They need to be diligent and cautious in work zones,” Jaggers said, as four out of five construction zone casualties are travelers, not workers.

– For more information on the six-year road plan, visit http://www.transportation.ky.gov.