PADUCAH, KY (NewsFirst) – A reconstructed section of state Route 1286/North Friendship Road between U.S. Highway 45 and U.S. Highway 62 in McCracken County has reopened – 13 months ahead of schedule, according to a press release from Governor Andy Beshear’s office.
“Opening up the new and improved North Friendship Road to traffic a year earlier than expected is welcome news for the Kentuckians who rely on the roadway to get to work, home, and school. Families will enjoy a safer, more efficient ride and a new multi-use trail for walking that improves connectivity in McCracken County,” Gov. Beshear said.
The target completion date for Phase I was Nov. 30, 2024. This phase is the first step to an improved roadway that will eventually provide a new connection to U.S. Highway 60 near McCracken County High School. KY 1286/North Friendship Road has been closed to through traffic since May 30 to allow for the reconstruction, which in addition to a multi-use trail includes realignment of curves and the addition of a center turn lane.
The roadway normally carries about 12,000 vehicles a day. Future plans include extending KY 1286 to create a new connection with U.S. 60 near the Menards store, west of the Kentucky Oaks Mall retail area.
Closure of the roadway allowed Jim Smith Contracting of Grand Rivers to complete Phase I in a single construction season instead of two. The proposal to accelerate the project was an example of a “value engineering” collaboration between Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) engineers and employees of the contractor.
“By closing North Friendship Road to all traffic during construction, workers that would normally be assigned to flagging traffic were able to work on the project,” said KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Kyle Poat. “Rather than disrupt traffic over two construction seasons, we were able to accelerate construction to cut the time it took for completion.”
