TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Blasting to Impact Traffic Near Russell Viaduct Project
Expect daily traffic stops on US 23, Ironton-Russell bridge
FLEMINGSBURG, Ky. (June 19, 2020) – Blasting will cause traffic stops on US 23 and the Ironton-Russell bridge beginning next week as contractors work to excavate a hillside for the new KY 244 Russell viaduct replacement project in Greenup County.
As weather permits each day after June 22, contractors expect to drill and blast rock alongside US 23 between the Ironton-Russell bridge and Kenwood Drive (KY 750) intersections.
Blast times will likely occur after noon each day, and will require flaggers to temporarily stop all traffic on nearby highways including US 23, the existing viaduct, and the Ironton-Russell bridge. While traffic stops will be brief, the highways are heavily traveled – as many as 20,000 vehicles a day use them – so motorists should seek alternate routes or prepare for lengthy delays.
Kenwood Drive (KY 750) also remains closed at the US 23 intersection. All traffic is detoured to KY 207 and KY 693 (Diedrich Boulevard), or other routes.
The $20.6 million Russell viaduct replacement project includes building a new KY 244 looping westward from US 23 to a new flyover bridge across US 23 and the railroad tracks on the river side to touch down where the old viaduct bridge connects to Bellefonte Street in downtown Russell.
This design was chosen because it not only replaces the old, deteriorating bridge but also improves area traffic flow by removing KY 244 from the now-congested intersection of US 23 and the Ironton-Russell bridge. When complete, both intersections on US 23 – the Ironton-Russell bridge and the new KY 244 – will be T-shaped intersections that will handle traffic flow more efficiently with less delay.
Construction will continue through 2021. To learn more, view flyover diagrams and get project updates, link to District 9's "Russell Viaduct Project" at https://transportation.ky.gov/DistrictNine or bookmark the web page at https://transportation.ky.gov/DistrictNine/Pages/RussellViaduct.aspx.
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