Traffic Advisory: Steel Work Continues on Russell Viaduct Project in Greenup County
Traffic impacts on KY 244 will vary over next two weeks
FLEMINGSBURG, Ky. (Feb. 8, 2021) – Traffic impacts will vary over the next two weeks near downtown Russell as steel work continues on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's KY 244 viaduct replacement project in Greenup County.
This week, Thursday and Friday, Feb. 11-12, steelworkers will offload and place girders on bridge piers adjacent to the existing KY 244 (Bellefonte Street) viaduct. The work will require lane closures with flagged traffic or temporary traffic stops on KY 244 several times a day between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Next week, steel work and traffic impacts will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 16, with the same periods of flagged and stopped traffic.
Contractors will coordinate daily traffic changes, and when necessary flaggers will be positioned on KY 244 in Russell and at the US 23/KY 244/Ironton-Russell bridge intersection to direct traffic.
Because significant delays are possible on the heavily-traveled highways – as many as 20,000 vehicles a day use them – motorists are advised to seek alternate routes when possible into and out of downtown Russell during construction times. Work dates and traffic impacts could change depending upon weather.
Motorists should note that the current construction work zone also includes US 23 between the Ironton-Russell bridge and the downtown Russell underpass, mile markers 2 to 3. A right lane is closed on southbound US 23; and Kenwood Drive (KY 750) is closed at the US 23 intersection.
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.
Construction will continue through this summer. 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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