On Aug. 23, 2022, a bid was awarded for stabilizing and strengthening Panbowl Dam. The announcement was made by Gov. Andy Beshear at his weekly press conference on Aug. 25. The project was advertised for bids on July 27. Potential bidders attended a mandatory meeting at the District 10 office and the project location on Aug. 9. Bids were opened on Aug. 18 and the project was awarded five days later. Construction will begin in September and will be complete by June 1, 2023. Details on the announcement are available by clicking here.
After near-record flooding along the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Breathitt County in late February 2021 resulted in high water in Panbowl Lake, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet initiated engineering and hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) studies of the earthen embankments that make up not only the dams that impound Panbowl Lake, but serve as roadbeds for KY 15 and KY 1812 (Washington Avenue). KY 15 is a major north-south thoroughfare linking southeastern Kentucky with the central part of the state, and KY 1812 (Washington Avenue) provides the main access from KY 15 to downtown Jackson.
Those studies provided recommendations for short-term repairs to ensure the stability of the dams as well as long-term information that will be useful when KYTC begins a major widening project along KY 15 in the next few years.
KYTC held a virtual public meeting on Jan. 27 to discuss those findings to the public and to make known future plans for preservation of the dam. Information from the two studies was presented during the meeting.
Documentation regarding the project can be found at the following links:
Members of the public who have questions about the project may email KYTC.District10info@ky.gov or call (606) 666-8841 to speak with the project manager. Updates will be posted to KYTC District 10's Facebook and Twitter accounts using the hashtag #PanbowlDamProject.
