FRANKFORT, Ky. (WDRB) – Kentucky transportation officials plan to have at least two Real ID offices in Louisville, including one in southwestern Jefferson County and a more centrally located site.
There is still no date for those centers to start processing applications for the new driver’s licenses ahead of October 1, when the state’s existing credentials won’t be accepted for air travel in the U.S.
But Sarah Jackson, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s project manager, told lawmakers that she expects most, “if not all,” of the first 12 to 14 offices across the state to open by late spring.
Speaking to reporters, Jackson said a mix of privately-owned and existing government space is under consideration in Jefferson County. One office is likely to be in southwestern Louisville on Dixie Highway, while the other will be in “central Louisville.”
“We understand the demand there,” she said. “We want it to be right.”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s Transportation Cabinet has proposed spending nearly $35 million in the next two years on Real ID, which had been the responsibility of individual county circuit court clerks until last September.
Following a series of frustrating pilot programs, the cabinet abandoned that plan and took responsibility of taking applications across the state. Rather than apply in their home counties, Kentuckians now must visit a regional office.
Thus far, offices have opened in Frankfort, Bowling Green, Paducah and Somerset. Jackson said three to four new offices, including in Lexington, are “on the cusp” of starting up.
State officials are encouraging anyone who wants a Real ID to apply at the Frankfort office, 200 Mero Street. Faced with lines up to an hour in Frankfort, Jackson said that location plans to expand from six to 10 terminals this week.
Not all Kentuckians need a Real ID. A current driver's license still will work after October 1, even though it won't allow its holder to board an airplane or enter certain federal facilities, such as military installations. A passport or military ID will grant access, however.
To get a Real ID, people will need to bring a series of documents to prove their identity and address, including one primary proof of identity, such as an original or certified birth certificate or passport; one document confirming a social security number, such as an unlaminated social security card or W-2 wage statement from the current year; and two proofs of residence. A property tax bill, utility statement or lease agreement will suffice.
The Transportation Cabinet encourages people to go to https://drive.ky.gov/confidentKY/Pages/IDocument-Guide.aspx and take a document quiz.
The Real ID rollout is one of the first major challenges for new Transportation Secretary Jim Gray. He told the House budget review subcommittee on transportation that the driver’s license program is “something that we have to execute on.”
“We’ve got a deadline, and we are packing what amounts to a three-year project into 11 months,” he said. “And yes there’s going to be turbulence.”
Reach reporter Marcus Green at 502-585-0825, mgreen@wdrb.com, on Twitter or on Facebook. Copyright 2020 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
