Construction at Elizabethtown intersection expected to ease congestion when completed

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) -- Traffic has been backed up every morning and afternoon at a busy Elizabethtown intersection, and ongoing construction to fix the problem is temporarily making it worse.

At Patriot Parkway and Ring Road, traffic backups are worse than ever, with drivers sometimes unable to move forward once the traffic signal turns green.

"At peak times, it takes maybe a cycle or two to get through that signal at times," explained Chris Jessie, public spokesperson for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

KYTC's project includes excavation of the median in the existing left turn lane areas from Patriot Parkway onto Ring Road and paving them back to create the second turn lane.

The construction is reducing lane widths in the area and changing traffic patterns. The project aims to alleviate a traffic headache and allow more flow at the intersection.

"It’s going to flush that signal through much more efficiently than the setup has previously been," Jesse said. "And it will get people out of that driving lane because that’s where a lot of the rear-ends happen."

Chris Denham, with the Elizabethtown Police Department, said there is a lot of traffic at that intersection.

"It's definitely one of our higher volume traffic areas," Denham said. "It's a direct connector between Elizabethtown and the Fort Knox community."

According to KYTC data, nearly 75,000 cars pass through the intersection daily. Over the last five years, of the approximately 140 collisions there, more than half of them were rear-end crashes.

Officials said crashes happen when there's no longer room for vehicles in the turning lanes.

"Any relief or assistance that the traffic can receive in that manner is very important and would be very beneficial for the motorists," Denham said.

“The single lane will basically back up into where people wanting to turn left are still in the main line of traffic," Jessie added. "Their rear end is still suck out in the road so to speak.”

Police and the road department are asking for patience as crews work to alleviate this traffic headache.

“While it’s an inconvenience right now, we know there are some backups at peak times with some of the traffic conditions out there, but ultimately that’s going to be a much better situation when it’s all said and done,” said Jessie.

The project is expected to be completed in October.