LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A long-awaited traffic study on a busy stretch of Bardstown Road from Fern Creek to the Bullitt County line could lead to funding for improvements.
The objective of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) study was to identify and develop concepts that might improve safety, reduce congestion, and improve multimodal transportation options along the route.
"There's a series of projects that will help improve Bardstown Road and alleviate some of that traffic jam," said Metro Councilman Kevin Bratcher, who represents the Fern Creek area.
The recommended projects included improvements like widening the roadway, adding new turn lanes along the stretch and potentially reworking the I-265 and Bardstown Road interchange.
According to that study, between 31,520 and 33,650 vehicles pass through the corridor every day. Officials estimate that the number of vehicles could increase to nearly 43,000 by 2045.
"It's a connector for everyone in Fern Creek, and then Mount Washington, Bardstown, Spencer County," said Bratcher. "It's a connector to Louisville from this region."
Dennis Simpson is caught in the middle of it all. Sometimes literally.
"You almost have to pick the times when you can leave," he said. "If you try and go out in the morning, you can't even get out on Bardstown Road."
Pictured: an aerial view of traffic on a busy stretch of Bardstown Road in Louisville, Ky. (WDRB image)
Simpson has lived in the Bardstown Woods subdivision, just off of the route, for nearly a quarter century. He said there have been lots of changes since he moved here that have brought along traffic.
"They just kept on building and building and building and expanding," Simpson said. "So, it's been a traffic nightmare."
The study is the first step in scoring federal and state funding for possible improvement projects for this busy stretch of road.
"Unless you can take the traffic off of Bardstown Road, it's not going to get any better," Simpson suggested.
Meanwhile, Metro Louisville is moving forward with plans to try and develop a new road that would stretch from Bardstown Road near Thixton Lane to the Beulah Church Road area. It would help divert some traffic to the west, avoiding the busy area near the I-264 interchange.
"This will alleviate some of the pressure on the gene Snyder Bardstown Road interchange and move it west," said Bratcher, noting that more land would need to be acquired before any construction could begin.
According to the study, the stretch of Bardstown Road had more than 1,000 traffic incidents from 2018 through 2023, nine of them were fatal.
You can see the full report here.
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