LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Drivers in Shepherdsville know the frustration well — sitting in traffic on Highway 44 while horns blare and nothing moves.
"It doesn't matter how loud your horn is if nobody is moving," one driver said while inching through traffic near downtown.
City leaders hope relief is coming when a new road project opens at the end of May, but many residents believe it will only provide temporary help for a much larger issue tied to rapid growth in Bullitt County.
For many drivers, even short trips can become lengthy delays. The delays are caused in part by the closure of the Bells Mill Road bridge project, which has closed the road for close to seven months.
"How long is it going to take you to get to the interstate? Probably about 20 minutes," Harold Jewel replied when asked about his drive across town. "That’s what, a half mile, a quarter mile."
At another point along Highway 44, traffic had barely moved after ten minutes.
State Road 44, also known as East 4th Street in Shepherdsville, serves as the main route through town. Whether drivers are heading north, south, east or west, most eventually funnel onto the same crowded roadway.
The city has limited ability to manage traffic on state-owned roads, but the Mayor of Shepherdsville Jose Cubero is prepared to take information to Frankfort
Cubero held a community meeting to gather input from drivers and help explain some of the limits of managing traffic, "We put options out there. We want to get feedback from all of them," said Cubero.
"That's going to help us decide what what plan we're going to take to Frankfort. We've contacted our state legislators, our state senator, and they know we're going to come up there to make a we are in a fast top five fastest growing counties."
One major obstacle is geography itself. The Salt River cuts along the south side of town, limiting the number of crossings available to drivers. Outside of Interstate 65, there is only one road crossing the river.
"There’s no getting over Salt River," driver Glynn Barbee said. "There’s no getting around any traffic because there’s no other alternate routes. The roads don’t go anywhere off 44."
Now city leaders are asking residents for feedback as they consider long-term transportation improvements.
"We put options out there. We want to get feedback from all of them," Cubero said. "That’s going to help us decide what plan we’re going to take to Frankfort."
Proposals being discussed include new bypass routes designed to ease congestion and more sidewalks to improve pedestrian access throughout the city.
"We don't have sidewalks. So we felt like that's part of the that's got to be part of the initial plan. When you talk about infrastructure, don't forget those, because the people do want to be connected by to be able to walk around this town."
Cubero said "So we believe that between some of these options, some of it is funding that we would actually get from the state, but we have to have that partnership to know that what’s good for Shepherdsville is good for Bullitt County and is good for Kentucky."
But solving the traffic problem will require more than planning. Large transportation projects need funding, approval from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and years of construction.
"Our growth is substantial," Cubero said. "And we know that we're in the eighth largest, eighth or ninth largest county, eighth or ninth wealthiest county. Yet we don’t have the infrastructure to reflect that.”
Traffic backups continue to stretch through Shepherdsville as officials look for long-term solutions.
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