ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) -- An expansive project to reimagine a busy stretch of 31W in Elizabethtown will begin this weekend with construction.
The project, first announced in the fall, will revamp a 3-mile section from South Wilson Road to St. John Road over the course of about two years.
The first phase of the project will be from South Wilson Road to Ring Road.
"There is certainly going to be rehabilitation of the pavement," KYTC spokesperson Chris Jessie said. "The center median will come out, the lane configuration will change just a little bit, and then some of the entrances will be cleaned up."
Accidents and collisions in the corridor have long been an issue. According to KYTC, between 2013-17, there are 2,248 wrecks in the area.
A project map with phases.
"For lack of a better term, there's a lot of free for all with the way the road is designed right now with the median," Jessie said.
Engineers have redesigned the median using "Reduced Conflict U-Turn type intersections." Additional information about the redesign can be found here.
Because of the nature of the changes, lane closures will be likely throughout the duration of the project. Just two lanes of traffic will be open in each direction starting Sunday. At night, traffic may be reduced to one lane in each direction.
"Things are going to change and evolve as we go through the project," Jessie said. "Lane configurations are going to shift a little bit."
The project will cost $13.54 million.
Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
