City of Bowling Green Public Works
The second phase of Smallhouse Road, which includes widening to 3 lanes from Highland Way to Ridgecrest Way as well as an 8 foot multi-use path on one side of the roadway, is complete and open to traffic. Funding for a third phase has been approved and will address capacity issues at the intersection with Scottsville Road as well as continue construction of the multi-use path from Scottsville Road to the end of phase two where it was recently terminated. Design for phase three will begin this summer.
The City’s Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Paving contract that began last fall and included paving approximately 18 miles of city streets is wrapping up. City staff is currently identifying needs for the Fiscal Year 2020 contract. As always, the contract will include various roadway repairs and upgrades to numerous sidewalk handicap ramps in addition to street paving.
The design is complete for a new traffic signal at the intersection of Dishman Lane and Industrial Drive. The installation will help improve traffic congestion and safety at this location as well as address pedestrian crossing needs. Construction will begin this summer once all equipment has been ordered and delivered.
Construction is underway for improvements to and around the Downtown Fountain Square. Improvements include safety upgrades to pedestrian movement adjacent to the square as well as lighting and aesthetic improvements to sidewalks, landscape and alley ways near Downtown. Work will continue through the fall to complete other improvements nearer the square with respect to traffic flow.
The City is committed to providing a walkable community and therefore the City allocates funds to build new sidewalk in areas that show a need. Each fiscal year, the Bowling Green City Commission assigns approximately $500,000 to the City’s Sidewalk Construction Program, with the purpose of identifying locations and constructing sidewalks in areas where none currently exist. Construction will begin this summer on new sidewalks on sections of Park Street, Kenton Street, Magnolia Street, North Lee Drive, Sandra Street, and Potter Avenue. Once complete, these six locations combined will add approximately 6,500 feet to the City’s sidewalk network.
The Public Works Department continues to work with the City’s Neighborhood & Community Services Department to provide better pedestrian connections through Census Tract 112 in the west end of Bowling Green. Some of these improvements are wrapping up along portions of: North Lee Drive, Crewdson Drive, North Sunrise Drive, Woodway Street, Cove Drive, and Old Barren River Road. This sidewalk project coincides with a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant awarded to the City in conjunction with the (former) Greenways Commission. Design is underway for various improvements on the West End that focus on safe pedestrian and bicycle routes. The project(s) will provide connections between existing downtown greenway facilities, key destinations in the West End, and will ultimately improve problematic intersection crossings. Additionally, construction will begin this summer to add roughly half a mile of pedestrian paths within Pedigo Park in the West End.
The design for the Shive Lane Widening and Roundabout project is complete and the construction contract is out to bid. The goal of this project is to improve traffic and pedestrian safety by adding a center turn lane to Shive Lane between Scottsville Road and Ken Bale Boulevard. Additionally, construction of a single lane roundabout is proposed at the intersection with Ken Bale Boulevard to reduce morning and afternoon peak delays. A five foot wide sidewalk is also proposed along the north side of Shive Lane for the entire length of the project. Construction is expected to start later this summer.
With the recent success of the roundabout at University Boulevard and US 31W Bypass, City staff have evaluated locations where traffic flow could be improved with the installation of small roundabouts in residential areas at the intersections of Parkside Drive / Cove Drive, N. Sunrise Drive / Woodway Street / Cove Drive, and Crossings Boulevard / Chasefield Avenue. Given the constraints at these locations, it is anticipated these roundabouts will incorporate mountable splitter and central islands in order to accommodate buses and large trucks. Design is complete and construction is expected to begin later this summer as well.
In October 2018, the Bowling Green City Commission and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet entered into a Memorandum of Agreement for KYTC to fund, on a reimbursement basis, the design, right-of-way acquisition, and utility relocation for a portion of the originally planned Southwest Parkway and an associated connector roadway that will tie to Kobe Way in the Southcentral Kentucky Industrial Park. The major goals of this project are to promote economic development and improve traffic flow within the industrial park. American Engineers was recently awarded the design contract for this project and they are currently performing preliminary survey and design activities. Roadway design, property acquisition, and utility relocation are anticipated to take most of 2019 to complete. Construction is currently expected to begin in late 2019.