Major Newtown Pike widening project will get underway soon
A road construction project that will widen Newtown Pike from two lanes to three lanes between New Circle Road and Interstate 75 will soon get underway.
Adding a third lane in each direction will improve traffic flow and safety along the corridor, which carries an estimated 44,000 vehicles a day, according to a news release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The cabinet said 18% of that traffic is trucks, and more capacity is needed to accommodate the estimated 70,500 vehicles that will travel Newtown Pike by 2030.
Signage for the $22.1 million project will be posted within the next few weeks, said Natasha Lacy, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Cabinet’s District 7.
Construction is expected to be finished by August 2025, according to the release. L-M Asphalt Partners was awarded the contract for the project.
The Transportation Cabinet said details about lane closures and other traffic impacts will be shared with the public as information becomes available and the work progresses.
As part of the project, the release stated, “the Legacy Trail will be rerouted underneath Newtown Pike/KY 922. The underpass will be approximately 350 feet south of the intersection with Citation Boulevard..”
“Select locations” will get trail improvements and new sidewalks, according to the release. The cabinet said most of the raised medians along Newtown Pike will stay as they are.
The north side of Lexington is getting several major road construction projects at once.
Last month, the Transportation Cabinet announced plans to add a double crossover diamond interchange on Leestown Road at New Circle Road and to widen New Circle between Leestown and Georgetown roads.
Construction on a $48 million project to widen I-75 and Interstate 64 between Paris Pike and Newtown Pike began in fall 2022, according to the cabinet’s website.
