Work to repair Kentucky 3056 in Maysville is underway and “in full swing,” Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokesperson Allen Blair said Friday.

January marked a year since a portion of the road was originally closed to traffic after a rock slide blocked the roadway. The Kentucky Department of Highways District 9 immediately closed the highway for cleanup and damage assessment.

“It was just too dangerous to leave the roadway open. We immediately began fast-tracking a project that would mitigate the slide and reopen the road,” Blair said previously.

The closure was met with frustration by local officials and by residents who used the road daily and by police and firefighters who were concerned taking an alternate route and adding time to response during an emergency could be a public safety issue.

Blair said crews are currently moving rocks and earth on the project.

“It’s primarily an excavation project, with work concentrated on cutting “benches” into the hillside by removing loose rock and dirt that was threatening to fall into the roadway from the steep hillside and cliffs,” Blair said Friday,

He said he has been in contact with project engineers and at the present time, the excavation work is over halfway finished.

“We hope to complete excavation and repair the roadway for re-opening in early spring,” Blair said,

Once complete, Kentucky 3056 past the rock slide area will look like the cut areas on U.S. 68 with hillside stair steps, Blair explained.

“This will help prevent any future slips by getting rid of loose material that might fall. And, it further protects the roadway by creating flat bench areas where debris can fall without rolling into the roadway,” he said.

Officials with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet hope to remove the barricades blocking Kentucky 3056 this spring after repairs are made.
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/web1_barricades.jpgOfficials with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet hope to remove the barricades blocking Kentucky 3056 this spring after repairs are made.

Mary Ann Kearns

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