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During a recent meeting, the Harlan Fiscal Court approved extending a county road as well as assessing the needs of a small bridge.

Both the road and bridge in question are in the Bledsoe community.

Magistrate Clark “Sparky” Middleton brought up the matter when Harlan County Judge-Executive Dan Mosley asked if there were any roads and bridges in the county needing attention.

“I’ve got a road and a bridge,” Middleton said. “Ellis Cemetery Road. The bridge is over on Day Hollow Road.”

Mosley gave some specifics on Ellis Cemetery Road.

“Ellis Cemetery Road is currently 211 feet,” Mosley said. “That’s in Bledsoe. You’re proposing to extend it 500 additional feet?”

Middleton confirmed the extension proposal.

“What it is, when they go down in there…there’s nowhere to turn and they have to back out,” Middleton explained. “If we go on down, there’s a place where they can turn.”

Mosley asked if the road extension would cross anybody’s property. Middleton advised all the property in question has one owner.

Middleton then made a motion to extend Ellis Cemetery Road 500 additional feet, extending the road from 211 feet to 711 feet. Magistrate Jim Roddy seconded the motion. The court passed the motion with no objections.

The court then turned its attention to the bridge on Day Hollow Road.

“The baskets are collapsing,” Mosley explained. “Do you have an estimate on bridge length?”

Middleton said the bridge in question was approximately 15 feet in length.

Mosley advised the Harlan County Road Department would check the bridge.

“We’ll take a look at it,” Mosley said. “We’ll get it addressed and figure out if it’s more suitable to go back with tile and we can do that.”

In other Fiscal Court activity:

• The court accepted the Harlan County Sheriff’s Office official receipts for 2020 gas tax rebills;

• The court accepted official receipts for 2021 gas tax bills from the Harlan County Sheriff’s Office;

• The court accepted the Harlan County Sheriff’s Office official receipts for 2020 oil tax rebills;

• The court accepted official receipts for 2021 oil tax bills from the Harlan County Sheriff’s Office.