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By John Henson
Staff Writer

Following a game plan reminiscent of Johnny Cash’s “One Piece at a Time” country music hit of the 1970s, the 1.5 mile-section of U.S. 421 at the state line near Cranks is currently under construction, which will leave only 1.8 miles to hook up with the construction that was already completed from near Cranks to Grays Knob.
State Sen. Scott Madon said last week that he had requested information from the state transportation department on the cost of completing the last section of the road.
“I got the number back on that project today — $18 million,” Madon said Friday. “I am requesting that it be put in the road plan.”
“It’s great to see the 421 project re-started after nearly two decades of no movement. The construction is underway and building a new section of highway to bypass the dangerous Cranks mountain. This will improve the highway from a safety, tourism and economic perspective,” said Harlan County Judge-Executive Dan Mosley. “Now we must focus on securing funding to finish the remaining section from the bottom of the mountain to Barn Branch where the original construction ended. I know our legislative leaders — Senator Madon, Rep. (Adam) Bowling, and Rep. (Mitch) Whitaker — will work diligently to see this through. I so appreciate Rep. Bowling, former Senator Johnnie Turner and Governor Beshear for working collaboratively to get this project re-started.”
Transportation Cabinet District 11 Chief District Engineer Chris Jones said in 2023 that only half of the remaining 3.3 miles of the project has been funded to that point, apparently due to increasing costs that made the money allocated not sufficient to complete the road.
“The only project currently listed in the current highway plan for this specific area is on U.S. 421 from mile point 1.5 to the Virginia state line,” he said. “We have asked the interested parties to evaluate the entire 3.3-mile section back to the terminus of the previous widening and make recommendations depending on the current available funding.  We will continue to evaluate projects through our Strategic Highway Investment Formula for Tomorrow (SHIFT) program for the upcoming highway plan in 2024 working with the governor and legislators to determine additional projects.”
The cost of the work increased after funding was approved, leaving only enough money to complete 1.5 miles to eliminate the dangerous curve near the state line. One person with experience in road projects warned that if the work isn’t completed now, meaning the final 1.8 miles to connect with the previous construction, it may never be finished.
“If we don’t get it now we will never get it,” he said. “The contractor is on site, and it costs thousands of dollars to move equipment. It’s a design build and the designers already are under contract. It you come back in three years, you have to hire a new design company.”
The 13-mile U.S. 421 expansion from Grays Knob to the Virginia line began in 1999 and stopped three miles short of its completion in 2004. Gov. Andy Beshear promised to complete the remaining three miles of the project when he was campaigning for office in 2019.
Mosley said he had also talked to Virginia officials about extending the road to Pennington Gap.
“I have met with and had conversations with Delegate Terry Kilgore from Gate City, Va., who represents Lee County,Va., about securing funding to address the Virginia side on in to Pennington Gap. He understands the importance of this stretch of roadway for the safety and economic benefit of the citizens and those who visit southwest Virginia and southeast Kentucky,” he said. “It’s my hope that he will be able to secure resources to address the section on the other side of the Kentucky line. They’ve said in Virginia for years that they’ve been waiting for Kentucky to finish their section before they address their side. That time has now come.”