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During a recent meeting, the Harlan County Fiscal Court heard information on plans for rural and secondary state roads.

Harlan County Judge-Executive Dan Mosley called on Robert Perkins of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to update the magistrates on various roads scheduled for work through the Rural Secondary Road Program.

“The funding provided from the initial 2022-2023 distribution was $1,337,881,” Perkins said. “There was a balance from last year of $87,206. The total funds available are $1,427,087.”

According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinets website at the Office of Rural and Secondary Roads, the Rural Secondary Roads Program receives its funding through 22.2 percent of motor fuels tax revenue. The funds are used to maintain, construct and reconstruct rural and secondary roads throughout the state.

“The flex funds––these are the funds available to the county––is $133,788,” Perkins said. “The total amount minus the flex funds that the Transportation Cabinet will be using for resurfacing will be $752,224.”

Perkins advised the magistrates on the roads scheduled for maintenance include a section of KY-3461, KY-219 from mile point 0 to 2.4, and KY-72 from mile point 10.902 to 11.83, a section of KY-3448, and KY-510 from mile marker 0 to 2.9.

“I would like to mention that KY-3461 and KY-72, according to our records, it’s been 20 years since there’s been any significant paving on those,” Perkins said. “KY-219, it’s only been 12 years, but the pavement has deteriorated rapidly.”

Perkins informed the magistrates many roads are scheduled for repaving.

“These are the roads that will be resurfaced,” Perkins said. “KY-219 from 2.4 to 5.141, that’s the US-119 intersection of that route, and KY-1115, that’s the road that cuts by the hospital and Marathon (gas station) and goes out to the old Cawood high school, and KY-38 from mile marker 16.36 to 22.85.”

US-421 from the base of Pine Mountain is also scheduled for work.

“That’s a little bit more than just resurfacing. It’s also drainage repair and one slide repair will be addressed,” Perkins said. “It’s on the US 119 side going up towards Bledsoe.”

Magistrate Bill Moore inquired about a guardrail issue in his district.

“We’ve got several areas on KY 38 where the guardrail has been torn down,” Moore said. “They’ve never been put back up. Do you have a projected date on those?”

No start date is currently available for the guardrail repairs, Perkins said.

“It’s something that we’ve been working on,” Perkins said. “The situation we’re in is the vendor that has the master agreement for guardrail––they do a lot of work––we’ve actually got delivery orders in place and waiting on them to schedule us,” Perkins mentioned there are some sections of KY 38 that did not undergo repairs last year.

“Those are on the list,” Perkins advised. “There is a crew coming into Happy Top today to start drilling…they will progress from there to KY 38 and finish up those sites. There are also some drainage repairs…and there’s still a lot of patching that we’ve got to do up that way also.”

Magistrate Paul Browning mentioned there are a few areas in the Benham and Lynch area as well as the Cumberland side of Slope Hollow, which are in need of attention.

“We do have repairs scheduled for KY-179,” Perkins said. “Those areas have not been patched and there’s still some guardrail work to be done. You mentioned KY 160…I’m not sure it will make it this year, but we’re pushing to get the remainder of that done from the bottom of the mountain toward the Benham/Lynch area.”

Mosley mentioned that the funding from the Rural Secondary Roads Program and other funding would allow for approximately $5.4 million worth of work on Harlan County roads.

“We’re certainly appreciative of that,” Mosley said.” We also do recognize that you all deal with the same things that we deal with. Your cost of asphalt has increased just like ours has…the funding mechanism as it relates to fixing roads isn’t adequate for the mileage we all have to do. We appreciate what you all do with the resources that you have.”

The magistrates voted unanimously to accept the Rural/Secondary Road Program report.