LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — People who live in North Lexington know what a headache the railroad bridge over North Broadway can be.
"A lot of times I wait until Sundays and go through there because the traffic more slower," said Lynn Flannery, who lives nearby.
Flannery said she doesn't have a car right now, so she has to walk under it to get to the store. There is no sidewalk, so pedestrians venture into the busy road to cross underneath.
"I'm always nervous when I walk down there. I'm always looking behind me, because you've got to watch the traffic through there," she said. "You've got to boot-scoot it. You've got to go fast through there before the traffic gets up there. We need a sidewalk down through here. All the way down past the bridge to New Circle Road."
Turns out, Flannery is going to get her wish. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg came to Lexington Thursday to announce three grants for projects here in Kentucky, including this project at the R.J. Corman railroad overpass. They'll use that money to replace the railroad bridge, widen the road, and include a sidewalk and bike lanes. They'll also extend a sidewalk on the east side of North Broadway so people can get through safely. They'll also make the bridge taller, so there's more clearance for trucks.
"This is a major arterial that has dealt with traffic snarls for years because of flooding or trucks actually stuck under the overpass," said Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton.
The project will also improve drainage beneath the bridge so North Broadway will no longer flood in heavy rain. According to the Active Highway Plan on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's website, construction is estimated to begin during the 2026 fiscal year.
Buttigieg also announced two other grants in Kentucky.
$21 million will go to Breathitt County to widen Kentucky 15 in the area of the Panbowl Dam. That project will also improve drainage to help protect from future floods in the area.
Bellevue will receive a $3.8 million grant to complete a twenty-mile multi-use path along the Ohio River that will improve pedestrian access.
