Murray, Ky.–A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans a work zone traffic shift along the U.S. 641 reconstruction corridor at the south edge of Murray in Calloway County beginning late today.
This work zone along U.S. 641 runs from the intersection with U.S. 641-Business/Glendale Road at mile point 6.65 at the south edge of Murray extending southward to the Clarks River Bridge at mile point 5.683, a distance of just over 1 mile. This is the first phase of work aimed at reconstructing U.S. 641 from Murray to the Kentucky-Tennessee State Line near Hazel.
In recent weeks the contractor has placed base courses of asphalt along the newly constructed northbound lanes. Sometime between about 3 p.m., CDT, and 5 p.m., today, the contractor plans to establish 2-way traffic along a significant section of the new lanes. This will remove traffic from the existing section of roadway so it can reconstructed in coming months.
Motorists should use appropriate caution as flaggers and other personnel as they go about changing signage and moving barricades to facilitate this traffic shift. Motorists should be aware of changes in traffic flow that may be created by the new traffic configuration, such as a change in access points for side streets along the work zone.
The contractor anticipates maintaining two travel lanes throughout the 2-year construction process. Some intermittent periods of one lane traffic with alternating flow controlled by flaggers may be required from time to time.
The contractor and KYTC will attempt to provide timely updates as traffic configuration changes are required.
Jim Smith Contracting, LLC, is the prime contractor on this $6,097,432 highway improvement project. The target completion date on this first phase is December 1, 2020. This project is estimated to be 35 percent complete.
KYTC engineers and design staff continue working on plans for the widening of U.S. 641 from the Clarks River Bridge southward to the Kentucky-Tennessee State Line at Hazel. That 5-mile section is expected to be ready for bidding in the fall of 2020 with construction to take about two years to complete.
Timely traffic advisories and alerts are available for Kentucky’s 12 westernmost counties at www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict1. You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.