Mayfield, Ky.–The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and the Mayfield-Graves County Regional Emergency Operations Center are urging travelers to avoid downtown Mayfield for the remainder of the week.
KYTC crews are working wither area county road departments to clear all roadways of tornado debris. Crews have completed approximately 50 percent of their assigned task. However, traffic coming through the downtown area is hampering those efforts and delaying storm recovery efforts.
Transportation crews will be working along the southbound lanes of U.S. 45/ 8th Street between James Street and KY 80/Broadway on Tuesday, December 14, 2021. Crews will be clearing this section of U.S. 45 north of the downtown area.
Traffic will be required to detour via side streets creating additional opportunity for gridlock in the downtown area.
Once this section of U.S. 45 is completed, crews will be continuing efforts to clear adjacent streets in the downtown area through the week.
Due to heavy equipment and trucks involved in the road clearing process, only vehicles directly involved in recovery efforts should be on the road in downtown Mayfield.
The new KY 80 Mayfield South Bypass and the KY 121/Dick Castleman Bypass provide opportunities to avoid travel through downtown Mayfield. However, gridlock along those routes has hampered street-clearing efforts by slowing trucks hauling debris to dump sites.
As a reminder, these crews are clearing streets and sidewalk areas to facilitate additional clean-up and recovery efforts to come. This initial street clearing project will not include debris on private property.
Homeowners and businesses will be provided additional instructions at a later date on how to disposed of waste on private property once FEMA approved contractors arrive on site.
To get traffic advisories and alerts for KYTC District 1 counties via email please go to https://public.govdelivery.
Timely traffic advisories for the 12 counties of KYTC Highway District 1 are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict1