Months-long shut down of Henderson Co. highway set to begin March 2

HENDERSON CO., KY (WFIE) -

A months-long shut down of a busy Henderson County road is about to get underway.

A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to start an extended closure of KY 351/Zion Road at the 5 mile marker on Monday, March 2.

Officials say replacement of the curves between mile point 4.7 and mile point 5.3 has been planned since 2009. The curves had a high crash rate going back to 1993.

The KYTC says traffic engineers requested a safety project for the area as early as 2002. At that time additional signage was added to alert motorists to the curves with a reduced advisory speed.

Following three crashes that included one fatality in August 2009, county officials requested a highway safety audit of the area.

The detailed safety review prompted traffic engineers to make a number of specific recommendations, including addition of signage with flashing LED light enhancement, pavement edge lines, extending a 45 mph speed limit through Graham Hill, and cutting several trees to improve sight-distance for drivers.

While those changes lowered the crash rate on the curves, engineers continued efforts to gain funding to allow an extensive realignment of the roadway.

Once the road closes, it is expected to remain closed until sometime in July.

KYTC engineers provided early notice of the project to allow emergency agencies and Henderson County Schools to plan for the closure. School officials have made arrangements to temporarily change bus travel routes.

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Months-long shut down of Henderson Co. highway set to begin March 2