Traffic Advisory: Long-Term Impact to New Circle Road

DEM Blogger

December 2, 2014

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet launched a major construction project on New Circle Road last night. This project will affect New Circle from Versailles Road to Leestown Road until at least September 30, 2015. The work will include widening of the road, demolition and construction of bridges, and reconfiguration of the interchanges. Expect limited access and traffic backups throughout the project.

Some more key points from the Transportation Cabinet’s briefing:

• Speed limit will be reduced to 45 mph.
• New Circle will be limited to two lanes each direction. Barriers will be in place to allow work in the median. There will be no emergency lane.
• Drivers entering New Circle from Old Frankfort Pike must stop at the bottom of the ramp.
• The contractor is authorized to shut down New Circle for 20 minutes per day and 30 minutes per night.
• There will be blasting.
• Major utilities (gas mains, water lines, electrical lines) will be relocated.

The lack of an emergency lane means that any traffic accident in that area will shut down at least one lane of New Circle. If your usual commute takes you through the construction zone, you may want to make a habit of monitoring the Lexington Traffic Management Center’s web ticker and Twitter feed (@lexwrecks), or checking the Google Maps Traffic View for the area.