Federal funding passes first major hurdle
SOMERSET, KY -- U.S. Rep Harold "Hal" Rogers has requested $45 million in Community Project Funding to begin construction on the highly anticipated northern bypass in Pulaski County. Rogers made the announcement during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new KY 461 and KY 80 interchange project with the Kentucky Department of Transportation and local leaders.
"The interchange at KY 461 and KY 80 is a stamp of economic success and growth for southern and eastern Kentucky, but we're far from finished," said Congressman Rogers, Dean of the House. "We have another mountain before us to build the northern bypass in Pulaski County, and I was proud to request the federal funding on behalf of the Pulaski County Fiscal Court to begin the next phase of this greater vision, which will connect to the Cumberland Expressway."
Earlier this month, the House Appropriations Committee passed the $45 million Community Project Funding for the northern bypass, making it one step closer to becoming a reality.
"Southern Kentucky needs a four-lane highway that runs east to west, attracting new business and tourism dollars through the most beautiful parts of our state," said Congressman Rogers. "We are making significant progress towards that goal as we continue strategic planning across the federal, state and local levels."
State legislators have also included a $1 million study in the 6-year road plan to four-lane the Hal Rogers Parkway from London to Hazard. The study is slated to begin in 2024.
In 2021, Congressman Rogers also secured an $8 million earmark to help four-lane KY 461 in Rockcastle County from Highway 150 to I-75. Construction on that project is scheduled to begin in 2024.
For more information about Congressman Rogers' work in Washington and at home in Southern and Eastern Kentucky, visit halrogers.house.gov and follow him on social media.
