Clark County Road Department discusses paving operations

Driving around Clark County, one can see that much paving has been done.

While news is positive, growth continues.

Allan Curtis, Clark County Road Supervisor, recently spoke at both a Clark County Fiscal Court meeting and elsewhere regarding the subject.

“We’ve blacktopped about 45 miles of the 215 miles of road since January of [2019],” he said. “We’ve done almost a quarter of our road network in five years.”

Curtis mentioned that dealing with inquiries about the conditions of roadways is a part of the job.

“The number one question that we get…. at the Road Department [is], ‘When are you going to blacktop our road?’” he said. “A lot of people ask us about the methods [for] when their road gets paved, and I totally understand that.”

Presently, the KYTC – or Kentucky Transportation Cabinet – designates 12 districts.

Clark County is in District 7 – considered one of the busiest districts statewide – which also includes Scott, Bourbon, Montgomery, Fayette, Madison, Jessamine, Garrard, Woodford, Anderson and Boyle counties.

“Some of those are much, much larger than us,” Curtis said. “People always ask, ‘Why’s Clark County getting a guardrail and Bourbon County’s getting a four-lane highway?’ All those things come into play. We need Clark County to grow.”

Curtis explains what typically differentiates county from city roads.

“The general rule of thumb is that if it has painted edge lines or a painted center line, there’s a pretty good chance it’s a state route…or if it has a number associated with it,” he said.

However, as is evident in Winchester, this isn’t always the case.

“There’s only two exceptions: Old Boonesboro Road and Old Kiddville Road,” he said. “That’s the only ones I can think of, and that’s [because] they used to be state routes.”

The motor fuel tax, rather than property tax, serves as a primary source of funding.

Since 2019, approximately $4.5 million has been spent on asphalt, from sources including discretionary funds, flex funds, ARPA funds, and county road aid.

While productive, Curtis mentioned that more funding in the future would be beneficial.

“We’re almost double the size of the state and private road network, and we only get 18 percent of the funding”, he said.

Curtis also noted that, following blacktop repairs, change frequently occurred.

“The minute we blacktop the road, it is subject to damages anytime we leave it,” he said.

However, plans go forward, as the Road Department has utilized full-width paving that’s designed to eliminate cold joints between travel lanes, thereby increasing efficiency.

Curtis also noted that State Senator Greg Elkins and Representative Ryan Dotson have been helpful.

“Some of these issues…they’re [going to] be looking at,” he said. “I want to commend them for their efforts [in] helping [get] funding for Clark County.”

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