School safety project completed 2 months ahead of schedule

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Officials say a contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) completed a more than $2 million school safety project near the James Madison Middle School campus in Madisonville on Monday, about two months ahead of schedule.

The KYTC says in May, Gov. Andy Beshear announced the school safety project, which widened KY 254, also known as Brown Road, in front of the school, added a southbound left-hand turning lane onto school property, created an additional 700 feet of lane space for the school’s car rider line and constructed a new five-feet wide sidewalk that runs from the school to Sunrise Drive along the eastern side of Brown Road.

Officials say work began within days of the last day of classes. The queue line was always slated to be completed by the first day of school, but the road widening project was originally scheduled to last through mid-November. Crews worked “diligently” to complete the project in time for the start of school, a goal that was completed on Monday with the application of a final layer of asphalt and lane striping to Brown Road.

The KYTC says, traditionally, cars have entered the JMMS car rider line by turning off of Brown Road onto Patriot Drive, then turning into the queue. After winding through the parking lot, traffic exited onto Athey Airport Road on the opposite side of the parking lot. With the new design, traffic will both enter and exit the school on Athey Airport Road.

Officials say Hopkins County Schools plans to begin using the newly designed car rider line on August 19.

The map can be seen below.

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