Project Description
Campbellsville Bypass
Taylor County, Kentucky
Campbellsville rests in what is known as the Heartland of Kentucky. Located 90-minutes southeast of Louisville, the Heartland’s landscape consists of rolling hills and scenic waterways. Its Green River Lake area continues to grow as a tourist destination.
While the region’s landscape has not changed for many years, its economics have. The decline of industries on which families had relied for decades dimmed the economic prospects of many people.
Better highways would be a key to resurrecting the region’s economy. Therefore the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is making several regional highway improvements that will improve the flow of goods in and out of the region. These improvements will also improve access to the Green River Lake area.
Our approach empowered KYTC to build this bypass section, now set for a September 2020 construction letting, without unnecessary expense. When completed, it will help revitalize the economic region, thereby bettering the lives of tens of thousands of regional residents.
Proof positive of the growing viability of the region, a propane tank manufacturer recently chose to build a $10-million-plus manufacturing plant in Campbellsville. The plant will create 175 full-time jobs in the coming years.
- Crossing the Tebbs Bend Battlefield, a National Register Listed Civil War Battlefield,
- Crossing the Green River, an Outstanding Water Resource and Cold Water Habitat,
- Crossing USACE 4(f) resources … twice, and
- Avoiding multiple marked and unmarked cemeteries.
Having overcome those obstacles, KYTC then selected Qk4 to prepare Phase II (final) design for Section 1 of the bypass . The project is a 2-lane initial construction on 4-lane ultimate right of way. It includes a 583-foot, 4-span bridge, 2 new box culverts, and a box culvert extension. It also included two major approaches: KY 70 and KY 372.
Design challenges included:
- Alignment adjustments to reduce earthwork volumes and project costs,
- Typical section evaluations – to determine cost and impacts of various typical sections,
- Approach road alignment changes – developed to minimizing right of way impacts, and
- Bridge vs. culvert evaluation – to determine most practical and economical solution.
District No. 4
634 East Dixie
PO Box 309
Elizabethtown, Kentucky 42702-0309