A road budget released last week by Gov. Andy Beshear included nine road projects for Daviess County. The KY 54 expansion project, which is already underway, was not included in that list.
The absence of the KY 54 widening project prompted Judge-Executive Al Mattingly to reach out to State Representative Suzanne Miles and State Senator Matt Castlen, as well as the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) as he questioned the exclusion.
Mattingly commented on a Facebook post Saturday saying he discovered there was no money in the budget for the 54 project, but he believed the House and Senate would resolve the issue.
And though KYTC said the exclusion was unintentional, Castlen said he questions the integrity of that statement.
“Apparently [Beshear] doesn’t feel like 54 is that important to our area, and it is,” Castlen said. “It could’ve been an oversight, but I find that really hard to believe. I guess we could be politically correct and say it was, but with how long it’s slated to take and the amount of money going into the project, I just find it hard to believe it was an oversight.”
Castlen said those in the General Assembly understand the importance of the project and expects the House and Senate to include the project in the final list of transportation projects, adding that amendments to Beshear’s initial proposal must be passed first through the House, and then through the Senate.
“That’s the beauty of the separation of powers,” he said. “We have two more stops to go.”
Miles agreed with Castlen that the project would be approved during the General Assembly, but said she hopes that the exclusion of the multi-million dollar project was an oversight, and not intentional.
“I don’t want to try and predict what the governor was thinking,” Miles said. “The end result is, it’s his recommendation, and that’s all it is. We can add or take away from what the governor recommends. The Hwy. 54 project has the full support from officials who will [make the final decision].”
In Sept. of last year, the KY 54 widening project was named Daviess County’s top priority during the annual Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce priorities forum. Local government leaders, the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp. (GOEDC) and the Chamber all decided to make the roadway project the top priority to present to state representatives in preparation for the upcoming General Assembly.
The Green River Area Development District (GRADD) and Owensboro-Daviess County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) also named the KY 54 project as one of their prioritized transportation projects in December.
The first phase of the project — the right-of-way acquisition — is slated to be completed in 2021. $15 million in federal and state funds were allocated toward the project in 2019. The entire project is expected to take years to complete, with the final construction phase planned for 2024.
