RRG NEWS - Transportation Cabinet seeking public input on Red River Gorge travel improvements Open house public meeting scheduled March 11 from 1-4 p.m

As the Red River Gorge National Geological Area in east-central Kentucky becomes more popular with tourists, opportunities exist to ensure optimal roadway conditions and efficient mobility for travelers. 

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, has begun a planning study to address these matters of road conditions, highway safety, and traffic movement. The public is invited to attend an information meeting on Saturday, March 11, to learn more and offer feedback. 

Several possibilities for improvements are under consideration for the state-maintained routes, KY 77 and KY 715, that make up the Red River Gorge National Scenic Byway in Menifee, Powell, and Wolfe counties. These options include minor widening and spot improvements, drainage upgrades, traffic control at the one-lane Nada Tunnel, embankment stabilization, tree canopy clearing, asphalt resurfacing, and enhanced warning signage.

A public meeting has been scheduled to present these options to members of the public and to solicit opinions on these proposals. It will be held from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, March 11, at the Gladie Visitor Center on KY 715 in Menifee County. This will be an open house format meeting with no formal presentation scheduled. Participants will be able to talk to Transportation Cabinet personnel and view the various options outlined in the planning study, and will be able to provide their views on the issues under review.

A website has been established at http://www.rrgstudy.com to present in detail the options contained in the study, and it includes an online survey that can be completed. This option is available for those who are unable to attend the March 11 meeting, or who would prefer to complete the survey online.

Written and online comments on the planning study will be accepted through March 31. These public comments will be taken into consideration as the study continues. Written comments can be submitted via mail or email to Jason Blackburn, KYTC District 10, P.O. Box 621, Jackson KY 41339, jason.blackburn@ky.gov.