The Small Urban Area Study completed by the Transportation Cabinet in 2013 identified an alternative road alignment along Danville’s east side that was much more affordable than the previously identified eastern bypass. This alternative alignment still accomplishes the primary goal of providing local and regional connectivity from the area south of Danville to the northeast including Lexington.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is currently designing this project and is high on the list for funding for construction.

Please find the full project description in the supporting documents below.

Traffic Safety:

This project has the potential to relieve significant pressure from this corridor by reducing traffic counts by approximately 3,000, which would be similar to the traffic reductions realized after the construction of KY 2168 (project completed in 2015 which remains as the last major roadway investment in Danville) along the north side of Danville. The traffic reductions on KY 34 and KY 33 resulted in a 13% reduction in crashes. The recent construction of an RCUT at the intersection of Stanford Road (U.S. 150) and the Bypass has the potential to increase traffic on Gose Pike which heightens the urgency of the project.

Housing:

A shortage of housing inventory is a priority for Danville just as in many other communities. A lack of inventory along with nationwide inflation has resulted in housing costs that are unobtainable for many in the community and those looking to relocate to Danville. The map below shows the Future Land Use Map for Danville with the new road corridor identified in red and low density residential indicated in yellow. This road has the potential to unlock development on approximately 275 acres directly adjacent to the corridor and another 700 acres south of the Bypass which would now have easy access to Lexington. Those areas have the potential to provide as many as 3,000 housing units to the community.

Local Economic Development:

The City of Danville has seen significant investment in commercial development along the Bypass on the south side of the city. This has provided much needed access to smaller communities south and southeast of Danville but it has created additional traffic pressure from areas to north and northeast of downtown. The interlocal connectivity that the project will provide, combined with the previous two benefits of safety and housing, will push Danville forward and allow it to become the regional economic hub that it has had pressure to be for many years. The data below from KYSTATS demonstrates the extent to which Danville is a regional center. The origins of workers commuting into Danville shows the power of good connectivity, Lincoln and Mercer Counties, and the need for better connectivity to the northeast, Garrard and Fayette Counties. Also, the overwhelming highest ranked destination for commuters leaving Danville is Fayette County which could be increased by good connectivity to the south side of Danville.

Regional Economic Development:

The previous benefit discusses the local impact of movement inside the city boundary and the ability for commuters to come and go from Danville, but this project as a regional impact on mobility as well. Due to the lack of a bypass connection to the northeast and the scarcity of river and lake crossings, communities to the south of Danville must travel through downtown to access Lexington and Nicholasville.

Impacted communities include:

• Junction City
• Hustonville
• Liberty and Casey County

Neighborhood Revitalization:

The final benefit provided by the project would be the revitalization of a long-neglected neighborhood at the end of East Main Street. This neighborhood began as a quiet dead-end street with single family residential housing. But in the 70’s and 80’s, many low-income apartments and subsidized apartments were built along East Main Street and the connecting Hill-n-Dale Drive. These developments were physical and socioeconomic islands, lacking connections to groceries, parks, and jobs, that resulted in a very negative reputation for the neighborhood. In the past couple of decades, this neighborhood has rebounded, and it is more stable and respected now, but it has struggled to see substantial improvements. The proposed road corridor would provide easier and safer transportation connectivity from this neighborhood to our local economic driver, southside Bypass, and our regional economic driver, Lexington. Not only does the project provide benefits to this small neighborhood, but it also provides access to Lexington for Census Tract 9304 (shown below) which FHWA identifies as an Area of Persistent Poverty and a Historically Disadvantaged Community. Giving this area of Danville and Boyle County safer and quicker access to Lexington will forever change the ability of its residents to generate wealth.