LOUISVILLE, Ky. — If you’re traveling on Bardstown Road, be prepared for some overnight lane and road closures.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is milling and resurfacing the streets on a stretch of the roadway, part of a safety improvement project announced last year.
From 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. until Friday, there will be a complete closure of Bardstown Road between Eastern Parkway and Grinstead Drive. KYTC said there will be two nights of milling and paving the rest of the week.
Shawn Reilly, president of the Tyler Park Neighborhood Association, said the changes to traffic lanes, pedestrian crossings and turn signs are a big win for the neighborhood.
"I think everybody is pretty pumped about it," Reilly said. "If I have to put up with the construction at the end of my street for a few months, but at the end it means my 4-year old son and my wife and I can cross the street safely for the next ten or 15 years, then that's a price we're willing to pay."
Jackie Cobb, president of Friends of Bardstown Road, is also encouraged by this phase of KYTC's project. She said safety improvements will benefit everyone from pedestrians to businesses.
"Bardstown Road is a place where there are wonderful businesses, but sometimes it's unsafe to cross because cars are going too fast and ultimately Bardstown Road deserves this investment," she said.
Despite the closures being scheduled for overnight, non-peak hours, some businesses are still seeing an impact.
Diannea Comstock co-owns Caravan Comedy Club and said she's already heard from customers confused about how to get around and into her business.
"One customer lost, that could be our light bill. That could be our rent," she said. "Every one customer we don't have magnifies and amplifies the situation."
Comstock calls the recent closures and ongoing construction on Bardstown Road frustrating, but said she's hopeful the outcome will be positive. In the meantime, she said she'd like more communication about closures and detours.
More changes to Bardstown Road could be on the horizon, driven by the city.
Last month, Metro Council approved funding to develop a "master plan" for a Bardstown Road.
Megan Metcalf, legislative aid for District 8 Councilwoman Cassie Chambers Armstrong, said community members will have the chance to tell city leaders what projects they'd like to see.
"What do we want the future of Bardstown Road to look like," Metcalf said. "We're trying to be forward thinking and making sure whatever activities are along Bardstown Road they kind of fit with a cohesive vibe."
Metcalf said projects in the plan could include things like zoning, public-use spaces, green areas and public art.
Metcalf said the city will go through a request for proposal process, then begin seeking public comment and assessing district needs.
In the meantime, she said neighbors in the area should be aware and prepared for the overnight closures and construction that are a part of the current redesign project.
There will also be closures on Oct. 16 through Oct. 21 as crews will shift from Bonnycastle Avenue to Eastern Parkway before switching to the Grinstead Drive to Broadway section later during the week.
On-street parking will not be allowed as the work is underway. No parking signs will be posted.
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