LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A residential boom in one of Louisville's already congested neighborhoods has some residents concerned the infrastructure isn't there to support it. The problem is only growing with each new development.
Bob Federico's lived in Eastwood for the better part of a decade.
"It's just got that historic feel. That country environment. Friendly people," he said.
It's about a 20-minute drive from downtown Louisville, extending east of the Snyder to the Shelby County line. But over the last few years, Federico said what felt "small town" is now becoming the growth engine of Louisville.
"Those country farms are being turned into developments, but the country roads are still the same country roads," Federico said.
As the Eastwood Village Council chair, he's well-informed of every development that is being built in the community.
"We've outlived what the roads can support," Federico said.
His biggest concern is the traffic hazards around the Eastwood cutoff, at Shelbyville Road and Echo Trail/Gilliland Road.
"If you live anywhere in the East End of Louisville, you're going through that intersection," he said.
It's a fork in the road, where oncoming traffic on Shelbyville doesn't stop.
"Anybody who lives out here, knows the geometry of that intersection. It's terrible," Federico said.
A 2018 developer-sponsored traffic impact study agreed. It deemed Shelbyville Road at the Eastwood Cutoff a failing intersection.
"A through F, it's an F," Federico said.
A year later, residents submitted a petition requesting the intersection be redesigned and to work with developers on other solutions. Since then, thousands of rooftops have gone up around Eastwood only adding to the congestion.
The issue gained traction in 2020. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) had a plan to widen Shelbyville Road near this cutoff. But then Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) announced the decision to build the new Echo Trail Middle School about two miles south of this site.
"We took that existing project and we pivoted. We were able for the first time, in the May 2020 State Highway Plan, to include reworking the intersection there at Shelbyville Road at the Eastwood Cutoff and Gilliland Road," Jim Hannah with KYTC's District 5 said.
Echo Trail isn't a state road, but Hannah said they saw an area where they could help, kicking the fork to the curb to create a traditional 4-way intersection. Looking at a map of the project, you'll see it aligns Highland Avenue with Gilliland Road.
"That would help the increased traffic from the school," Hannah said.
The project got approval in July 2020. But almost three years later, residents are questioning its progress.
"I know it's a long process," Hannah said. "We've looked at every way to speed up the process."
Hannah said KYTC's been upfront with locals from the beginning, reiterating the necessary right-of-way purchases and relocation of utilities take time.
Construction bids won't happen until 2025.
"That date has never changed," Hannah said.
"We understand nothing happens overnight," Federico said. "Three years? That's unacceptable. Every traffic study that's been done says it's failing and dangerous. From our state representative, to Louisville Planning, Louisville Forward. From JCPS getting notifications from Public Works way back in 2019 saying your school buses are going to have to go through this intersection."
He's talking about a letter from Louisville Forward sent to the district's former Transportation Director Randy Frantz in 2019, reiterating the excessive delays at the Eastwood cutoff.
At the time, a JCPS administrator also acknowledged in an email to Rep. Jerry Miller, "this project is critical not just for our children, but for the safety of the families in the area." And then came a recommendation a year later from Louisville Forward, saying the school should delay its opening until traffic issues can be mitigated.
JCPS spokesperson Carolyn Callahan said the traffic impact should be minimal in the first year.
"We'll have 200 kids, because we're opening with just a 6th-grade class," Callahan said.
During year two, the school will open to 6th and 7th grade, followed by an 8th-grade class in its third year. And while the Eastwood Cutoff will be a main access point to the school, Callahan said the district has a backup.
"Our transportation team has a plan already, as it does for all schools if they have to reroute and get our kids safely to and from school at Echo Trail," Callahan said.
Federico said concerns about school traffic are minimal compared to the bigger picture. A new Publix supermarket is set to open about a few blocks away, at Flat Rock Road and Shelbyville Road drawing in customers from both the Middletown and Simpsonville communities.
"Nobody wants it more than we do," Federico said.
It's just the battle between the developers and those responsible for laying the foundation.
"It's just plain dangerous. It's dangerous today. It's only going to get worse," Federico said.
Eastwood leaders are looking at the possibility of becoming a Home Rule City, to give them more local control over what happens there. It would be one of the largest in Louisville, behind Jeffersontown and Middletown.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.