By Josh James
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wuky/local-wuky-984090.mp3
Lexington, KY – Hoping to avoid the traffic gridlock that upset thousands of NASCAR fans in July, officials at the Kentucky Speedway say improvements are on the way.
Officials at the northern Kentucky track say they've learned their lesson. After an inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend plagued by traffic jams and packed parking lots, the speedway along with the state is set to spend over 11 million dollars on upgrades - including widening nearby roads and creating a pedestrian walkway under Kentucky Highway 35, which will connect to a new 143-acre parking lot.
Tim Bray, director of communication for the Speedway, says, "We vowed to make it right for the fans and we vowed that we were going to take steps to never let it happen again and these are big steps."
Those steps could also defuse a political issue that cropped up after Kentucky Gubernatorial candidate David Williams, one of the motorists stranded at the Sprint Cup race in July, called for hearings to investigate the traffic problems. According the Lexington Herald-Leader, Williams' opponent, Governor Steve Beshear, has denied that politics had anything to do with the speedy response.
