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New Circle Blasting Causes Minor Delays On First Day

Josh James
/
WUKY

The first round of blasting on the New Circle Road widening project went relatively quickly Wednesday, as crews began bridge work that’s expected to take weeks. But drivers shouldn’t count on such a speedy turnaround every day.

Blasting is expected to happen around 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily for the next few weeks at the intersection of Old Frankfort Pike and New Circle while workers begin installing new bridge piers. And while officials warn of delays up to half an hour, traffic holdups on the first day of blasting appeared to last just minutes for many. Transportation Cabinet spokesperson Natasha Lacy says wait times will likely vary.

"It's quite possible, but we want to prepare the pubic as much as we can. There could be times when the public has to wait 20 minutes or perhaps even 30 depending on how it progresses," Lacy says.

While there’s no hard date for when the blasting will end, officials estimate several weeks.  

"It will depend on the contractor and how the construction progresses. Weather is always an issue with construction work. This is an accelerated, intense project on a tight timeframe," she explains.

The full $53M project, however, will take close to two years, wrapping up in September 2016.

Josh James fell in love with college radio at Western Kentucky University's student station, New Rock 92 (now Revolution 91.7). After working as a DJ and program director, he knew he wanted to come home to Lexington and try his hand in public radio.
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