Ribbon cutting held on Blankenbaker Lane Extension and Watterson Trail

 Governor Steve Beshear, joined by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and other local officials, celebrated the opening of the eagerly awaited Blankenbaker Parkway extension during a ceremony today.


The new, four-lane roadway provides direct access from Taylorsville Road to the Bluegrass Commerce Park and an improved linkage between the industrial park and Interstate 265.



Gov. Steve Beshear as well as Louisville Metro Mayor Greg Fischer
and Jeffersontown Mayor Bill Dieruf joined others during the ribbon cutting.



“This new roadway offers new possibilities for Jefferson County,” Gov. Beshear said. “For residents of the immediate area, and those who make their living in and around Bluegrass Commerce Park, it means less traffic congestion and much greater mobility. For the community as a whole, it means greater development potential and the promise of future jobs.”

The parkway extension, for which Gov. Beshear broke ground in March 2010, was a $9.4 million project, of which $6 million was for construction. The Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency (KIPDA) paid design, right-of-way and utility costs from dedicated federal highway funds. Construction funding was through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Flynn Brothers Contracting Inc., of Louisville, was the builder.

The new roadway – four lanes with a grass median – stretches six-tenths of a mile to connect the parkway to Taylorsville Road. The project included construction of sidewalks on both sides of the roadway and noise barrier walls for the benefit of neighboring residences.

Before construction of the extension, motorists going to the industrial park from Taylorsville Road had to negotiate narrow, curving, two-lane Chenoweth Run.

“The opening of this much-anticipated roadway will not only increase mobility for citizens who live and work in this area but will also improve safety for all drivers,” Mayor Fischer said. “The project also caters to pedestrians with newly installed sidewalks.”

“With this project, the investments of the Recovery Act are continuing to pay dividends in Louisville,” said Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-03). “By funding the construction of this new roadway, these investments put people to work right away and improved our infrastructure to ease commerce and commuting for years to come.”

Jeffersontown Mayor Bill Dieruf said construction of the extension completes a component of the master plan for the commerce park, “A Vision for Today and Tomorrow.”

“Improved access to the Bluegrass Commerce Park is vital to businesses today,” he added. “Companies like Signature Healthcare, SHPS and Papa John’s call Jeffersontown and the Bluegrass Commerce Park home, and making strategic infrastructure investments with the extension of Blankenbaker Parkway is important to their success.”

Cuts ribbon for Skyview Park-Gaslight Square multi-use path in Jeffersontown

Also Wednesday, Gov. Beshear joined Mayor Dieruf and other local officials in a ribbon cutting to open the Skyview Park-Gaslight Square multi-use bike and pedestrian path along Watterson Trail, which is KY 1819. The most notable feature of the path is a steel truss pedestrian bridge over Chenoweth Run Road.

“Outdoor activity and exercise has been a big part of my life and the lives of our entire family,” Gov. Beshear said. “Walking and riding bicycles are not only good for your health. They’re two of our most enjoyable and beneficial outdoor pastimes.”

“Connecting the neighborhoods to the downtown, city parks, commercial corridors and the workplace with the Bluegrass Commerce Park this trail will enhance accessibility throughout the city and make Jeffersontown truly a bicycle and pedestrian friendly community,” Mayor Dieruf said. “Providing a safe and enjoyable place to ride a bike or walk will encourage physical fitness and family exercise while having a little fun along the way, too.”