First roundabout in northeastern Ky. to soon be constructed in Rowan County

ROWAN COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - Roughly 4,000 cars pass through the intersection at routes 60 and 801 in Rowan County every day. Soon, it’ll be replaced with a mini roundabout, designed to enhance safety and traffic flow.

“We’re looking at a way to reduce the severity of crashes that this intersection has a history of,” said Allen Blair with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 9.

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Transportation officials say the flashing lights and large stop signs haven’t been enough to slow drivers down. They say this design will do that, while also keep traffic flowing.

“It’s a four-way stop, so you have to keep an eye out for everybody else that’s coming across that intersection. I haven’t seen any of the T-bones but I’m sure they would be terrifying,” driver Marilyn Freidhof said.

Nearby local businesses are also on board with the improvements.

“A lot of the locals are pretty apprehensive about the roundabout. I guess it’s because it’s something new. But I think it’ll be better,” said Adam Ferguson, the owner of Pop’s BBQ.

A lot of comments on social media against the project are coming from people who typically come through the intersection with large RVs and boat trailers on their way to Cave Run Lake. They say they don’t think a roundabout design will make life easy for them to get around and on toward the lake, but KYTC says this project was specifically designed with curbs that will make it easy for them to get around.

“One of the key things that we looked at with this intersection was making sure that trailers, if you have a boat trailer or long RV, would be able to navigate the intersection very easily just like they do now. So with this drivable central island in a mini roundabout, we will be able to accommodate that traffic,” Blair said.

The project is expected to take about two weeks to finish, weather permitting.

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