Corbin leaders broker deal to increase lighting on two main roadways

Portions of two of Corbin’s major roadways could get a lot brighter in the near future if plans between city officials and local utility companies come to fruition.

Corbin Mayor Willard McBurney said Tuesday that the city has definitely struck a deal with Cumberland Valley Rural Electric Cooperative to install lights on existing utility poles along Cumberland Falls Hwy., from Central Automotive Supply to I-75 Exit 25.

"That’s going to happen," McBurney said Tuesday. "It should really help that area. It has been an issue for a long time and we need the lighting for safety reasons. There are a few very busy entrances there that need to be lighted."

The problem has been a thorny one to solve for years. Cumberland Falls Hwy. is lighted by street lights owned by the City Utilities Commission (CUC) from Main Street all the way to the Corbin Bypass. But CUC service area ends there and Cumberland Valley RECC picks up the rest of the road out to the city limits.

Residents and businessowners on that end of town have complained to the city’s Board of Commissioners numerous times over the years about the situation.

McBurney said Cumberland Valley RECC would simply install angled lights on existing utility poles. The city will pay about $3 per month for each light.

Another troublesome dark area exists along Master Street, extending from about Sav-Rite Home Health to the traffic light at the intersection of the Cumberland Gap Parkway. The lack of street lights in that area exists because of patchwork utility coverage areas. CUC’s territory ends at the last street light on Master Street going toward US 25E. After that, Kentucky Utilities takes over.

McBurney said working out a deal with KU may be more difficult because there are no existing utility poles in the area to be lighted. Instead, KU requires the installation of metal "break away poles" mounted on concrete pedestals and serviced through underground wiring. KU is asking the city to build the concrete pedestals, and to pay for the wire and installation of the wiring. KU would pay for the poles and lights.

"We haven’t really decided on that yet," McBurney said. "It’s a little more involved but we are hoping we can work something out."

McBurney said he expects the lights to be installed along Cumberland Falls Hwy. within two and a half months.

Last year, the city applied for a federal "Ice T" grant, administered through the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, that would have allowed the city to install new lights, sidewalks and landscaping along Cumberland Falls Hwy to Exit 25.

"We just wanted to make it more appealing," McBurney said. "We didn’t get the money and I understand that because money is tight right now. It wasn’t really that big of a project … just a couple hundred thousand dollars."

Even thought the matching grant funds didn’t come through, city leaders decided proceeding with plans to add more lighting was important for safety reasons.