Kentucky Street going back to ‘the way it was’

Traffic flow and parking on Kentucky Street in Corbin is going back to the way it was.

The City of Corbin recently moved the centerline for parts of Kentucky Street, eliminated parking on the right hand side of the road and created designated parking spots on the left hand side of the road.

During a special called Corbin City Commission meeting Friday morning, Commissioner Trent Knuckles made a motion to return Kentucky Street to “the way it was,” and the commission unanimously approved the motion followed by a round of applause by many of those in attendance.

There was no indication during the meeting on when these changes would be implemented.

The commission spent about 27 minutes on the topic of Kentucky Street traffic flow and parking during the meeting, and heard from representatives of First Christian Church.

The church is located on the right hand side of the road, and it lost several parking spots located right in front of its building when the change was made to eliminate parking on the right hand side of Kentucky Street.

Church members noted that they have several ministries, including a food pantry, which often times serve people with limited mobility.

“To achieve many of these activities, we desperately need parking close to our church,” noted church member Leeann Strunk, who spoke during the meeting.

Knuckles noted that he would be “madder than hell” if the city were to paint a yellow line in front of his business prohibiting parking, especially if it was done without consulting or notifying him first.

“The end result is not more desirable than what we had,” Knuckles added.

Mayor Suzy Razmus pointed out that the changes made to the street were done with safety in mind, and in part to slow down traffic on that street, which sometimes reaches speeds of 50-55 mph.

See Wednesday’s edition of the News Journal for more information.