W’burg gets $22,520 in emergency road aid

Williamsburg has gotten a little help from the state to help pay for a recent emergency road repair.

A very old collapsed road culvert that was 25-feet deep caused the closure of a portion of South Second Street in Williamsburg for nearly one week in August.

In late September, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced that the city of Williamsburg would receive $22,520 in county road aid emergency funds.

These funds will be used to pay for a drainage structure repair on South Second Street located at Ridge Avenue in the city of Williamsburg while making it safer for cars, school buses, and other vehicles that rely upon this highway, the transportation cabinet said in a release.

Mayor Roddy Harrison said the funding would cover a large portion of the repair costs.

“We are going to have to fork out a little bit for paving and stuff, but this is going to help us pay for that project,” Harrison noted. “We are real appreciative that the state came through for us.”

The city of Williamsburg is responsible for administering the work, most of which has already been completed.

“The Bevin administration is committed to the Cabinet’s mission of providing a safe, reliable transportation network for all Kentuckians,” said Transportation Secretary Greg Thomas. “These emergency funds will help local governments repair and restore damaged infrastructure throughout their communities.”

On Aug. 5, a portion of South Second Street partially closed due to a partial collapse near the old city pool, and opened again on Aug. 12 after repairs were completed.

Harrison said that an excavator had to dig down 25 feet before discovering the problem, which was a collapsed very old box type tile apparently made from rock.

The city originally estimated that the project was only going to cost about $11,000, but the eventual price tag ended up being about $28,000.

Harrison also thanked the Whitley County Fiscal Court and Judge-Executive Pat White Jr. for their assistance with the project.

Harrison noted that the blacktop plant, which the city normally uses, had already closed by the time the collapse occurred.

The county assisted with paving efforts to temporarily fix the road.

“The county really helped us out at the very end,” Harrison added.

Each year, the transportation cabinet withholds 3 percent of the municipal road aid funds sent to cities and counties, which is then placed in an emergency road aid fund. City and county officials can then apply for emergency road aid funds from this account if needed.

In 2018, Williamsburg also received county road aid emergency funds to replace a collapsed bridge on George Hayes Road.