Work at Exit 15 should soon be coming to an end

For area motorists wearied from traveling through the ongoing construction at the Exit 15 interchange in Whitley County, an end may finally soon be in sight.

Traffic along US25W at the exit has been forced to a crawl at times throughout the past several months due to the construction project, which consists of implementing two mini-roundabouts on either side of the interchange. Mini roundabouts are smaller versions of the traditional roundabout, but are navigated in the same way.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet confirmed Monday that the I-75 southbound exit ramp at Exit 15 is currently expected to reopen to traffic this evening (July 26), with the I-75 northbound entrance ramp set to follow on July 30. The roundabouts are tentatively scheduled to fully open to the new traffic pattern by Aug. 10.

Both of the above ramps were originally scheduled to have already reopened, but were delayed. KYTC has said the closures were necessary to allow contractors to perform pavement operations for the roundabouts project.

Even with the updated schedule, the date, time, and duration of work may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen delays occur. The News Journal will attempt to report on any changes to the tentative timeline.

Motorists can also access travel and traffic conditions at http://goky.ky.gov or contribute their reports at www.waze.com or via the Waze mobile application. You can also get traffic information for District 11 counties at www.facebook.com/KYTCDistrict11 or by following KYTC on Twitter at www.twitter.com/KYTCDistrict11.