WQXE News
Work is progressing on the dual roundabout interchange along U.S. 62 at the U.S. 31W Bypass in Elizabethtown, with the next phase of traffic changes going into effect Tuesday.
According to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four, the ramp from the northbound bypass lanes to U.S. 62 will be closed along with the U.S. 62 ramp onto the bypass northbound. One-lane traffic in each direction will continue on U.S. 62.
The new work means a new round of detours for motorists to follow.
For drivers going north on the bypass to U.S 62, traffic will continue north on the bypass to Patriot Parkway, then to Ring Road, and back onto U.S. 62.
For drivers going from U.S. 62 to the northbound bypass lanes, traffic will use the reopened U.S. 62 ramp onto the southbound bypass lanes, continue to the roundabout at New Glendale Road, and reverse direction onto the northbound bypass lanes.
“We want folks to remember that this is a state project, and we can’t push traffic off on a county or city street,” said KYTC District Four Public Information Officer Chris Jessie. “We have to keep traffic on a state route. Second of all, we have to make sure that the detour route can accommodate any traffic that would be on that route if there were no detours, so in other words, we can’t send a big semi or a wide load down through a city street where they have to make tight turns.”
The project is scheduled to be completed by November 1. Additional traffic pattern changes will come with each phase of the project. Follow KYTC District Four social media for updates.
A man is in custody after an investigation into a shots fired call in downtown Elizabethtown.
Deadrick Jackson of Elizabethtown is currently incarcerated in the Hardin County Detention Center following his arrest Sunday.
According to the Elizabethtown Police Department, on August 24 officers responded to the Cherry Alley parking lot off of North Main Street to follow up on a shots-fired call initially reported at around 3:30 a.m. Responding officers were unable to locate evidence during the initial response, but shortly after 9 a.m. officers recovered 13 spent shell casings near the parking lot exit.
“Private security video showed muzzle flashes coming from a gray Chevrolet Impala, and other city cameras and FLOCK cameras helped us identify the vehicle,” said EPD Public Information Officer John Thomas.
The FLOCK camera system assisted officers in locating the suspect vehicle at the Elizabethtown Target at around 4 p.m. Officers detained Jackson without incident.
“A Glock 10 mm handgun was found under the driver’s seat,” Thomas said. “Jackson has been charged with two counts of Wanton Endangerment. This case truly highlights how surveillance cameras, FLOCK technology, and community cooperation allow us to quickly identify suspects and keep our city safe.”
No injuries and no property damage was reported. Jackson is scheduled to appear in Hardin District Court on September 5.
The Elizabethtown City Council met for a special meeting Monday.
After a brief closed session, the council approved a municipal order authorizing the transfer of property in a purchase agreement with 117 Properties LLC “for the transfer of 2.889 acres of properties along South Main Street and College Street to the city and the sale and lease agreement of the property at 200 West Dixie Avenue to 117 Properties LLC.”
Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said under the terms of the agreement, the city will trade the City Hall building for the former E-Town Laundry Company property. He said City Hall is out of space.
“We did lease that property beside us, which was the old High School Basketball Hall of Fame, which will eventually here in the next few months hopefully become our City Council chambers, and there’s some offices in that building that we can use as an annex until we get things squared away on the laundry property like we want to and get a design done for a new City Hall building or a new city campus complex down there and are able to move down there,” Gregory said.
Gregory said the city will sign a lease for the City Hall building and lease out the laundry building as warehouse space until ready to build the new city government campus.
City Council Member Marty Fulkerson said the city got where they needed to be on the agreement.
“We had to go out and lease more property to be able to have meetings for the Planning Commission and for the city, and still employees are on top of each other at City Hall, and as we continue to develop downtown, this is a step in the right direction for the future of Elizabethtown, and it’s not always about today, it’s about tomorrow,” Fulkerson said.
The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet September 8.