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Woman killed and man airlifted after Lincoln Parkway crash

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The Elizabethtown Police Department is investigating a fatal accident that occurred on the Lincoln Parkway Sunday.

Elizabethtown Police Department Public Information Officer John Thomas says shortly before 11 a.m. on June 2, emergency responders were dispatched to the intersection of Lincoln Parkway and Sportsman Lake Road due to a reported serious injury collision.

Upon arrival, responding units found an unresponsive adult female in a white Toyota Highlander, along with a juvenile female who sustained minor injuries. The other vehicle was a black Toyota RAV 4, with the lone occupant being a male driver who also sustained serious injuries.

The driver of the Highlander was taken to Baptist Health Hardin, where she was pronounced dead. The driver of the RAV 4 was transported by air to the University of Louisville Hospital, where he is in critical condition.

Thomas says the preliminary investigation indicates that the Highlander was heading south on Sportsman Lake Road while attempting to cross Lincoln Parkway. The RAV 4 was heading west on Lincoln Parkway and entered the intersection, striking the driver’s side of the Highlander.

The victims are not being identified at this time. The Elizabethtown Police Department Accident Reconstruction Team’s investigation of the crash is ongoing.

Gregory touts pay increases, increased staff, and project plans in 2025 budget

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Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory delivered his message on the city’s budget for fiscal year 2025 during a special meeting of the Elizabethtown City Council Friday.

The mayor thanked the many people involved in developing what he believed to be the largest budget in the city’s history, starting with the department head’s identifying how to improve their departments.

“They have zeroed in on that and figured out how to make their departments better, therefore making it better for our citizens,” Gregory said. “They have sent it to us. We reviewed it. The council did a great job going through each project individually and determining whether it was cost effective and whether it was something that was warranted and needed in the city, and that’s how we got to where we are today.”

The budget includes $119.7 million in expenditures, up $10 million from the prior year, and includes raises to starting pay for fire and police personnel as well as a four percent increase for all other employees. The city will use “reserves from fund balances and external funding sources” to help realize several projects the city has planned for 2025 and beyond.

“All city departments are planning for anticipated growth through the anticipated start of production at BlueOval SK and related developments,” Gregory said. “This budget continues preparations for future years.”

The total police budget is set at $13 million and the total fire budget comes in at $11.7 million. After raising the occupational rate for the current budget, the city does not have plans to raise that rate in the 2025 budget, but an increase to sewer rates is anticipated this fall.

Gregory said the budget includes improvement to current facilities and infrastructure, but also focuses on expansion to support further growth.

“Work continues on the Hawkins Draft project and should be completed early in the budget year,” Gregory said. “This is an important piece to the growth of the south end of town. $1 million has been allocated to complete this project. Funds have also been allocated for various other small projects as well.”

The budget ordinance will go up for its first reading at Monday’s city council meeting.

Roundabout construction at Shepherdsville and Battle Training roads begins

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Work is ready to begin on Hardin County’s next roundabout.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four says roundabout construction at the intersection of Shepherdsville Road and Battle Training Road is getting under way. 

Preliminary work along the right of way at the intersection has started, and drivers entering the intersection from all four directions as well as drivers entering and exiting nearby businesses should be on the lookout for flaggers directing traffic.

The KYTC says the roundabout, which is due to be completed by November 1, will increase safety and efficiency at the intersection that sees nearly 10,000 combined vehicles per day using the two roads. Traffic shifts and short delays should be expected as the work continues.

Meanwhile, the installation of a large culvert on Saint John Road begins Monday, meaning new traffic restrictions in the area.

“We just need everybody to know back through the Croghan Drive neighborhood there that streets like Vanderbilt Drive, Winmoor Drive, Timber Lane, Reelfoot Drive, and Turtle Creek Drive, you’re all going to have to drive out to Harvard Drive in order to access Saint John Road there for the next 30 days,” said KYTC District Four Public Information Officer Chris Jessie. 

Work on the culvert is expected to be completed within 30 days. Follow KYTC District Four social media for project updates.

A Plus Family Healthcare expanding to Elizabethtown to cover Community Health Clinic closure

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The Community Health Clinic announced in a Facebook post on May 30 that the clinic will be closing on June 28, citing “changes in healthcare policies, funding challenges, and other factors” that made it increasingly difficult to sustain operations.

A Plus Family Heathcare Marketing Director Meighan Cable says that A Plus, a Federally Qualified Health Center, learned of the impending closure of the clinic and put together a plan to cover the clinic’s patients.

“My dad is actually on the board of directors for the Community Health Clinic and had talked to me a little bit about it to let me know that there was a potential for someone else to take it over, and I brought it up to our team down at A Plus Family Healthcare in Brownville and it just kind of worked out,” Cable said.

A Plus Family Healthcare currently operates clinics in Brownsville and Sonora, and will be opening an Elizabethtown location this summer. The same services available at the Community Health Clinic are available through A Plus.

“A Plus Family Healthcare is actually a family practice, so it’s your general practitioner, and so that’s where you can go to do all of your normal family practice type things, with full care for pediatrics all the way up to seniors,” Cable said.

Cable says A Plus Family Healthcare’s mission aligns with the mission of the Community Health Clinic.

“The heart of A Plus is taking care of people and making sure that people have quality and affordable health care, for all,” Cable said.

Community Health Clinic patients looking for care after the June 28 closure but prior to the Elizabethtown A Plus clinic opening can visit the Sonora location. Visit A Plus Family Healthcare on the web or on social media for more information and updates.

New traffic restrictions on Saint John Road as crews install culvert

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Work is progressing on the Kentucky Route 1357/Saint John Road project that is addressing safety, deficiencies, and maintenance issues on the road between the U.S. 31W Bypass and Ring Road.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four Public Information Officer Chris Jessie says crews will begin work Monday on a large culvert replacement that will require new traffic restrictions.

“We just need everybody to know back through the Croghan Drive neighborhood there that streets like Vanderbilt Drive, Winmoor Drive, Timber Lane, Reelfoot Drive, and Turtle Creek Drive, you’re all going to have to drive out to Harvard Drive in order to access Saint John Road there for the next 30 days,” Jessie said.

Message boards were previously placed to alert residents to the restrictions.

“So as part of the Saint John Road project back through there, this is all a huge culvert that’s being rebuilt,” Jessie said. “It’s gonna take the contractor about 30 days to get that done. They have until that point to get the roadway back open and the connection there to Croghan Drive remade.”

The KYTC began the Saint John Road improvement project to address the change in conditions for the roadway that came with the transition of the area from a rural to suburban setting. Any updates to the construction plan will be posted to KYTC District Four social media.