AASHTO Journal - Work Starts on Last Leg of Mountain Parkway Expansion

Governor Andy Beshear (D) recently joined local, state, and federal officials to break ground on the final section of the Mountain Parkway Expansion – a 13-mile stretch of new four-lane highway that will connect Salyersville, KY, to Prestonsburg, KY.

[Above photo by KYTC]

That final segment, known as Magoffin-Floyd, is the last of six project segments to go to construction on the 45-mile, billion-dollar Mountain Parkway Expansion; an initiative delivering a decades-long promise to complete the parkway and close the only remaining gap in a continuous, four-lane, high-speed corridor linking Eastern Kentucky to the rest of the commonwealth.

“This is about more than pavement – it’s about safer travel, better jobs, stronger communities and new opportunities for Eastern Kentucky,” the governor noted in a statement. “This is a project that has been talked about for decades, and while I’m not the first governor working to expand this vital highway, I’m determined to be the last.”

[Editor’s note: Kentucky also recently launched the I-65 Central Corridor project in Louisville in an effort to improve traffic mobility and bridge safety for that key highway.]

The 13-mile Magoffin-Floyd segment is the longest of all the Mountain Parkway project segments and the only segment that is constructing all new roadway.

In 2024, the Magoffin-Floyd segment received a $116.3 million federal Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant, allowing the project to more quickly advance to construction. The project also benefited from a historic $150 million general fund commitment proposed by Gov. Beshear and backed by the Kentucky General Assembly during the 2024 legislative session to help secure the grant.

“Breaking ground on this segment shows we are not just talking about finishing the Mountain Parkway – we are doing it,” added KYTC Secretary Jim Gray. “With the design complete, funding secured and crews ready to work, we are on the final push to connect Eastern Kentucky with a safe, modern corridor that will serve generations.”