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Highway 641 Expansion Project Slated To Ramp Up In March

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

Work on a $37.6 million contract to expand U.S. Highway 641 in Calloway County will ramp up March 1, according to a release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

The portion of Highway 641 stretching from Murray to the Kentucky-Tennessee border near Hazel currently has two lanes of traffic with about 6,000 cars travelling the route each day. The project will expand the road to four lanes of traffic. 

KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Kyle Poat said, weather permitting, crews will begin clearing debris and demolishing structures around the beginning of March. He said most of the work completed during the 2021 construction season will be done without disruptions to traffic. 

The project will complete Kentucky’s section of a corridor from Interstate 69 at Benton to Paris, Tennessee, and Interstate 40 to the south. The work is expected to be completed by summer 2023. 

Governor Andy Beshear said the expansion will be important for the flow of people and of goods from northwest Tennessee to western Kentucky.

“This is great news for Kentuckians in the region. In terms of safety and efficiency, this long-awaited project will be a pronounced improvement for the citizens of Calloway County and the flow of commerce in the Jackson Purchase,” Beshear said.

The project was jump-started in 2018 with a $23 million federal BUILD grant to the Calloway County Fiscal Court. Grand Rivers-based Jim Smith Contracting is the prime contractor for the development. 

Calloway County Judge/Executive Kenny Imes said the 641 expansion has been in the works for years, and will provide a positive benefit for the county.

“This project is the result of more than 30 years of effort and planning by our community,” Imes said. “It has involved hundreds of people over the years putting together some really big puzzle pieces. Improvements to U.S. 641 South will create a safer roadway for our citizens while expanding economic development opportunities.” 

 

Dalton York is a Morning Edition host and reporter for WKYU in Bowling Green. He is a graduate of Murray State University, where he majored in History with a minor in Nonprofit Leadership Studies. While attending Murray State, he worked as a student reporter at WKMS. A native of Marshall County, he is a proud product of his tight-knit community.
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