Case Study #6 for UTCM Report #08-14-03 "Making Mobility Improvements a Community Asset: Transportation Improvements Using Context-Sensitive Solutions"

1. Project 6
Paris Pike (US 27/68)
Lexington – Paris, Kentucky
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2. Existing Paris Pike
 13 miles long
 Mostly 2 lanes
 National Register Historic Corridor
 Historic Bluegrass thoroughbred horse farms
 Many historic buildings
 Historic passageway
 Environmental concerns
 Aesthetics
 Safety
 Congestion
 Design deficiencies
 Clear zones
 Narrow lanes
 No shoulders
 Insufficient sight distances and turn radii
 Steep side slopes
Graphics sources http://maps.google.com & http://iz.carnegiemnh.org/crayfish/country_pages/state_pages/kentucky.htm 2

3. Project
 Objectives
 Widen from 2 lanes to 4 lanes
 Address:
 Design deficiencies
 Safety
 Environmental concerns
 Initial design Paris Pike before improvement. Source: KYTC
 4 lanes with 40 foot median
 Lawsuit filed 1977 challenging EIS
 Environmental
 Historic preservation
 Delayed project 15 years
 Hurt public trust of KYTC
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4. CSS Approach
 FHWA CSS pilot project
 Collaboration
 Initial
 FHWA
 Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC)
 Kentucky State Historic Preservation Office
 National Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
 Signed MOA with guidelines for design, historic preservation,
environmental impacts and mitigation, and amenities
 Additional after MOA
 Created Project Advisory Task Force (ATF)
 KYTC
 FHWA
 State Historic Preservation Office
 Local trust for historic preservation
 Area interest groups
 County judge
 Citizen representative
 Landscape architect
 Civil engineer
 ATF-led workshops
 Outreach campaign Source: KYTC
 Extensive documentation of historic features
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5. Notable Outcomes
 Construction completed 2003
 Extensive coordination
 Agencies
 Stakeholders
 Re-established public trust
 Road alignment around, not through hills Grass shoulders Source:
http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/03jul/images/irving6.jpg
 Avoided old growth trees, historic structures where possible
using flexible
 Alignments
 Median widths
 Clear zones
 Utility easements
 Grass shoulders
 Rusticated steel/timber guardrails Rusticated guardrails. Source:
http://www.americanbyways.com/index.php?catid=16
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6. Notable Outcomes (cont.)
 Loam topsoil stripped, stored, reused
 Manufactured stone veneers for structure walls
 Matched indigenous stone
 Replanted removed trees, vegetation where possible
 Avoided or reconstructed horse farm entrances
 Restored historic farmhouse to serve as visitor center
 Removed/restored 3.5 mile 1800s dry stone wall
 Scenic overlooks
 Retained original nature trail
 No design exceptions
Roadway re-alignment to miss historic properties. Source:
http://www.contextsensitivesolutions.org/content/case_studies/kentucky_paris/#
 All KYTC projects now use CSS
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7. Notable Outcomes (cont.)
Highway innovation resulted from extensive stakeholder input, but with no design exceptions.
Source: FHWA
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8. Notable Outcomes (cont.)
Highway innovation resulted from extensive stakeholder input, but with no design exceptions.
Source: FHWA
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9. Notable Outcomes (cont.)
Dry-stone walls preserved or re-fabricated during the Paris Pike project
Source: http://www.contextsensitivesolutions.org/content/case_studies/kentucky_paris/#
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