I grew up in London, and every time that I have to be doing something in the area located just off of I-75 Exit 41 I can’t help but think just how much things have changed up there since I was young. Now, after living in south Corbin for the past 16 years, I find myself having that same thought about the area located just off of Exit 25.
In last week’s paper, we had a story about the recent groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion to the Corbin Center (I was married in that building in the fall of 2009, by the way). As I watched the shovels hit the dirt and heard the comments that were offered at the ceremony, I just couldn’t help but think about how far this town has come in the past 10-15 years. It really is amazing.
When I first moved into the area back in 2009, the Arena had just opened. Aside from that, there wasn’t a ton going on off of Exit 25. You could catch movies at the former Tri-County Cineplex, and there were a handful of pretty good restaurants, but that was about it. Now look at it…
The cineplex has since rebranded to Cinema Social, and offers everything from movies, to bowling, to virtual reality, and more.
We’ve got several restaurants, including the aforementioned Cinema Social, Applebee’s, Bo Jangles, Bubby’s BBQ, Mi Casa, Brooklyn Brothers, and several others.
The Arena continues to offer entertainment opportunities that won’t be found anywhere else in our region, and just a short drive away is a mini gaming hall and racetrack facility at the Mint – Cumberland Run, located just off of the Corbin Bypass.
Those things alone are enough to be considered a major transformation, but let’s consider what else has happened, or will soon be happening off of Exit 25. We’ve seen extensive road work that has added roadways and extra lanes of traffic from the 727 intersection all the way down to the Corbin Bypass. We are seeing the construction of what will be an amazing dual-branded hotel facility at the foot of the Arena hill, and we will soon see the expansion to the Corbin Center that will connect that building to the new hotel and turn it into what Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers called a “mini convention center.” Work is underway on a formative $100 million expansion project at Baptist Health Corbin that will greatly enhance their ability to provide healthcare services to people all across the region.
And that’s just at Exit 25.
Exit 29 has also seen a lot of changes recently, especially with the extensive roadwork there. Downtown Corbin has evolved into a hub of activity with several new restaurants and tourist attractions. And if you travel a few more miles south on I-75, you’ll find yourself in Williamsburg, another town that has seen a downtown renaissance in recent years and now has people traveling from all over to come and enjoy the many entertainment and dining options at the Mint Gaming Hall – Cumberland.
Back when road construction was first really beginning to get serious on both ends of Corbin, I took the time to drive around and take some photos of various crews doing things like cutting concrete, hauling dirt and gravel, running bulldozers, etc. I put many of these shots together in a photo package and titled it, “The Price of Progress.” The basic idea was to illustrate that, despite temporary inconveniences with traffic backups and altered routes, the end result of all the work would eventually be worth it. While things are still not completely finished, I think that the road improvements that we have already seen have proven my point.
The simple fact is that it takes time to complete major projects like these, but once complete, those nice, new roadways sure are a pleasure to drive on.
That brings me to my final point of this column, which is the I-75 widening project that will soon be getting underway between Exit 29 and near mile marker 23. This will be a years-long project that will provide jobs for a lot of folks in this area. It’s going to take a lot of work, and I imagine that things may be a mess from time-to-time, but having six lanes on that eight-mile stretch of interstate will be fantastic when it’s done. I am traveling between Williamsburg and north Corbin constantly, and I am very excited about this project finally coming to fruition.
It has taken a lot of vision, a lot of effort, and a lot of dedication by a lot of different folks in order to make all of the things that I’ve touched on in this column a reality. I commend each of those individuals for their contributions, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for our local communities.
