A Whitley County Detention Center inmate work crew is collaborating with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to construct new salt domes for Whitley County roads.
The project location off of I-75 exit 15 already housed one salt dome before construction began on two additional storage units two months ago. Don Rose from Kentucky Transportation Cabinet oversees the project and teaches the inmates how to work with concrete. He said Whitley County’s preexisting salt dome does not provide enough storage to last through a bad winter.
With the smaller of the two structures finished, the work crew is currently constructing a full-sized dome with additional overflow precautions.
“We’re going to have an overhang,” Rose said. “The thing is, you start loading them and that salt packs up so high, it gets up against your top. The metal will rot out, so what this does is the top will actually be back here on this kick out. If they try to overload it, that salt will spill out.”
Rose said this is the only salt dome with this overhang structure in Kentucky that he knows of.
“You wouldn’t believe how much money they are saving the state by doing this,” said Farhad “Razor” Forohar, the inmate work crew’s supervisor.
Whitley County Jailer Jason Wilson said this work crew is specifically dedicated to projects with the Kentucky Department of Transportation. They work five days a week, regularly assisting in state highway maintenance tasks like trash collection and trimming trees and brush along the roadways.
“These folks work hard every day to help keep our communities clean,” Wilson said. “They not only save taxpayer money, but also learn the value of hard work and a sense of accomplishment.”
Inmate workers Charles Durhan and Stephen Rush said they had no experience with concrete work before the project began but have learned a lot while constructing the salt dome.
“Wherever somebody slacks, that’s where somebody else picks up. Everybody here really helps each other out,” Rush said. “I enjoy it out here. It’s just something else to do, learning a new skill. It’s been helpful.”
Rose said they will continue with the concrete work for another three to four weeks before the structure is ready for the installation of a canvas top. At that point, the inmate work crew will move on to other projects.
