The Whitley County Fiscal Court is getting funding to repair a major road slide on Louden Meadow Creek Road, and a state engineer will soon be looking at a second Whitley County road that is experiencing a mudslide, which could possibly lead to additional repair funding depending on the cause of the slide.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced Monday that the Whitley County Fiscal Court will receive $67,725 in county road aid emergency funds to repair a slide on Louden Meadow Creek Road.
The slide is located 0.630 miles east of the 1.2-mile point of Mable Bunch Road, and the repairs will make it safer for cars, school buses and other vehicles that rely upon this highway.
“The Bevin administration is committed to the Cabinet’s mission of providing a safe, reliable transportation network for all Kentuckians,” said Transportation Secretary Greg Thomas. “These emergency funds will help local governments repair and restore damaged infrastructure throughout their communities.”
The Whitley County Fiscal Court is responsible for administering the work.
Whitley County Projects Director Amber Owens said the slide began about Jan. 7, and this slide involves a portion of the road actually sliding away.
Owens said county officials hope to start repair work as soon as possible, which “may be more difficult with the rain moving in.”
Bids will have to be taken for the work, and a special fiscal court meeting is expected to be called some time before the March regular meeting, which is set for March 19.
Whitley County Emergency Management Director Danny Moses noted there was another smaller mudslide on Louden Road last week. Road crews were able to reopen the road after removing about four truckloads of debris.
A mudslide onto Bunches Creek Road has created major headaches over the last week or so.
The road slid again about 4 p.m. Sunday, and the road crews worked until after dark to repair it.
Moses said Monday afternoon that the road was open “right now” but this could change at any time.
He said that the state agreed Monday to send an engineer down to look at the slide in an effort to determine what is causing it.
Moses said that if the engineer determines an old mine is causing the slide, then some additional funds might become available to help pay for repair the road.
Moses said the only other slide he is aware of is one on George Hayes Road where part of a bank that a ditch ran through broke off near the site of last year’s bridge collapse. It is not impairing travel.
