$15.2 Million Road Project to Bring Perry County Its First Roundabout

State crews broke ground earlier this month on a $15.2 million project to carve a new access road from U.S. Highway 15 up to Wendell Ford Regional Airport, a construction effort that will deliver something Perry County has never seen: a roundabout.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 10 engineers began right-of-way clearing at the start of April, with excavation and blasting scheduled as the work progresses up the mountain. The 16-month project will replace the existing airport access road, which state officials described as narrow, curvy, and prone to slips and slope failures that have long made the climb to the airport unreliable and hazardous.

The new alignment will cut steeper grades, add paved shoulders, and widen the lanes to create a safer corridor for airport users and the residents who live along the route. The roundabout planned for the road's upper terminus will be the first in Perry County and the first in the entire KYTC District 10 highway district.

A KYTC spokesperson said the improvements serve both sides of that traffic. "The residents will benefit through safer access to their homes. Business entities that use the airport will benefit as well," the spokesperson said.

The project carries economic stakes beyond the road itself. The new corridor sits directly across from the Coalfields Industrial Park, and state officials say freight-capable access could make the park significantly more attractive to manufacturers and shippers considering the region. State Sen. Brandon Smith said the improved road could eventually enable bridge connections linking the airport directly to the industrial park, framing the $15.2 million investment as the opening move in a multi-stage infrastructure and economic development strategy, not a standalone paving job.

The state is funding the project on behalf of Perry County, with completion expected in 2027 barring weather or construction delays. Drivers on Highway 15 near the project site should expect construction traffic, and KYTC is expected to issue public notices about any detours or temporary lane restrictions as the work advances toward the mountain.