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Kentucky, Paris Pike: Celebrating "The Spirit of Place"
When the public did not approve of KTC’s plan for the highway, they decided to take their concerns to court to voice their opinions. A judge’s ruling told KTC to return to the planning process and seek a workable alternative to the highway that would meet demands of both parties. KTC and community members decided on a design that fit the aesthetics and contours of the land while minimizing environmental impacts. The improved road has received nationally recognized design awards and is the model for future projects of this nature. The original two-lane rural highway extended over 13.5 miles of rolling hills dotted with historic thoroughbred farms. The highway had minimal minimal shoulders with no passing or turning lanes, contributing to a fatal accident rate significantly higher than the average for two-lane roads. The new design consists of two independent two-lane highways, one northbound and the other southbound, and an added shoulder to increase safety. Existing trees, fences, and stone walls were either preserved or moved and restored to their original condition. Environmental improvements include the relocation of more than 3,000 new trees and shrubs, designation of wetland areas, natural wooden guardrails, grass instead of gravel shoulders, three miles of stone fence, and the preservation of the natural environment within the median. A historic farmhouse was turned into a visitors’ center, generating tourism dollars for a town that would have lost money if Paris Pike were merely expanded. "It has been an immensely successful project. It preserved aesthetic integrity while doing what it was supposed to do: increase safety and capacity. It has significantly improved the corridor," said Cumberland Sierra Club Chapter Chair, Lane Boldman. The final approach included hiring a rchitects and landscape designers to work with the project's engineering team on a context-sensitive design, creating a more natural relationship between the landscape and road. Local resident Hank Graddy said going through the NEPA process was essential, noting, "It brought people and ideas to the table that otherwise would not have been there." Paris Pike represents a true compromise facilitated by the NEPA process—road expansion without accompanying aesthetic and natural destruction. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, not usually a friend of road expansion, cited Paris Pike as a project that "celebrates the spirit of place instead of obliterating it." The fourth and final phase of the $70 million project will be complete in November 2003. Photo © The Courier Journal; used with permission. |
Kentucky’s Paris Pike is a scenic road between Lexington and Paris, whose beauty was overshadowed by safety hazards
and congestion. The Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) proposed building a standard four-lane highway but faced opposition
from local communities concerned about irreparable harm to the corridor’s history and natural landscape.