Even before Luke Bryan concert, Lexington concerned over traffic a week away

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ)- Hopefully by now, you’ve made it home from Tuesday night’s Luke Bryan concert at Talon Winery in Lexington.

It’s still the talk of town–not the concert necessarily–rather the traffic backup it created for miles and miles. When traffic came to a standstill Tuesday afternoon, time didn’t. Even holding off on the performance for hours didn’t get some paying concert-goers inside the gates.

Wednesday a call for action came though. Derek Paulsen, Commissioner of Planning, Preservation and Development said in a statement, “Tuesday’s event showed that we need to take a look at the laws we have in place concerning how permits are issued for events throughout the county. The concert at Talon Winery was legally permissible based on a 2006 board of adjustment ruling about land use and events on agricultural property. Unfortunately, that ruling doesn’t make any specifications about the size of the events or how they could affect traffic. What happened Tuesday exposed an issue that will need to be addressed with public safety personnel and the council to review how these large events are permitted in the future.”

It’s an issue Lexington Police warned of at the end of September. Simple math can be used to break down the mood before and after the concert. Twenty-thousand fans and two lanes equaled a division of police, spread thin and patron patience spread thinner.

Lexington’s next big event is UK football at Commonwealth Stadium, Thursday, October 15th. It’s one folks at city hall were talking about even before the Luke Bryan concert.

“I’ve had several residents who are asking about traffic in that area,” said a council member during a work session Tuesday. Lexington’s police chief then spoke about the anticipation of what that Thursday night game will bring. “You’re talking about a downtown economy leaving the same time as an entertainment economy with Keeneland and then bringing an entertainment economy of a UK football game which is a national media event.”

Commonwealth Stadium holds 61,000 people. It’s sold out for that Thursday night game. Add in tailgaters and country music fans, plus traffic around Lexington for Keeneland and commuters looking to go home from work, you can understand why there’s cause for concern.