Work begins on Versailles Road corridor improvement project

LEXINGTON, Ky.(WTVQ) – The first phase of the Versailles Road Corridor Improvement Project is under way, making the corridor safer for pedestrians who use it, Mayor Linda Gorton said Thursday.

The work, between Parkers Mill and Mason Headley roads, will include (see drawings versailles Conceptual Detail Drawings):

• New curbs
• Wider sidewalks that will be away from the edge of the road
• Retaining walls next to the Hillcrest Cemetery property and the backside of Fair Oaks Drive
• A grass median between Village Drive and Mason Headley Road.

“This is work we have needed to do for many years,” Gorton said during a press conference to review the work. “This will be a big step forward in safety.”

A 2015 design study of Versailles Road identified three phases of needed improvements from Parkers Mill to Oliver Lewis Way.

“Former Councilmember Peggy Henson was instrumental in getting this project started and funded, and I am sincerely thankful,” Councilmember Jennifer Reynolds said. “I will work hard to build on this momentum to make sure that we are able to finish the rest of the phases.”

During the press conference, Henson said thanks go out to the many people who advocated and worked to make the project happen.

“Although the improvements have been a long time coming, I am thrilled that work on Phase I is now underway,” Henson said. “Once completed, the people who walk Versailles Road daily, going to work, buying groceries, visiting the pharmacy, will have a much safer place to walk. Thank you, Lexington, for the funding.”

Most of the Phase I work is expected to be completed by early February. Final roadway resurfacing is expected to be done later in the spring.

The project will require lane closures, but two lanes of traffic will be maintained in each direction throughout construction.

The Versailles Road Corridor Study divides the 2.5-mile section from Parkers Mill Road to Oliver Lewis Way into six sections, primarily based on roadway geometry and surrounding land use. The first of these projects will extend from Parkers Mill Road to Mason Headley Road.

The plan incorporates many of the recommendations of the report, such as adding protected bike lanes and reducing vehicle lane width to encourage traffic calming.