Ky. 313 expansion is 'ribbon to future'

ISSUE: New sections of Ky. 313 now open 
OUR VIEW: Providing convenience and safety

When it comes to highway travel, what is the best way to get from Point A to Point B? For starters, how about getting to the destination quickly and safely?

Cross-county motorists now will be better positioned to do just that when traveling between Vine Grove and Flaherty, thanks to the recently completed portions of the Ky. 313 extension. Calling it “a ribbon to the future,” Gov. Steve Beshear recently cut the dedication ribbon held by officials from Hardin and Meade counties officially opening the first two of three sections of the extension.

The $51.4 million expansion funded by the state is part of several roadway projects connected with the Base Realignment and Closure initiative that has consumed Fort Knox since post transition decisions were announced by Congress and the Department of Defense in 2005.

Along with the separate Elizabethtown-to-Radcliff, Bullion Boulevard and Wilson Road connectors and post gate improvements, the Ky. 313 extension is an important roadway project intended to ease commuter traffic and access on and around the Army post.

Motorists traveling U.S. 31W during the afternoon commute on any given weekday can testify that easing the congestion between Radcliff and Elizabethtown that has come with changes at Fort Knox would be a welcome experience.

While the five-and-a-half mile stretch of the Ky. 313 extension that opened won’t necessarily ease the majority of this north-south congestion on its own, it will make some of the east-west drive a quicker and safer commute for motorists. Some of these motorists will have an option no longer to be among the multitude of drivers on crowded routes.

The final portion of the eight-mile extension will further help reduce some of the heaviness of the traffic flow. When completed by August, it will reach U.S. 60.

In his dedication ceremony comments, Gov. Beshear said roadways like the extension serve to connect people to their lives and livelihoods. That’s true. It’s also true they can serve to create livelihood, too. Roadways that are less congested, more safely traveled and provide quick and convenient access between communities in our region – Hardin and Meade counties in this instance – will lead toward a more prosperous future.

And that’s a destination we all aspire to reach.

This editorial represents a consensus of The News-Enterprise's editorial board.