'King of the roads': Embattled Kentucky highway contractor Leonard Lawson dies at 82

Leonard Lawson, the embattled highway contractor who ascended from humble Eastern Kentucky roots to dominate the state’s road construction industry, has died.

Lawson, 82, died Friday night in Naples, Florida, where he lived in the winter, according to former Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton, a longtime friend.

Born into poverty in Bell County as the son of a coal miner, Lawson rose to prominence in the 1970s with his road asphalt companies under the umbrella corporation Mountain Enterprises, which dominated state contracts in Eastern Kentucky.

The asphalt contracts brought Lawson both great wealth and great scrutiny from critics who accused him of improper business tactics — which included two federal cases alleging his involvement in bid-rigging.

Background: Bid rigging on Kentucky road projects detailed in long-sought document

Lawson pleaded guilty on behalf of Mountain Enterprises in 1983 to a federal antitrust charge that the company colluded with other contractors to rig bids for paving projects — but he fought and eventually won a jury trial nearly three decades later.

The latter trial stemmed from Lawson's 2008 indictment on multiple federal charges of bribery, conspiracy and obstructing justice. The prosecution alleged he bribed former Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert and a cabinet engineer to obtain confidential cost estimates for state contracts in an attempt to undercut their bidding.

The jury found Lawson and Nighbert not guilty on all eight counts in 2010, with the two breaking into tears as the verdicts were read in the courtroom.

Lawson beat that charge and defeated many other competitors in the asphalt business throughout his decades of work, gaining a reputation as one of the most powerful and politically influential road contractors in the state.

Courier Journal reporters Tom Loftus and John Voskuhl profiled Lawson in a 1994 series as the "king of the roads" in Eastern Kentucky, writing that the "street-smart" road contractor had quietly built the state's largest "blacktop monopoly" by "buying out competitors and cultivating governors."

In the profile, Lawson attributed his success to doing quality work, being willing to take risks and being at the right place at the right time as older contractors looked to sell out.

The 1994 investigative series found Mountain Enterprises was awarded $137 million in road resurfacing contracts over the previous 5½-year period, when it was the sole bidder for 471 of the 495 contracts it won during that time.

Lawson, a registered Democrat throughout his life, also was a prolific contributor to political candidates in both parties, extending even beyond campaigns to business partnerships and charitable donations with governors — according to another Courier Journal profile in 2008 after his indictment.

Background: Ex-state official, Dem activist sentenced

Patton, who served as governor for two terms from 1995 to 2003, said Lawson was a longtime friend who he always found to be "honorable" and "an extremely honest person."

Referring to the 2008 indictment and trial, Patton told The Courier Journal he believed Lawson and the jury that acquitted him.

"Leonard told me that it wasn't true, and then that turned out to be the verdict of the jury," Patton said. "I know that was a terrible strain on Leonard and his family, and they were very relieved and grateful that the jury found him not guilty. So, I have to take his and the jury's opinion."

Patton said Lawson "appreciated government, and he was willing to pay for his part of government," adding "he was a Democrat and he believed in government and he did his part to support it."

Lawson financially supported former Gov. Matt Bevin in his 2019 reelection race against Andy Beshear, which Patton said was because of his "personal thing" with the Beshear family. Former Gov. Steve Beshear's administration initiated the bid-rigging investigation into Lawson.

"(Lawson) got a lot of (road) work when I was governor, but I wanted to do a lot of work in Eastern Kentucky and he had a lot of businesses in Eastern Kentucky," Patton said. "But all the jobs that he got out of me were legitimate, at least from my perspective."

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The Lawson family sold Mountain Enterprises in 2005 to an international construction company based in Ireland, while continuing ownership of several other construction-related companies, such as ATS Construction.

Federal investigators raided the offices of ATS Construction in 2017 related to an antitrust investigation into road contracts, but no charges were filed.

ATS Construction did not return an inquiry about Lawson's death.

Lawson was inducted to the Kentucky Transportation Hall of Fame in 2001, with his entry stating he was "responsible for building a highway system to open the East Kentucky area for economic growth," with his companies having built "the Jenkins Bypass, sections of US 23 and US 119, repaved the Mountain Parkway, widened I-75 and I-64, and repaved Lexington’s Blue Grass Field, just to name a few."

"When Lawson speaks of his accomplishments, he is eager to tell you that his employees, with their loyalty and willingness to put forth 110 percent, are to whom he owes the most credit," his hall of fame biography states.

Lawson was also known for his philanthropy, donating a $300,000 matching grant for the construction of the first state-of-the-art cancer treatment center in Eastern Kentucky, the Leonard Lawson Cancer Center, which opened in Pikeville in 1996. He also supported the Red Bird Mission and the University of Pikeville.

A 1958 graduate of Red Bird school, Lawson previously told The Courier Journal he would have had limited opportunities were it not for the education he received by walking several miles each day to the school from the three-room house he shared with seven other siblings.

Lawson, who financed the construction of its new facility in 1983, said the school meant "a lot to me personally and for all those kids who might not have had a shot in life."

Staff writer Mandy McLaren contributed to this report.

Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Embattled Kentucky highway contractor Leonard Lawson dies at 82