Leestown Road to get a double crossover interchange, New Circle Road to be widened
A long-delayed plan to convert the intersection of Leestown Road and New Circle Road to a double crossover diamond interchange similar to the one on Harrodsburg Road is finally about to come to fruition.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced late Friday that construction on the $62.7 million project, which will also involve widening a section of New Circle Road, is scheduled to begin next week.
The plan to add a double crossover diamond on U.S. 421 has been in the works since 2012 and is intended “to increase the capacity and operation” of the interchange, the transportation cabinet said in a news release.
New Circle Road will be widened to three lanes in each direction between Leestown Road and Georgetown Road, and a paved median and barrier wall will be added to that 1.5-mile section of the road.
The inner loop of New Circle will also have a sound barrier wall running from Leestown Road to the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge, which is before Georgetown Road, the transportation cabinet said.
Leestown Road will have sidewalks through the new interchange connecting to those already in place on both sides of New Circle, according to the cabinet.
The project is scheduled to be complete by Aug. 1, 2026.
L-M Asphalt Partners was awarded a state contract for the project and will begin putting up signage Monday, the release stated.
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilwoman Jennifer Reynolds, who represents the Leestown Road area, said part of the funding for the project was put in place just last year.
“The sound barrier is something that Meadowthorpe has wanted for a very long time,” she said.“There are concerns about the widening and what type of impact it will have on the neighborhood. Every time that you make a huge change in traffic flow like this, people are concerned.”
Both Reynolds and Nancy Albright, the city’s commissioner of environmental quality and public works, said the construction will create challenges for motorists.
“It is going to be a pretty significant impact,” Albright said.
“We want to continue to work with the transportation cabinet on communication of next steps,” Reynolds said. “This will be a disruption for Leestown for several years. We need good communication so people know what to expect.”
In the near term, drivers will see overnight work on New Circle Road in that area.
Beginning Tuesday night through Saturday morning, periodic lane closures will be in effect on New Circle Road from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. for milling and paving work, the transportation cabinet said.
Drivers will be able to pass through the work zones, and signs will be put up to guide them.
The transportation cabinet said it will provide periodic updates on major changes to traffic patterns as the project goes forward.
Albright said the city operates the traffic signals and will be making adjustments as needed during construction. She said Newtown Pike, which is also scheduled to undergo a widening project, and Georgetown Road will likely be affected as well.
“It’ll be a good project when it’s completed,” she said. “I think it’ll be painful to get there.”
The double crossover diamond on Harrodsburg Road opened in 2011 and has reduced crashes in that area, the cabinet said.
Albright said she hopes the same will be true of Leestown Road.
“We just have so many conflicts and so many people trying to go different directions,” she said. “This is a project that has been needed.”
Herald-Leader reporter Beth Musgrave contributed to this story.
