The first phase of the long-awaited $28 million reconstruction of Turkeyfoot Road should begin by the end of March, a Kentucky highway official said.

        Kevin Rust, a district design engineer, said construction bids are scheduled to be awarded Feb. 22 for the first phase of the project — a 0.7-mile stretch from Linden Woods Drive to Autumn Road.

        “We had intended on starting that section in December, but we had an issue with a property owner, so we had to cancel the (bid) letting,” Mr. Rust said. He said highway officials obtained right of entry to the property in question about two weeks ago.

        The Turkeyfoot project is designed to improve traffic flow on the heavily traveled route that serves subdivisions in Erlanger, Edgewood and Elsmere and connects with routes serving residential developments in Florence, parts of eastern Boone County and Independence.

        Although Turkeyfoot Road provides the best access to a number of areas, commuters often avoid the narrow road with its dips and curves.

        “Once the improvements are made, I think it's going to expedite traffic flow in and around Edgewood,” said Roger Rolfes, Edgewood's city administrator. “It's going to give drivers another viable alternative for access into the city.”

        Although the project's design was approved in 1992, it has taken years to resolve environmental issues and get the support for a five-lane road that some people viewed as a major intrusion, Mr. Rust said.

        The project calls for converting much of Turkeyfoot Road from one lane each way to two lanes each direction, Mr. Rust said. Turn lanes also will be added at all of the intersections, and many curves and dips will be removed from the narrow, winding road.

        One turn lane will be in front of Turkeyfoot Middle School.

        “I would also imagine a traffic light will be installed there as part of the project,” Mr. Rust said. “If there's a light anywhere on Turkeyfoot, that's where it's going to be.”

        Bids for the second phase of the Turkeyfoot reconstruction — a 1.35-mile section from Linden Woods Drive to Dudley Road — should be awarded by July. Work on the third leg — a 1.75-mile stretch of Turkeyfoot between Autumn and Richardson Roads — would begin in 2004, with completion slated for late 2005.

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