By Brenna R. Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

A state plan to be released this week could mean several of Boone County's roads will be widened sooner rather than later.

But because of Kentucky's budget woes, it may also mean the projects will linger on the state's Six-year Highway Plan, the priority list for road projects.

Five of the county's main arteries are to be widened under the current six-year plan - but only one has a date for construction.

Boone County Judge-executive Gary Moore hopes that will change when the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet releases its updated plan.

"Our goal is to see that construction dollars for those projects are put into the new six-year plan," he said.

The current plan contains $93 million in unfunded road-widening projects in Boone: North Bend Road north of Interstate 275 (Ky. 237), Turfway Road, Camp Ernst Road/Pleasant Valley Road (both Ky. 237), Mt. Zion Road and U.S. 25.

Most pre-construction costs have been scheduled. But the most expensive phase - construction - has not.

"We are going to reach a point where roads are being designed, utilities being moved, and when the construction comes, there's no money for it," Moore said.

A 1999 study showed that Boone County gets back 30 cents for each dollar of tax money it sends to Frankfort - the lowest in the state.

Campbell County got back 82 cents on the dollar and Kenton got back 50 cents on the dollar, according to the University of Louisville study.

Moore hopes Gov. Ernie Fletcher, a fellow Republican, will change that. But Fletcher may not be able to grant all of Boone's road wishes this year, Moore said.

The current six-year plan calls for $2 billion more in projects statewide than the transportation cabinet can afford.

Last month, the cabinet pushed all state-funded projects ahead from this year to January 2005. That means the transportation district, which covers 11 Northern Kentucky counties, now has $67.8 million in projects scheduled for January 2005, said Mike Bezold, district design engineer.

One of those is widening Turfway Road. The $9.7 million project was set to begin this year, but has been delayed.

Moore hopes the money is included in the new plan. He also hopes it contains $4 million for widening Industrial Road.

Boone and Kenton counties, along with three cities, gave $2 million for the project. U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning got $10 million in federal money. But it still needs about $4 million.

"The first priority in the county is Ky. 237," Moore said.

That includes both sections, North Bend Road and Camp Ernst/Pleasant Valley Road.

Construction of the North Bend section is $19 million, while the southern section is $29 million. Neither are scheduled in the current plan and both are lined with new and planned subdivisions.

In the 10 neighborhoods along North Bend, 2,411 homes will be built in the coming years.

Fixing the windy, two lane road "was the top priority that came out of the North East Boone study (four years ago)," said Dave Geohegan, director of planning at the Boone County Planning Commission. "We have been waiting on it and people want it bad."

While Moore offered no predictions on how much Boone projects would get in the new road plan, which will still have to be approved by the General Assembly, he's confident Fletcher will not ignore Boone, the second-fastest growing county in the state.

"I have been so impressed with the willingness of this administration to listen to our concerns and better understand what our needs are," Moore said. "We've been able to explain how our population growth and economic growth is putting these demands for improvements on highways."

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E-mail bkelly@enquirer.com