Soaring gas prices have caused ridership to increase, and TARC to add trips to its Plainview and Oldham County Express bus lines. The new I-71 Oldham County Express line has proven to be particularly popular.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will start work on the realignment of the Gene Snyder Freeway interchange with US 42 in Prospect. The exit ramp will be realigned next to the entrance ramp, and a traffic light will be installed at the foot of the ramps. Work is expected to be finished in mid-2007.

Officials from Harrison County have informed a Louisville Metro councilman that while there are more pressing transportation needs, they will stay out of the way and monitor progress on Councilman Doug Hawkins's proposal to build a bridge linking southwestern Jefferson County with Harrison County.

Most of TARC's original proposed bus service changes will take effect August 21st.

#1 Fourth Street Trolley - Service will be cut back to every 12 minutes from 7am to 7pm (6pm on Saturdays), and every 20 minutes to 10pm.

#4 - Morning rush-hour service reduced to every 10 minutes; midday will continue to run every 12 minutes. Sunday frequency increased to run every 30 minutes.

#6 - Route is extended south on New Cut to serve the Kmart and Wal-Mart. Approx. every other weekday trip will serve those locations. On weekends, most trips during the daytime and some at night will use the extension.

#18 - All trips currently terminating at 16th/Algonquin are extended to Dixie/Heaton.

#25 - On weekends, service to St. Matthews is discontinued; all weekend trips turn around at Everett/Grinstead. Service to St. Matthews is maintained on weekdays only. (The original proposal called for all trips to turn around at Everett.)

#29 - All St. Matthews trips will now go to Oxmoor Center. Sunday/holiday service to St. Matthews is reinstated, and weekend hours have been extended. Changes from original proposal: buses will no longer use Barney/Alta/Cowling; they will stay on Cherokee Road to Spring Drive. Buses will also no longer use Westport/Hubbards/Massie, and will no longer use the Thierman/Oechsli/Sears loop. All westbound trips will go to Cane Run Road and will no longer turn around at Heaton.

#30 Bardstown Road Trolley - discontinued.

#37 - Route has been extended to Fairdale, serving most stops used by Route 48. Changes from original proposal: Reverse commute trips will serve new stops at the UPS Logistics Center. Service to Tin Dor Estates discontinued.

#48 - Discontinued, see #37.

#51 - Discontinued.

#63 - Sunday service will be added, using the same schedule times as current Saturday service.

#64 - Most trips now terminate at Crestwood, with one morning and one afternoon trip continuing to La Grange.

#67 I-71 Express (NEW ROUTE) - Will provide service from park-and-ride lots at La Grange, Buckner, and Crestwood.

#77 - Extended service to 8pm, 6:30 pm on Saturdays.

The Indiana Dept. of Transportation has recently purchased the first piece of property to be used for the Ohio River Bridges Project. The 7-acre tract of vacant land in eastern Clark County is part of a combined 382 acres on both sides of the river that will be purchased; Kentucky and Indiana plan to finish their purchases in 2008 and 2009.

A study released by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet yesterday suggests widening a 9.3-mile section of KY 22. The study suggests widening the two-lane section between Herr Lane and Hurstbourne Parkway to three lanes, the section from KY 1408 to the KY 329 bypass to three lanes, and the section from KY 1604 to KY 1408 to five. If these recommendations are accepted, the project could cost up to $69 million and would be done over the next 10-20 years.

As a result of a year-long study, TARC is proposing a series of bus route changes, mergers, and improvements.

• Evening service frequency on the 4th Street Trolley would be cut back.
• Reduce peak hour frequencies on Route 4 from every 8-10 minutes to every 10, and add service on Sunday.
• Route 6 would be extended to the shopping center at New Cut/Outer Loop.
• Route 18 would provide more trips to Dixie/Heaton by extening trips now stopping at 16th/Algonquin.
• Route 25 would have service east of Everett discontinued; weekend frequencies would improve.
• Route 29 would be extended to Oxmoor Center, and its service frequency would improve.
• The Bardstown Road Trolley and Fourth Avenue Circulator would be discontinued.
• Route 48 would be discontinued, and Route 37 would be extended to serve most areas currently served by Route 48.
• Route 63 would add Sunday service.
• Evening service on the Main Street Trolley would be extended to 10pm.

Public hearings are scheduled on June 21, 22, and 24. Please see the linked article for further details.

A new express route will start in August providing service from Oldham County to Louisville. The route will follow I-71 and include stops at park-and-ride lots at Exits 14 (KY 329, Crestwood/Brownsboro), 18 (KY 393, Centerfield/Buckner), and 22 (KY 53, La Grange).

The following adjustments to TARC's bus service have taken effect May 29th:

• Instead of switching between 22nd and 23rd via Wilson Ave, Route 22 buses now switch using Dumesnil (southbound trips) and Oak (northbound trips).
• Extended morning and evening hours for Saturday service to New Albany on Route 22.
• Extended evening service to the Bashford Manor Wal-Mart on Route 23 by continuing trips that formerly stopped at Bardstown and Goldsmith.
• Minor time adjustments on Routes 18, 22, 48, 62, and 64.

The extension of Hurstbourne Parkway from Bardstown Road to Fern Valley Road is now open. No link to a news article or anything; your humble author drove on the extension today, along with other cars. Get out your markers and update your maps!

Kentucky highway officials have pushed back the proposed opening date of the Hurstbourne Parkway extension from Bardstown Road to Fern Valley Road to somewhere in mid-June. Heavy rains and saturated ground prevented plans to open the extension in December, and once again by Derby Day.

Because of a projected $2.1 billion shortfall in the next 10 years, INDOT officials are creating a new 10-year highway plan and will be seeking input from residents on prioritizing 254 highway projects.

The list includes work on two proposed bridges over the Ohio River, additional traffic lanes on I-65 in northern Clark county, additional lanes on I-64 in Floyd, and on Highway 111 from Beechwood Ave. to Highway 60.

Portland residents are concerned about a plan to convert sections of Portland Avenue and Bank Streets to two-way streets. The traffic changes are at the request of Kroger to improve access to a new store being built at 35th & Bank.

At a meeting held last week, residents were concerned that the changes would "hurt street parking and access, complicate turns onto Bank and Portland from side streets, and threaten the safety of children playing in the area".

Metro Council must approve an ordnance to allow the changes to take place, and city officials must get approval from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet since those sections of Portland and Bank are maintained by the state.

INDOT officials are conducting final inspections on the Revive 65 project, and expect work to be "completely done" in two weeks. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for the middle of June.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has signed several bills into law, including one that will raise the maximum legal speed limit on Indiana highways to 70 miles per hour. While the law will take effect July 1, it may take longer to post higher speed limits on some sections of highway since the Indiana Department of Transportation must conduct engineering studies to determine where higher limits would be safe and feasible.