By Allyson Dix
For Glasgow News 1
Barren County magistrates unanimously approved a resolution agreement with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet on Oct. 20 to receive $213,860 in allocated flex road funds.
County road department officials said the funds will be used to resurface portions of Chenoweth Road, Oak Ridge School Road, and Peters Creek Road. The goal is to complete additional paving before the winter season moves in.
The flex funds program is a part of the Department of Rural and Municipal Aid’s Rural Secondary Program. The funds can be spent at the discretion of the cities or counties that receive them.
In mid-August, Blake Williams with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) announced at a fiscal court meeting that Barren County would receive a total of $213,860 in flex funds for fiscal year 2026-27.
KYTC also allocated $1.4 million for routine maintenance on 145.491 miles of rural secondary roads in the county, as well as an asphalt resurfacing project covering 6.61 miles of Kentucky 87, beginning at the intersection of Milburn Taylor Road and extend north to the intersection of Peters Creek Road.
The county’s state road funding has decreased by around $300,000 in rural secondary funds and $80,000 in flex funds compared with last year, according to Barren County Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd.
Officials have said counties across the state have had substantial decreases in funding through the Rural Secondary Program, which is generated by motor fuels tax revenue.
According to KYTC’s website, the condition of a county’s state roads affects the amount of flex funding it receives for resurfacing, noting that counties with state roads in better condition receive more flex funding.
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