Construction on a section of realignment of U.S. 127 in Russell County is set to begin next week, meaning that the project has moved yet another step closer to seeing the highway being completed through Russell County and Clinton County.

According to a press release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), it recently awarded a contract for the realignment of U.S. 127 in Russell County.

The $24.2 million project will realign a section of U.S. 127 from the north bank of the Cumberland River to the Jamestown Bypass.

In this initial phase of the construction process, the prime contractor, Hi-View LLC, is scheduled to begin work the week of January 30 clearing trees and brush along the 3.4-mile project corridor.

According to the 2016-17 Kentucky Biennial Highway Construction plan, this particular portion of the U.S. 127 realignment project will see the highway moved to a point about three and one-half miles downstream from the current location of the portion of the road that crosses Wolf Creek Dam.

The next step of the project would include a new bridge that would span the Cumberland River from the north bank in Russell County into Clinton County.

This most current highway construction plan places the current phase of that project in the design phase, moving into the right-of-way procurement and utility construction phase during fiscal year 2017, reaching the construction phase by fiscal year 2018.

Amber Hale, the Information Officer for the District 8 office of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in Somerset, explained in more detail to the Clinton County News on Monday the status of that particular portion of the U.S. 127 project.

“The next section of the U.S. 127 realignment project which you are asking about including the new bridge over the Cumberland River has just began its process through the right-of-way phase,” Hale confirmed to the Clinton County News in an email response Monday. ‘This means that our right-of-way department is starting their work on appraising properties along the route and when appraisals are completed then property buying will begin.”

Hale also noted that according to the recommended highway plan, the project will be in the right-of-way and utility phases during 2017.

In Clinton County, two additional portions of the U.S. 127 project that were included in the biennial highway construction plan would see the road being built from the Clinton County – Russell County boundary in Manntown, to an area near the intersection of the Aaron Ridge Road and U.S. 127.

Both of those projects are currently in the design phase of construction.

One of those two projects, the southern most section, is slated to reach the right-of-way and utility construction phase in fiscal year 2018 while funding to advance the northern most portion was not included in the two year plan.

Eventually, the U.S. 127 realignment will see the highway being reconstructed from the intersection with Ky. 90 at the Junction Station location, to the location of the new bridge that will span the Cumberland River below Wolf Creek Dam.