Barbourville road and aquatic-center access projects included in Kentucky highway plan

Barbourville, a city in Knox County, Kentucky, has three local roadway projects included in the state’s enacted 2026-2028 Biennial Highway Construction Plan: a new access road to the Barbourville Independent Schools aquatic center, safety and flood-mitigation work on KY 1487, and planning to raise KY 11 above Flood X elevation.

House Bill 502, designated Acts Chapter 145, constitutes the official 2026-2028 Biennial Highway Construction Plan. The bill was signed by Gov. Andy Beshear on April 13, 2026. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet separately publishes the enacted plan and its project listings.

Aquatic-center road is programmed in three phases

The plan lists $975,000 for a new access road to the aquatic center owned by Barbourville Independent Schools. The amount is divided among three fiscal years and project phases:

• $150,000 for planning in fiscal year 2026;
• $75,000 for right-of-way work in fiscal year 2027; and
• $750,000 for construction in fiscal year 2028.

The plan says the road is intended to improve safety and provide safe ingress and egress to the facility. It also says the road will be transferred to Barbourville city government. The document does not establish that the transfer has occurred or set out the city’s future maintenance obligations.

If the project advances, aquatic-center users, school families and facility staff could eventually have a planned access route into and out of the property. The highway-plan record does not specify the road’s final alignment, traffic capacity or the aquatic center’s operating or opening schedule.

KY 1487 has FY2028 construction programming

The plan programs $7.8 million in fiscal year 2028 construction funding for KY 1487, also known as Manchester Street, from Judge Street to US 25E. The listed purposes are improving safety, addressing geometric deficiencies and providing flood mitigation.

The route serves residents, commuters and businesses traveling through Barbourville and other parts of Knox County. If the project proceeds through design, right-of-way and construction, the stated goals could address roadway conditions and some flooding-related access problems. The plan does not promise to eliminate flooding, prevent every closure or guarantee uninterrupted travel.

KY 11 allocation is for planning

A separate $210,000 allocation in fiscal year 2026 is listed for planning along KY 11. The plan says the project is intended to improve safety and access by raising the roadway above Flood X elevation.

Because the allocation is for planning rather than construction, it does not by itself mean that roadway-raising work will begin. It indicates that flood-related access and roadway elevation are part of the state’s programmed planning work for Knox County.

What the enacted plan confirms

Acts Chapter 145 authorizes the projects as part of Kentucky’s enacted highway plan, but the available records do not provide a confirmed construction start date, bid or letting date, final design or completion date for these three projects. The act also says the project authorizations are based on Transportation Cabinet estimates and may be affected by bids or unforeseen circumstances.

For Barbourville, the immediate development is the formal inclusion of projects addressing aquatic-center access, KY 1487 roadway conditions and flood resilience planning on KY 11. The next practical milestones would be design, right-of-way and procurement actions showing whether and when the programmed work moves toward construction.

Sources

• Kentucky Acts Chapter 145: 2026-2028 Biennial Highway Construction Plan
• Kentucky Transportation Cabinet 2026 Enacted Highway Plan