HEBRON, Ky. -- A key northern Kentucky road is in line for a major expansion as Amazon grows its presence in the region.
Officials want to expand Mineola Pike, a hilly, two-lane road connecting Interstate 275 to the airport, to make it safer and easier to use as Amazon Prime Air comes to town in the next several years.
KS Energy Services workers are familiar with the narrow road. The company is installing a new gas line along Mineola Pike, and trucks and cars whiz by at a pretty good clip.
“They get a little close - plenty of them - and it's tough keeping enough open area for everyone to get by,” Rick Grigsby said.
That will soon be changed thanks to Boone County’s Master Transportation plan, which includes a proposal to upgrade the road at a cost of $45 million.
Judge Executive Gary Moore put it into perspective Thursday in a citizen podcast with Robyn Bancroft of The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments.
“Mineola is going to be a major entryway with trucks as well as employees to the Prime Air project, DHL's expansion and other airport growth,” Moore said.
Amazon Prime Air’s hub will go near DHL on airport property. Other growth includes well-known names such as Wayfair and Bosch, firms that need reliable logistics.
Bancroft said improved access to the interstate is critical for future growth.
The number of crashes on Mineola hasn’t been that high, but Moore said planners want to prevent this from happening.
“We want to to do our best to make improvements to it before we see accidents and safety concerns,” Moore said.
