NEWBY, Ky. (LEX 18) — More than a year after the main bridge in and out of a small Madison County community closed, residents are cautiously optimistic that the delayed construction of the bridge’s replacement is moving forward.
Ashlie Hatton, the owner of the Newby Country Store, said Friday that work seems to be picking up in the days since a community meeting and news stories started raising safety concerns surrounding the closed bridge.
Hatton has been one of the many Newby residents of the area pushing for the bridge to be finished, and she said those she’s spoken with are hopeful that the bridge will be done by the December 1 deadline given to the contractor doing the job.
“I think a lot of it’s going to depend on what gets done before worse weather hits,” Hatton said.
When LEX 18 visited the construction site on Friday, work was being done on the new bridge.
The bridge outage has already caused significantly longer commutesand made it more difficult for emergency vehicles to reach people in Newby.
“You have to either hope that the bridge gets done or you have to hope for a light, light winter,” Hatton said.
Residents are grateful that work is being done, but Hatton said she hopes in the future that there’s more oversight on rural projects like the one in Newby.
“I hope the state is more hands-on,” Hatton said. “I think if anyone had driven through here or come by, if anyone would have looked at it — laid eyes on it — I think they would've realized what a main thoroughfare it is.”
