Gov. Beshear Cuts Ribbon on Last Portion of Mountain Parkway Widening To Better Connect Eastern Kentucky

Completed Wolfe County segment delivers 32 miles of continuous 4-lane highway

HELECHAWA, Ky. (Aug. 31, 2026) - Gov. Andy Beshear today joined former Gov. Steve Beshear and local, state and federal officials to cut the ribbon on the Wolfe County segment of the Mountain Parkway Expansion, which completes 32 continuous miles of four-lane Mountain Parkway to better connect Eastern Kentucky to jobs, schools, healthcare and future economic growth.

"Team Kentucky is proud to mark another milestone in this project that Kentuckians have been waiting half a century to see come to life," Gov. Beshear said. "This took a tremendous amount of work, and the end result means we have taken another step forward in making it safer, easier and faster for families to live, learn, work and connect across Eastern Kentucky."

Construction of the 11-mile Wolfe County segment, for which Gov. Beshear broke ground in 2022, took place from mile point 45.8 near Campton to just west of Exit 57 near Helechawa and included the reconstruction of two interchanges: Kentucky Highway 191/Campton (Exit 46) and Kentucky Highway 1010/Hazel Green (Exit 53).

It's a nearly $100 million investment that included securing a $55 million federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America, or INFRA, grant in 2020 and the last of five project segments to widen the original Mountain Parkway's two-lane route through mountainous terrain between Campton and Salyersville.

Completion of the Wolfe County section leaves only the sixth and final segment remaining in the Mountain Parkway Expansion. In 2025, Gov. Beshear broke ground on the 13-mile Magoffin-Floyd segment - an all-new, cross-country piece of the parkway that will provide a four-lane connection from Salyersville to Kentucky Highway 114 near Prestonsburg. With approximately 30 million cubic yards of earth to move, the Magoffin-Floyd segment is one of the largest excavation projects in the commonwealth's history, and its scale means construction will continue for several more years before the Mountain Parkway Expansion is fully complete.

"The Mountain Parkway Expansion is not only a 45-mile project through Magoffin, Floyd, Morgan and Wolfe counties; it is a grand opening to Kentucky's Appalachian region, interlocking a 400-mile corridor across the commonwealth that will spur economic development and industrial opportunities for generations to come," said U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers. "The expansion on Restaurant Row in Salyersville is also a reflection of the resilience of our region, proving once again, that we will continue to thrive through every storm and rebuild stronger than ever before. I was proud to work with our state and local leaders to secure federal funding for this project over the last decade to ensure construction moved forward through every segment. I celebrate with the people of Eastern Kentucky and applaud every construction worker, project manager and engineer who got the job done."

"This is a transformational transportation corridor for Eastern Kentucky," said Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman. "We are honored to be providing Kentuckians with the modern corridor they deserve while making it easier and safer for people from the commonwealth and beyond to benefit from all that Eastern Kentucky has to offer."

Background
The Mountain Parkway Expansion is a 45-mile transportation improvement project that will create a wider, safer connection between Eastern Kentucky and the rest of the commonwealth. It is a key transportation project designed to close the only gap in a 400-mile, four-lane, high-speed corridor for commerce and mobility across Kentucky from Pikeville to Paducah.

The project widened 32 miles of existing parkway to four lanes and will extend the parkway by 13 miles, from Salyersville to Prestonsburg.

A summary and construction timeline of all project segments includes:

• Wolfe County | 11 miles | August 2022 - 2026
• Morgan County | 8.2 miles | 2017-2021
• Magoffin County West | 4.6 miles | 2019 - 2025
• Magoffin County Central | 5.7 miles | 2015-2018
• Salyersville Restaurant Row | 2.4 miles | 2016-2019
• Magoffin-Floyd | 13 miles | 2025-2032

For more information, visit mtnparkway.com.

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Editors' note: Photos from today's ribbon cutting will be available at https://kytc.cimediacloud.com/r/Gc6aLTDmqtgJ