FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 13, 2025) — State and local leaders gathered in London on Tuesday morning at Martins' Peterbilt to celebrate the next segment of the long-anticipated Interstate 75 widening between Laurel and Whitley counties.
Sen. Brandon Storm, R-London, led the ceremonies and welcomed Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester; Senate Transportation Chair Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon; U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers’ chief of staff Karen Kelly; Rep. Ken Upchurch, R-Monticello; and county and municipal officials, along with dozens of business and organization leaders from across the region.
“The widening of I-75 between Whitley and Laurel counties is about far more than new pavement,” Storm said. “It’s a long-term investment in safety, economic growth and quality of life for the people of southern and southeastern Kentucky. When completed, this section will connect with the rest of our six-lane expansion to the Tennessee border, a wide-open gateway to new opportunities.
The project will widen the interstate from mile point 24.0 in Whitley County to just north of the U.S. 25 East interchange in Corbin, improving a heavily traveled freight and tourism route. It is part of a larger effort to modernize the corridor from the Tennessee state line to Lexington.
Higdon noted the teamwork required to bring the project from a designed concept to the construction site.
“Projects like this don’t just happen,” he said. “They come from a long, thoughtful process, building a road plan, securing funding, and working closely with our federal, state, and local partners. Today is proof that collaboration works, and that investments like this will keep Kentucky moving forward.”
The project is funded entirely through Kentucky’s share of federal National Highway System formula dollars, which require a 20 percent state match. Lawmakers, led by Storm, Stivers, Higdon, and other members of the General Assembly, secured the state’s share during recent budget cycles to ensure construction of the project’s next section. An originally budgeted amount of $110 million allowed for each phase of the project, including right-of-way and utility work in 2024, with construction scheduled through 2029.
Stivers spoke to the broad benefits of strategic transportation investments.
“Fifty million dollars of payroll in Whitley and Laurel counties. What does that mean to this area?” he asked. “Highway workers are gonna buy cars, washers and dryers, eat at local restaurants, and fill up with gas. It’s gonna have an economic multiplier that this community hasn’t seen in a while. This ripples to multiple counties. Let’s think about the positive impacts coming together in a regional project and how it impacts everyone in nearly a 10-county area.”
Kelly, representing Congressman Rogers, shared his long-standing commitment to securing resources for southern and eastern Kentucky.
“It’s time to make American infrastructure the envy of the world, starting right here in rural Kentucky, right here in Laurel and Whitley counties, where our blue-collar workers, our truck drivers, and the hardest working Americans are fueling the economy across the country,” she said. “We celebrate today not just for a wider road, not just for more jobs, but for a stronger connection between communities, fostering progress and opportunity for generations to come.”
Upchurch, who serves as chair of the House Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation, emphasized the deliberate decisions by Kentucky lawmakers to invest in the I-75 widening project.
“This widening is about adding capacity for economic growth, tourism, safer travel, and building a stronger connection between our communities and the rest of the commonwealth,” he said. “We made a deliberate choice to invest in I-75 and did so not just because it’s a major transportation artery, but because we know what it means to this region. We put dollars behind our commitment, and today’s milestone proves we are seeing that commitment come to life.”
The widening will improve safety, ease congestion, and open the door to new economic opportunities in eastern and southern Kentucky.
In June, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet awarded a $147.6 million contract to complete the 5.9-mile segment. Chris Jones, Chief District Engineer for KYTC District 11, said the project has been a shared effort since 2020. It is the latest step in transforming I-75 into a continuous six-lane highway from the Tennessee line to Lexington.
Tuesday’s event celebrated the progress made and the partnerships that brought the project to this point. In recent budget cycles, Kentucky Senate and House supermajorities have prioritized infrastructure statewide, including a $450 million transfer from the budget reserve trust fund to support high-growth areas like London, as well as transformative investments in megaprojects like the Brent Spence Bridge in northern Kentucky, which, like the I-75 project, received significant federal support thanks to the commonwealth’s federal delegation.
When the I-75 widening from Lexington to the Tennessee border is complete—along with the new Brent Spence Bridge in Covington—Kentucky will have a fully modernized, high-capacity transportation artery stretching from the Ohio River to the Tennessee state line. This will strengthen the commonwealth’s role as a central corridor for commerce and travel.
###
Sen. Brandon J. Storm, R-London, represents the 21st Senate District, including Casey, Laurel, Lincoln, and Rockcastle Counties. Before being named chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he served as vice chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, notably during the 2024-2026 budget cycle.
Sen. Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, represents the 25th Senate District, including Clay, Jackson, Knox, McCreary, Owsley, and Whitley Counties. As of January 1, Stivers has served as Kentucky Senate president for over a decade. He first assumed the position in 2013, succeeding former Senate President David Williams. As the Senate President, he is co-chair of the Legislative Research Commission. Stivers is also a member of the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary.
Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, represents the 14th Senate District, including LaRue, Marion, Nelson, Spencer, and Washington Counties. He serves as co-chair of the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation and the Public Pension Oversight Board. He also serves on the Interim Joint Committees on Education; Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations; Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection; and the Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation. He is a member of the Kentucky Housing Task Force.
Please visit Legislature.ky.gov for information on Senate Majority Caucus members, legislative committees, and additional resources.
Lawmakers returned to Frankfort on June 3 to start the 2025 Interim. During this period, committees will meet to study policy issues, review implementation of recently passed legislation, and begin evaluating proposals for the 2026 Regular Session, which begins Tuesday, January. 6.
The full 2025 Interim Calendar is available here. A weekly schedule with meeting times, topics, and agendas can be viewed at legislature.ky.gov/LegislativeCalendar.
Live coverage of interim legislative meetings is available at KET.org/legislature and on the LRC YouTube channel.
You can follow the Kentucky Senate Majority Caucus on X, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky. For additional member information and press releases, visitKYSenateRepublicans.com.
