TURNER SECURES TRANSFORMATIVE 

FUNDING FOR BELL COUNTY

FRANKFORT, KY (May 17, 2024)—Bell County will receive significant support for local projects and road improvements thanks to the advocacy of Sen. Johnnie Turner, R-Harlan. 

In House Bill (HB) 1, which leverages $2.7 billion from the state’s budget reserve trust fund, Turner secured numerous transformational funding allocations for Bell County. 

Over the next two years, $12 million will be allocated to support Appalachian Regional Healthcare’s construction of a cancer treatment center in Middlesboro. The center will offer residents of Bell County and the region opportunities to receive cancer treatment closer to home instead of traveling to receive care. Turner and the community recently celebrated this funding allocation.

Additionally, over $1.36 million for develop the industrial park to support job creation and economic growth. 

As a result of a Senate-led proposal, HB 1 also included $450 million for the state’s two-year road plan, HB 266, to boost road projects across the state.

Included in the biennial road plan specifically for Bell County is more than $9.34 million for planning, designing, obtaining rights-of-way, utility work, and construction of various road and bridge projects in the county, including

  • Over $2.3 million for repaving projects in the county:

    • Nearly $1.16 million to address conditions of KY Highway 2012 from mile point 0 to mile point 1.95,

    • Almost $1.15 million to address conditions on US Highway 25 East from mile point 2.86 to mile point 3.5.

  • $2.24 million for improving mobility on US Highway 119 by adding a continuous third lane as an alternate passing lane (mile point 3.5 - 9.3),

  • $1.58 million to enhance Cumberland Avenue from US Highway 25 East to 18th Street with street improvements for vehicles and pedestrians, as well as storm water management to improve safety, congestion and environmental impact, 

  • $1.51 million for providing passing opportunities on US Highway 119 at mile point 4.5,

  • $954,000 for guardrail installation projects across the county,

  • $695,000 for filling in an existing depressed median to install a two-way left turn lane from the intersection of KY Highway 441 to the intersection of Tim Short Automotive, and

  • $60,000 for constructing one left turn lane on US Highway 25 East at Log Mill Road, with 200 feet of storage and 100 feet of taper at mile point 10.7.

House Joint Resolution (HJR) 91 includes scheduled projects and anticipated needs for the remaining four years of the six-year highway construction plan. Find HJR 91 HERE. Bell County-specific projects can be found on pages 12-13. 

“I’m proud to work for the good people of eastern Kentucky, and I’m happy to help get a lot of good things done here in Bell County and these mountains,” Turner said. “All this road and bridge funding will go a long way in bettering our communities, especially after the recent announcement about the up to $81 million grant to support a hydropower facility in Middlesboro and the jobs that will come with it.”

The 2024 Legislative Session concluded on Monday, April 15. The 2024 Interim begins in June.

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Sen. Turner (R- Harlan) represents the 29th Senate District, encompassing Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Knott, and Letcher Counties. Senator Turner is a member of the Interim joint committees on Judiciary, Natural Resources and Energy, Transportation, and Banking and Insurance. He served on the 2023  Multimodal Freight Transportation System Improvement Task Force. 

 For a high-resolution .jpeg of Turner, please visit: https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/Pages/Legislator-Profile.aspx?DistrictNumber=129

Please visit Legislature.ky.gov for more information on Senate Majority Caucus members and the recently concluded 2024 Legislative Session.

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