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Boone County considers state-led redesign of Hicks Pike after public feedback; $60 million in funding in state plan
Summary
Boone County commissioners heard public feedback and staff updates March 25 on a proposed state takeover and redesign of Hicks Pike, emphasizing local concerns about losing control, avoiding a five-lane 'Pleasant Valley' outcome, and design that preserves community character. Public Works reported broad outreach and said about $60 million is earmarked in the state plan across phases.
Boone County Fiscal Court on March 25 reopened discussion and public comment on a proposed state-led redesign and potential transfer of Hicks Pike, saying the matter would return to the April 8 agenda for possible action.
Why it matters: county leaders said state involvement could unlock roughly $60 million in combined federal and state funding for Hicks Pike improvements, but residents and some elected officials warned the county must press for a context-sensitive design that avoids creating an oversized, high-speed corridor.
At the meeting, Public Works representative Rob Franksman described the outreach done to date: "We sent out over 1,100 postcards...we had over 57,000 impressions" and the county's online public-input page had "over 2,600 views...over 250 separate participants and over a 130 comments," numbers Franksman said staff are still compiling into a presentation for the court. Franksman added staff plan to return with a summary and recommendations at the April 8 meeting.
State Representative Sarah Proctor, who attended local community meetings, told the court a central resident concern is whether control would be lost if the state takes over the road: "If the state takes over this road, do we lose control?" she said. Proctor said assurances and an open, design-focused public process would allay many residents' worries.
Court members said they favor a design that improves safety while fitting the community. A presiding officer noted that the county's preference is for a boulevard-style design and traffic-calming features rather than a five-lane, high-capacity model similar to Pleasant Valley. Franksman said traffic volumes on Hicks Pike are substantially lower than on Pleasant Valley and that the state and county could work together to pursue context-sensitive design.
What happens next: staff will assemble the public-input findings and proposed approaches for the court and present them at the April 8 meeting for further direction. Commissioners emphasized they will continue to advocate to the state for a design that balances safety, aesthetics and community preferences.
Provenance: issue introduced in public comment and staff presentation (topic began SEG 467) and discussed through the court's direction to return the matter to the April 8 agenda (topic discussed through SEG 828).
