Welcome to the Belmar Neighborhood Association web site

For Immediate Release
November 4, 2009

State decides to keep Preston-Watterson ramp open

FRANKFORT — Rep. Jim Wayne, D-Louisville, today announced that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has decided a ramp connecting Preston Highway to the eastbound side of Watterson Expressway should remain open.

The decision shows that the voices of citizens who objected to the planned closure were heard by transportation officials, Rep. Wayne said.

Louisville citizens shared their concerns about the impact a ramp closing would have on traffic in the area during a town hall meeting Rep. Wayne hosted on the issue last month. Issues of convenience and safety, as well as the traffic flow to residential areas, businesses and Male High School, were all concerns, Wayne said.

“I’m glad that so many people were willing to come together to tell transportation officials about the inconveniences they’d face if this ramp was closed,” Wayne said. “I appreciate that Acting Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock reviewed the issue carefully and heard the voices of area citizens before the decision was made to keep the ramp open.”

The Belmar Neighborhood and the Camp Zachary Taylor Neighborhood are teaming up this Saturday morning to clean-up around the railroad overpass on Belmar Drive from 9-12noon. We are then invited to attend a free chili lunch hosted by our Councilman, Jim King at this Mayoral headquarters. Please see the attached flyer (word document) for details. If it is possible for you to print several flyers and pass them out to your neighbors, it would help to spread the word. Thank you.

Courier Journal Article about Preston Highway Ramp

The Federal Highway Department and the State of Kentucky Department of Transportation jointly have slated the eastbound ramp off Preston (formally known as Ramp P-3) onto the Watterson to close as part of the Revive 65 Initiative. Please contact Mike Hancock Kentucky State Secretary of Transportation to let his office know your thoughts on this closing. Your voice matters. Along with making the important phone calls, please add your thoughts to this running thread (click here). It will serve as a documentation of constituent feedback. Thank you.

Contact us:
Office of the Secretary
Mike Hancock - Secretary
Angela Criscillis - Assistant

Chief of Staff - Geri Grigsby

Amy Miller - Admin Assistant
Debbie Cunningham - Admin Assistant

200 Mero St
Frankfort, KY. 40622
Phone: 502-564-5102 Fax: 502-564 9540

Press release from Representative Jim Wayne

For Immediate Release

October 29, 2009
Preston-Watterson ramp closure being reconsidered

FRANKFORT — Following a town hall meeting of concerned citizens hosted by state Rep. Jim Wayne on October 22, state and federal officials are considering alternatives to closing a ramp connecting Preston Highway to the Watterson Expressway.

Negotiations are continuing among the Federal Highway Administration, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, and Rep. Wayne, with Rep. Wayne appealing to Congressman John Yarmuth for assistance. State officials are now debating alternatives to the ramp closure, which would affect the onramp from Preston Highway to the eastbound lane of the Watterson Expressway.

Acting Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock has been out of the office this week but is expected to review the situation when he returns on Monday, including the alternatives to ramp closure. Wayne is working together to keep the ramp open. “There are several different ways to avoid this ramp closure that would foster safety, and I’m eager to work with state and federal officials to choose the best option,” Wayne said.

Wayne said he would host another town meeting the week of November 9 for transportation officials to understand the concerns of citizens in the surrounding area. Details will be announced next week once arrangements have been made.
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History of Belmar Neighborhood Association
The Belmar Neighborhood Association came to be on February 28, 2002 where neighbors gathered at the Hillview Cumberland Presbyterian Church (located in our neighborhood) to agree an association was necessary.

Mission Statement of Belmar Neighborhood Association
The Belmar Neighborhood Association is committed to improving, preserving and protecting our surroundings and individual rights.