Kentucky transportation grants awarded to Paducah, Hickory rail firms

Two western Kentucky companies will get a share of state funding for rail upgrades.

KYTC officials said Paducah & Louisville Railway will use more than $900,000 to upgrade the railway’s trackside safety monitoring technology. The expanded system is designed to spot overheated railcar components before they become dangerous.

The award comes through the Kentucky Short Line Infrastructure Preservation program as part of a broader $3.1 million package supporting seven rail and industrial-access projects statewide.

Jared Donaldson Trucking of Hickory recently acquired property that has access to the Paducah and Louisville Raitroad. They received a $500,000 matching grant from the Kentucky Industrial Access and Safety Improvement program to reopen a rail spur and add scales, conveying systems and a new turnout to allow railcar access for direct loading onto trucks.