According to KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Mike McGregor, bids on state mowing contracts came in high for several counties. In the process of seeking alternatives, highway engineers starting talking to Graves County about the need for a contractor. After discussion, the Graves County Fiscal Court offered to pick up the mowing contract to help fund county road department operations.
"So far as we know, this is the first such interagency agreement where a county road crew will be mowing along state highways," McGregor said. "The agreement helps us maintain roadside mowing this summer while providing an alternate funding source for county roads."
District 1 has about 2,800 miles of highway across Kentucky's 12 westernmost counties. About half are mowed by state crews, with about half mowed by contractors. Under the interagency agreement, the Graves County Road Department will be responsible for about 251 total highway miles.
KYTC District 1 personnel will be mowing along the Julian Carroll-Purchase Parkway from Calvert City to the Kentucky-Tennessee state line at Fulton. Two Graves County class D inmate crews will assist that effort by picking up litter along the parkway.
