From Kentucky Public Radio's Tony McVeighKentucky Governor Steve Beshear says the state will downscale road projects to save money, but not at the expense of safety.Beshear says road construction costs have risen more than 40% in the last three years, but road fund revenues are not keeping up. So, costs have to be cut. That’s why Beshear’s unveiling what he calls the Practical Solutions initiative.This plan is not designed to create a saved pot of unallocated money," Beshear said. "Rather, we will simply tackle more projects sooner by being judicious in how we design and we build."Beshear says it’s too early to say how much money may be saved, but he promises the downsizing of projects will in no way jeopardize safety. He says Missouri has had tremendous success with a similar program and has saved hundreds of millions of dollars.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.