Southeast Kentucky Chamber Hosts Membership Meeting with John Michael Johnson, Project Manager, KYTC

PIKEVILLE, KY (January 19, 2024) – The Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce hosted its most recent Monthly Membership Meeting on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, with guest speaker, John Michael Johnson, Project Manager for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet – District 12.
 
The meeting was attended by business leaders, local government officials, community members, and the media present. Networking opportunities were provided over a catered lunch.
 
John Michael Johnson began his presentation with an in-depth exploration of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s website, showing the many tools and resources it provides to the public. Mr. Johnson went into detail about various maps the website features, including the Traffic Counts Map, which gives the average number of vehicles that travel daily through specific sections of any Kentucky highway. Mr. Johnson demonstrated how useful these maps are for businesses looking to establish themselves or relocate to areas with higher daily traffic.
 
Mr. Johnson then spoke of three exciting scholarship programs offered through the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for students interested in careers in engineering or construction. These are four-year programs designed to put students through school, allowing them to work while earning their degree, and securing employment after graduation.
 
The presentation then focused on updates for several roadway projects, including the Mountain Parkway Expansion through Magoffin and Floyd Counties. Mr. Johnson also spoke on US 460—a project 24 years in the making—and the plans he submitted in October of 2023 for the final of 24 construction sections. These plans include the completion of Kentucky’s tallest bridges at more than 320 feet in Draffin, as well as twin bridges that will span 3,000 feet across the Russel Fork River near Elkhorn City. He also talked about plans to rebuild Town Mountain Road in Pikeville, along a brand-new route over the mountain. The new route will ultimately save millions in taxpayer dollars by reducing the need to relocate existing utilities along the current route.
 
“We appreciate John Michael for taking the time to speak to our members this month and everyone who attends our Membership Meetings,” said President & CEO of the Southeast Kentucky Chamber, Jordan Gibson. “Moving forward, these meetings will be at no cost to our members. We appreciate the investment each one of our member businesses make when they join the Chamber, and we want to show them that we are equally invested in them. So join us for lunch in February at our next membership meeting.”
 
Southeast Kentucky Chamber members can view a recording of the presentation, and a selection of past presentations, by logging into the Member Information Center at: https://business.sekchamber.com/login.
 
The Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce is located at 178 College Street in Pikeville and serves more than 500 businesses in eight Eastern Kentucky Counties: Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, and Pike. The Chamber’s mission is to serve the businesses of Southeastern Kentucky through a commitment to networking, advocacy, education, and collaboration as we partner together to enhance the business climate in our region.
 

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