The roundabout at Fairview Drive, Old Hartford Road and Foors Lane opened on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 4, 2026, more than three months ahead of its mid-November target. Most of the coverage stopped at the ribbon. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's own plans point somewhere else. The roundabout near Hillcrest Golf Course is the first finished piece of a longer rebuild of Fairview Drive. The next pieces add sidewalks, a shared-use path and a new park entrance on the way to the Greenbelt.
So if you drive Fairview to work, school or Kroger Marketplace, this fall's changes were mostly about cars. The ones coming after are about getting to Horse Fork Creek Park and the trail.
Eleven years of planning, five months of building
KYTC started planning a roundabout at this intersection in 2015. Before the rebuild, all four approaches were two lanes, with no dedicated turn lanes and no left-turn signals. In January 2024, a KYTC spokesperson said engineers picked a roundabout because they felt it was safer for pedestrians as well as vehicles, according to Owensboro Times. The July 2025 agenda of the Owensboro-Daviess County Metropolitan Planning Organization listed the project at a total estimated cost of $4.5 million, with $1.2 million for right-of-way, $1.3 million for utility relocation and $2 million for construction. That was a planning figure, not a final bill.
Construction started March 1. By mid-July, Old Hartford Road had reopened and Fairview was set to close on July 20 so crews could tie it into the new alignment. Transportation officials worked with the contractor to speed things up, aiming to open before Daviess County Public Schools started classes on August 6. They made it. The Messenger-Inquirer reported that crews finished the striping and arrows the day it opened.
The rules for the circle are short:
- Traffic moves counterclockwise.
- Vehicles already in the roundabout have the right of way, and entering vehicles yield when needed.
- Follow the pavement arrows to the correct lane.
- Don't stop inside the circle unless traffic forces you to.
KYTC cites national data showing roundabouts cut overall crashes by about 37% and fatalities by as much as 90%, mostly by removing right-angle "T-bone" collisions. Those are national averages, not local results. It's too early for this intersection to have a track record of its own.
The signals farther up Fairview
The second change this fall is a new set of traffic signals at the intersection near Daviess County Middle School and Kroger Marketplace. The City of Owensboro planned to put them in caution flash on Friday, September 25 and switch them to full operation on Friday, October 2. Drivers also get a new lane pattern at Hayden Road, where Fairview gains a through/right-turn lane. As of this weekend, we haven't found a report confirming the switch, so treat October 2 as the scheduled date.
The roundabout and the signals tackle the same problem from opposite ends of a busy stretch. KYTC has described Fairview as a road serving a fast-growing area. Growth along KY 54 adds congestion, and some drivers use Fairview to get around KY 54. For scale, KYTC counted more than 32,000 vehicles using KY 54 to reach the commercial district south of the U.S. 60 bypass.
Where the rebuild goes next
The stretch of Fairview between Settles Road and KY 54 carried 6,774 vehicles a day in 2020 and 8,564 in 2024, according to KYTC District 2 public information officer Matt Hughes. That's an increase of a little over a quarter in four years. That road is next in line. KYTC plans to widen and upgrade just over a mile of Fairview between Settles Road and KY 54. The project centers on a second roundabout at Fairview and Settles, which will improve the intersection's alignment and reduce the steep grade there.
"Roundabouts are a nationally proven safety countermeasure." Matt Hughes, KYTC District 2
The car-related parts are a two-way left-turn lane along much of the corridor, plus drainage work like new curb inlets, culvert replacements and storm sewer upgrades. The pedestrian plan is what makes this a different road. Heading toward KY 54, the design changes in stages:
- Between Settles Road and Hillbrooke Parkway, Fairview gets a more rural cross-section with no sidewalks.
- From Hillbrooke Parkway to Brooks Parkway, a sidewalk with urban curb and gutter runs along the left side.
- From Brooks Parkway to the Greenbelt parking area, a sidewalk stays on the left and a shared-use path is added on the right.
KYTC also plans to change how you get into Horse Fork Creek Park. Early in construction, crews would build a new park entrance. Once it opens, the two existing entrances closest to the Greenbelt would close permanently. Hughes said the design details near the park are still being finalized, with a focus on access and safety for both drivers and pedestrians. If you park at Horse Fork Creek to get on the Greenbelt, this is the change you'll feel most.
When it's likely to happen
As of February 2026, engineers were finishing the design and starting right-of-way and utility coordination. Construction was tentatively expected to begin in mid-to-late 2027, and that could shift depending on right-of-way needs, utility relocation and funding. A state transportation program change approved September 2, 2026 lists the Fairview project at $16.1 million total, with $7.6 million set aside for construction in fiscal year 2027. That's money on the schedule, not crews on site.
The roundabout's own history is a useful guide. In August 2025, KYTC Chief District Engineer Deneatra Henderson said construction would "most likely" begin in spring 2026. It started March 1. Once a project gets a contractor, KYTC's recent record on this corridor is good. The long wait comes before that.
The rest of the east side, in order of certainty
Three nearby projects affect the same drives. Each is at a different stage:
- Daviess County public-safety facility, Foors Lane at U.S. 231. This is a planned building near WKU Owensboro that would combine a fire station, emergency-management offices and an operations center, and the sheriff's patrol division. County leaders cited growth in the eastern county, including the KY 54 corridor, and quicker access to the bypass and main routes as reasons for the site. Bids ranged from $15.7 million to $18 million, below the county's roughly $20 million estimate. We haven't found a confirmed construction start date.
- KY 54 widening. This $23.3 million project widens 1.3 miles from four lanes to six, and KYTC projected completion in late 2026. The most recent stage report we found, from November 2025, said Phase Two was starting and a final phase would add the median and final asphalt. We haven't seen a 2026 report confirming it's done.
- KY 1456, Thruston-Dermont Road, from KY 54 toward Hayden Road. KYTC's chosen design is a two-lane road with 11-foot lanes, curb and gutter, an 8-foot shared-use path, curve improvements and turn lanes where needed. A September 3, 2026 program change still shows $15 million for construction in fiscal year 2026, but that's a scheduled amount, not proof that work has started. Separately, in August Daviess County approved transferring Hayden Road to the state. County officials said the transfer doesn't guarantee immediate improvements.
Taken together, the state's east-side plans keep adding the same things. The Fairview design adds sidewalks and a shared-use path to the Greenbelt parking area, and the Thruston-Dermont design includes an 8-foot shared-use path. The roundabout at Old Hartford Road was the part that could be built first. The Settles Road roundabout and the new Horse Fork Creek Park entrance are the parts that will change how you reach the trail, and they're tentatively set for construction starting in mid-to-late 2027.
Road projects like these can affect a home near Fairview, Settles or Thruston-Dermont, especially if you're thinking about selling before the work starts or buying while it's still on paper. If you'd like to talk through how these timelines could affect pricing, showings or timing, EPIC Realty is glad to help. Schedule a free consultation and we'll work out what fits your plans.
