Over the last decade or so, the state of Kentucky has taken it upon itself to rename or augment the names of its extensive parkway system. New names honor politicians prominently in the names and trailblazers of the parkways, roadways that otherwise have no numbered designation (at least that is publicly displayed). I personally find these designations somewhat confusing, as there are no numbered counterparts and the names don’t chime in with the geography anymore. Therefore drivers must learn the political names whether they like it or not.
Here is a list of the parkway names (original version, the politician version, and the date changed), courtesy KentuckyRoads.com:
- Green River Parkway – William H. Natcher Parkway in 1994
- Blue Grass Parkway – Martha Layne Collins-Blue Grass Parkway in 2003
- Cumberland Parkway – Louie B. Nunn Parkway in 2000
- Daniel Boone Parkway – Hal Rogers Parkway in 2003
- Mountain Parkway – Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway in 1976
- Pennyrile Parkway – Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway in 2000
- Purchase Parkway – Julian M. Carroll Purchase Parkway in 2001
- Western Kentucky Parkway – Wendell H. Ford-Western Kentucky Parkway in 1998
- Audubon Parkway – unchanged (named for John J. Audubon)
What is worse is that the trailblazers Kentucky uses for its parkway system were unimaginative overall, except for the Daniel Boone Parkway, and now with the politicians names added to the previous road name in some cases, the shields are now somewhat or completely illegible. Take for instance the following two photos taken by Steven Delery along the Pennyrile Parkway northbound:
Who can read these signs without concentrating on them?
At least some of these issues will be lessened with the signing of Interstate 69 along the Pennyrile er Breathitt Parkway, Western Kentucky er Wendell H. Ford Parkway, and Purchase er Julian Carroll Parkway.
Also, do you consider Kentucky part of the Southeast, part of the Midwest, or part of something else? I’ve never been able to get a solid answer on this, though those who say that it is in the southeast also consider Virginia to be part of the southeast. I personally consider Virginia to be Mid-Atlantic, and Kentucky to be part of the Ohio Valley, and the Ohio Valley is generally considered the Midwest if anything else. Thoughts?
I’ve spent the last 6 weeks or so working through a mammoth backlog going back to 2004 in an effort to update existing pages and create new sections of the website. Now online is a fledgling Michigan page with a handful of photos from our Interstate 80 trip in September 2005 and Carter Buchanan’s November 2004 Midwest trip. These trips also represent the bulk of the Ohio updates that now include coverage of all of Interstate 80 westbound and large portions of Interstate 75, as well as Toledo area coverage. I have two more batches of photos for Ohio to go through covering both Cleveland from Justin Cozart in 2006 and Cincinnati from the rest of Carter’s trip.
Further south and continuing through my 2005-backlog, West Virginia coverage is now online for Interstate 64 west from Virginia to Beckley and Interstate 77 south from Beckley to the Virginia state line. These freeways are among some of the most beautiful in the eastern third of the country in my opinion.
Also revamped was all of southeastroads into the new template design. I coupled that makeover with updates to the aging Tennessee @ SouthEastRoads section of the site. Added are photos I took through Chattanooga in 2005 and photos from myself also in 2005 and from Andy earlier this year in northeast Tennessee. Interstate 26 is now up to date to reflect the 2007-exit renumbering and 2005-extension northward over Interstate 181. Additionally we added information on the SmartFix40 construction project in Knoxville that completely rebuilt a portion of Tennessee 158 and will close a three mile or so section of Interstate 40 in downtown Knoxville for approximately 14 months beginning in May 2008.
Interstate 355 (Veterans Memorial Tollway) opens to traffic on Monday November 12, 2007 between Interstates 80 and 55. The 12.5-mile freeway was built in three years after more than 10 years of delays caused by legal and funding issues. The 2005 toll increases throughout the Illinois Tollway network helped pay for completion of the $738 million route that includes a 1.25-mile Des Plaines River Valley bridge, the second longest span in the state. No extension southward is on the books at this time, but long range plans hint at a connection to the planned Illiana Expressway corridor.
New Interstate 355 will be open to bicyclists and walkers during a Veterans Day celebration to mark the completion of the roadway. 9,000 people are expected to attend.
Looking south on the new Interstate 355 near its terminus with Interstate 80. The Original Interstate 355 (North-South Tollway) opened in 1989. Photo taken by Bill Burmaster (10/13/07).
Meanwhile in North Carolina, sign crews will begin installing red, white, and blue Interstate 795 signs throughout the 20-mile plus route appoved by AASHTO this fall. Interstate 795 replaces U.S. 117 on a freeway northward from U.S. 70 at Goldsboro to U.S. 264 at Wilson and joins U.S. 264 west to Interstate 95. U.S. 117 signs along the north-south freeway will be moved onto the original U.S. 117 alignment in the process. Signing of the newest Interstate should be completed by Spring 2008.
Sources:
1 – “I-355 extension will open Nov. 12.” DailySouthtown, November 2, 2007.
2 – “NCDOT TO BEGIN INSTALLING I-795 SIGNS IN WAYNE, WILSON COUNTIES.” NCDOT, November 7, 2007.