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[seicer]

In this case, it was to have two fewer piers in the river - especially in proximity to the lock that's next to the bridge.

[seicer]

Just a heads up for anyone in the Shelbyville area: this very old guide sign is still hanging on half a year later. It might be worth a pic.

[Revive 755]

Wonder if they're forced to through historical preservation.  In NY, that's the only way new trusses are built, I believe.

I don't know why a new modern-looking truss bridge would be a mollifying factor in tearing down an old truss bridge.

I think it may have to do with how closely the new bridge resembles the older bridge.   IIRC it was the historical preservation angle that lead to the new superstructure for the WB I-70 Blanchette Bridge at St. Charles MO having a truss.  Streetview of the new truss; the old truss can be seen by switching to 2012 or an earlier year.

In this instance, I would suspect river navigation might be one reason they opted for a truss. The Green River is fairly wide and is navigable at that point so it's possible that was a factor. The truss allows them to have fewer piers.

It could also just come down to a preferences of one of the engineers on the project.  A tied arch could work just as well for getting fewer piers.

[XamotCGC]

When did I 65 in Louisville end up having six lanes on each side instead of 3 or 4 lanes?  I noticed it when I traveled on I 65 recently for the time in about 30 some years.  Normally I take US31 E to Louisville.

[seicer]

It was originally built circa 1956 and widened to its present configuration circa 1988 between I-264 and I-265.

[NWI_Irish96]

When did I 65 in Louisville end up having six lanes on each side instead of 3 or 4 lanes?  I noticed it when I traveled on I 65 recently for the time in about 30 some years.  Normally I take US31 E to Louisville.

A new Ohio River bridge (Lincoln Bridge) was built right next to the existing bridge (Kennedy Bridge) and opened in 2015. The new bridge carries 6 lanes northbound. The old bridge carries 6 lanes southbound.

[CardInLex]

The two way conversion of Logan and Shelby Streets in the Shelby Park and Smoketown neighborhoods of Louisville will take place in 2023. Both of these streets each serve KY 864 (Logan northbound, Shelby southbound). Looking at the striping and signing plans it appears KY 864 will be fully on Logan Street/Campbell Streets post construction.

https://louisvilleky.gov/government/advanced-planning-and-sustainability/logan-street-shelby-street-two-way-conversion

[Georgia Guardrail]

Are there currently any plans to extend the Cumberland Parkway east to I-75 in London?  Right now it terminates at US 27 with a partial cloverleaf with an unused bridge.

[seicer]

Yes - work is underway on a new interchange with KY 80 and KY 461 further east, which will have a stub for future I-66 to continue westward to Somserset: https://www.facebook.com/KYTCDistrict8/posts/ky-461-interchange-improvement-project-in-pulaski-county-to-begin-next-weeknext-/3738302329548499/ (as far as I know, the new four-lane between Somerset and KY 461 is still set to be future I-66, not the Cumberland Parkway).

[skluth]

Yes - work is underway on a new interchange with KY 80 and KY 461 further east, which will have a stub for future I-66 to continue westward to Somserset: https://www.facebook.com/KYTCDistrict8/posts/ky-461-interchange-improvement-project-in-pulaski-county-to-begin-next-weeknext-/3738302329548499/ (as far as I know, the new four-lane between Somerset and KY 461 is still set to be future I-66, not the Cumberland Parkway).

I thought I-66 was cancelled other than the current Virginia/DC highway.

[Rothman]

Yes - work is underway on a new interchange with KY 80 and KY 461 further east, which will have a stub for future I-66 to continue westward to Somserset: https://www.facebook.com/KYTCDistrict8/posts/ky-461-interchange-improvement-project-in-pulaski-county-to-begin-next-weeknext-/3738302329548499/ (as far as I know, the new four-lane between Somerset and KY 461 is still set to be future I-66, not the Cumberland Parkway).

I thought I-66 was cancelled other than the current Virginia/DC highway.

Eh, I think the proposal will just linger.  Proposals never die.

[KentuckyParkways]

Are there currently any plans to extend the Cumberland Parkway east to I-75 in London?  Right now it terminates at US 27 with a partial cloverleaf with an unused bridge.

As of 2018 there were still plans according to local Congressman Hal Rogers.
https://www.somerset-kentucky.com/news/i-66-on-the-road-to-nowhere-rep-for-rogers-says-no-evidence-project-has/article_6d1d77e6-f366-11e8-9ed2-67d33dab2801.html

[hbelkins]

Yes - work is underway on a new interchange with KY 80 and KY 461 further east, which will have a stub for future I-66 to continue westward to Somserset: https://www.facebook.com/KYTCDistrict8/posts/ky-461-interchange-improvement-project-in-pulaski-county-to-begin-next-weeknext-/3738302329548499/ (as far as I know, the new four-lane between Somerset and KY 461 is still set to be future I-66, not the Cumberland Parkway).

The Cumberland Parkway Expressway is set to become a 3di child of I-65, although I don't know if the x65 designation will end at US 27 or continue on to the KY 80/KY 461 interchange.

Yes - work is underway on a new interchange with KY 80 and KY 461 further east, which will have a stub for future I-66 to continue westward to Somserset: https://www.facebook.com/KYTCDistrict8/posts/ky-461-interchange-improvement-project-in-pulaski-county-to-begin-next-weeknext-/3738302329548499/ (as far as I know, the new four-lane between Somerset and KY 461 is still set to be future I-66, not the Cumberland Parkway).

I thought I-66 was cancelled other than the current Virginia/DC highway.

Eh, I think the proposal will just linger.  Proposals never die.

There are actually still references to I-66 in Kentucky's highway plans, mostly for upgrades to the Hal Rogers Parkway between London and Hazard. I don't know if there are any lingering proposals for a new-terrain route from Hazard past Pikeville to the state line or not (although one former Kentucky legislator floated a silly idea before he got voted out of office to extend the Mountain Parkway to Beckley, WV).

I think a new four-lane freeway between Somerset and London is dead, however, due to the environmental factors. And quite honestly, it's not needed. Existing KY 80 -- a mix of expressway and a surface "super-2" mileage -- moves traffic just fine. I've never seen it crowded, congested, or not free-flowing.

[seicer]

If anything, KY 461 is experiencing poor levels of service between KY 80 and Mt. Vernon and the portion around Mt. Vernon will be upgraded to four or five lanes. IMO, that's never been a solid roadway design because of its steep grades, lack of passing lanes on hills, and intersection placement.

[hbelkins]

If anything, KY 461 is experiencing poor levels of service between KY 80 and Mt. Vernon and the portion around Mt. Vernon will be upgraded to four or five lanes. IMO, that's never been a solid roadway design because of its steep grades, lack of passing lanes on hills, and intersection placement.

You should have driven it before the new alignment was completed. I was on it a few times 25-30 years ago and the existing alignment is way better than the old road.

[plain]

A few old pictures, including a pic of the Slade Toll Plaza on the Mountain Pkwy, has been posted on the Freewayjim FB page by one of its members.

[seicer]

That's me 

This is a direct link to the =AZWBx6x-ml_kSP8E3F3x-G9dRLA6QlUgLruUPKB5Q7kJ6zNSV3EvacPSscqpZK2htuFGB05qxJ2cw_-vPdOHi57_f06HIu16qHtf2-WrSja14eeBfkD80CDLs0HwaGSl9OVv6ZjOgyLOzWHTaxYXmTZd&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R]image gallery. I find it cumbersome to share images on here directly (notably, there isn't a good way to do that).

[hbelkins]

Some notes on those pictures:

I threw many a quarter into the westbound on-ramp and eastbound off-ramp at the Slade exit, both as a back-seat passenger as a child and as a driver from 1979 until the tolls were removed in 1985.

When the tolls were removed and the interchange was converted to a diamond, the decision on what to number the parkways was in flux. The Mountain Parkway was originally numbered KY 114 (an extension of the numbering of the route from Prestonsburg west to Salyersville) and then KY 402, but neither number was ever posted except ... contractors posted KY 402 signage at that exit when it was rebuilt, and the signs were up only briefly before they were changed to the old-style round Mountain Parkway logo signs. i regret to this day not getting pictures of the KY 402 signs.

The interchange construction was completed in 1988. In 2001 or 2002, I was the editor of the newspaper in Powell County. We had a story about some leftover dynamite that was used to blast the on-ramp from KY 11 to the eastbound Mountain Parkway being found there. Making the story more interesting was the fact that the Powell County highway department superintendent who got called out after hours to the discovery was charged with DUI in his state vehicle. The PIO for the highway district at the time was my cousin. Thankfully I haven't had to deal with anything like that during my tenure as PIO.

As for the US 27/68 signage, that unknown shield says "Formerly Exit 17." For years, the only exit numbers posted on I-75 in Kentucky were sequentially-numbered exits for KY 418 (Exit 15), US 60 (Exit 16), US 27/68 (Exit 17), and KY 922 (Exit 18). There was no exit number for I-64 east since it wasn't considered a Lexington exit. When Kentucky adopted mileage-based exit numbers and posted them at all interchanges, the Lexington exits briefly had "Formerly..." signs to denote the old exit numbers.

[plain]

That's me 

This is a direct link to the =AZWBx6x-ml_kSP8E3F3x-G9dRLA6QlUgLruUPKB5Q7kJ6zNSV3EvacPSscqpZK2htuFGB05qxJ2cw_-vPdOHi57_f06HIu16qHtf2-WrSja14eeBfkD80CDLs0HwaGSl9OVv6ZjOgyLOzWHTaxYXmTZd&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R]image gallery. I find it cumbersome to share images on here directly (notably, there isn't a good way to do that).

Thanks for those!

I usually use Tapatalk to post pics (mobile)

[plain]

As for the US 27/68 signage, that unknown shield says "Formerly Exit 17." For years, the only exit numbers posted on I-75 in Kentucky were sequentially-numbered exits for KY 418 (Exit 15), US 60 (Exit 16), US 27/68 (Exit 17), and KY 922 (Exit 18). There was no exit number for I-64 east since it wasn't considered a Lexington exit. When Kentucky adopted mileage-based exit numbers and posted them at all interchanges, the Lexington exits briefly had "Formerly..." signs to denote the old exit numbers.

That is very interesting. That's the first time I've heard of former exit numbers being posted in a shield like that.

[seicer]

With those exit numbers - the unposted numbers going south would have probably corresponded to all of the exits that were originally built?

[GCrites80s]

As for the US 27/68 signage, that unknown shield says "Formerly Exit 17." For years, the only exit numbers posted on I-75 in Kentucky were sequentially-numbered exits for KY 418 (Exit 15), US 60 (Exit 16), US 27/68 (Exit 17), and KY 922 (Exit 18). There was no exit number for I-64 east since it wasn't considered a Lexington exit. When Kentucky adopted mileage-based exit numbers and posted them at all interchanges, the Lexington exits briefly had "Formerly..." signs to denote the old exit numbers.

I got into a debate with a friend that is a highway engineer about sequential vs. mileage-based exit numbering in that he said that mileage-based is still sequential because mileage exits are still in a sequence -- just a sequence with gaps.

[rickmastfan67]

That's me 

This is a direct link to the =AZWBx6x-ml_kSP8E3F3x-G9dRLA6QlUgLruUPKB5Q7kJ6zNSV3EvacPSscqpZK2htuFGB05qxJ2cw_-vPdOHi57_f06HIu16qHtf2-WrSja14eeBfkD80CDLs0HwaGSl9OVv6ZjOgyLOzWHTaxYXmTZd&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R]image gallery. I find it cumbersome to share images on here directly (notably, there isn't a good way to do that).

Here's a Tiny URL to it, as the URL is broken due to several '[]' inside of it, causing it to break the URL coding.
https://tinyurl.com/mr2pxt4t

Anyways, you could always try to upload the images to https://imgur.com/ to post here.  That's what I do if needed.

[Rothman]

As for the US 27/68 signage, that unknown shield says "Formerly Exit 17." For years, the only exit numbers posted on I-75 in Kentucky were sequentially-numbered exits for KY 418 (Exit 15), US 60 (Exit 16), US 27/68 (Exit 17), and KY 922 (Exit 18). There was no exit number for I-64 east since it wasn't considered a Lexington exit. When Kentucky adopted mileage-based exit numbers and posted them at all interchanges, the Lexington exits briefly had "Formerly..." signs to denote the old exit numbers.

I got into a debate with a friend that is a highway engineer about sequential vs. mileage-based exit numbering in that he said that mileage-based is still sequential because mileage exits are still in a sequence -- just a sequence with gaps.

Proof that not all engineers are made equal.

The stronger argument against mileage-based around here is the proliferation of GPS, which I still don't agree with.  Personally, I think GPS/phone navigation is an eye magnet that draws attention from the road.

[hbelkins]

As for the US 27/68 signage, that unknown shield says "Formerly Exit 17." For years, the only exit numbers posted on I-75 in Kentucky were sequentially-numbered exits for KY 418 (Exit 15), US 60 (Exit 16), US 27/68 (Exit 17), and KY 922 (Exit 18). There was no exit number for I-64 east since it wasn't considered a Lexington exit. When Kentucky adopted mileage-based exit numbers and posted them at all interchanges, the Lexington exits briefly had "Formerly..." signs to denote the old exit numbers.

That is very interesting. That's the first time I've heard of former exit numbers being posted in a shield like that.

I remember the old exit numbers being posted, but had forgotten exactly how they were posted. Since Kentucky uses demountable route markers and copy on guide signs, it was easy to put that indicator up on the sign and move the US 27 and US 68 markers to accommodate it.

With those exit numbers - the unposted numbers going south would have probably corresponded to all of the exits that were originally built?

Yes, but I think one of the exits was a later addition.

Going from south to north from Exit 15 (KY 418), the old exits I remember are:

US 25/421 north Clays Ferry
US 25/421 south Clays Ferry
US 227 Boonesborough/Winchester (now KY 627)
US 25/421 Richmond
KY 876 Richmond
KY 21 Berea
US 25 Mt. Vernon/Renfro Valley
US 25 Mt. Vernon/Livingston
KY 909 Livingston
KY 80 London
KY 192 London
US 25E Corbin
US 25W Corbin
US 25W Williamsburg
KY 92 Williamsburg

Only problem is, that's 15 exits right there. So one of the exits was added later after the Lexington sequential exits were established (and remember that I-64 didn't have an exit number).

My guess for the added exit that threw the sequence out of whack is the KY 909 Livingston exit. That road leading down to US 25 is of more modern construction than most in the area.