I-165 Kentucky (William H. Natcher Green River Parkway)

Started by Grzrd, February 24, 2015, 01:55:55 PM

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Great Lakes Roads

#200
Quote from: jnewkirk77 on April 29, 2022, 07:57:25 PM
Construction on the Bowling Green US 231 interchange (Exit 7) wrapped up recently. The Morgantown 231 (Exit 33) and Hartford KY 69 (Exit 47) interchanges are both currently in progress. Morgantown's about half done, with Hartford about 1/4 of the way.  I think the completion date is either late October or early November.

Once those two "former toll booths" interchanges get done, the corridor will be fully up to interstate standards.


westerninterloper

#201
Quote from: hbelkins on April 27, 2022, 01:10:38 PM
Quote from: cabiness42 on April 26, 2022, 03:40:38 PM
Quote from: SignGeniusPTOE on April 26, 2022, 03:38:37 PM
It's amazing how KY gets so many little interstate routes such as I-165 that connects little cities like Owensboro and Bowling Green, but Indiana has deathtrap US 30 connecting Fort Wayne and Chicago.

Kentucky built them as tolled parkways. They only got designated as interstates after they were paid off and the tolls went away. You willing to pay tolls for a US 30 freeway?

Kentucky also built them as limited-access freeways that were/are very close to interstate standards. They were not built as surface routes with at-grade intersections. Converting the Kentucky parkways to interstates involves some minor construction projects and putting up signs. Converting US 30 to a full freeway would be very expensive.

Indiana could look to its own US 31 between IND and SB for converting to an interstate. Yes, it's expensive, yes it takes at least 20 years, but it can be done. I would imagine Indiana, as well as Ohio, don't want US 30 to be a freeway because of shunpiking the Turnpike and Toll Road between Pittsburgh and Chicago.

Fixed quote. - rmf67
Nostalgia: Indiana's State Religion

jnewkirk77

Quote from: Great Lakes Roads on April 29, 2022, 09:27:13 PM
Quote from: jnewkirk77 on April 29, 2022, 07:57:25 PM
Construction on the Bowling Green US 231 interchange (Exit 7) wrapped up recently. The Morgantown 231 (Exit 33) and Hartford KY 69 (Exit 50) interchanges are both currently in progress. Morgantown's about half done, with Hartford about 1/4 of the way.  I think the completion date is either late October or early November.

Once those two "former toll booths" interchanges get done, the corridor will be fully up to interstate standards.

Exit 47 is correct, by the way. I noted during my drive through on Friday that the new off-ramp northbound, once finished, will begin just north of the 47 mile marker.  It was Exit 50 before the I-165 designation was applied, but that's been changed and the signage already reflects it.

Great Lakes Roads

Quote from: jnewkirk77 on May 02, 2022, 01:39:55 AM
Quote from: Great Lakes Roads on April 29, 2022, 09:27:13 PM
Quote from: jnewkirk77 on April 29, 2022, 07:57:25 PM
Construction on the Bowling Green US 231 interchange (Exit 7) wrapped up recently. The Morgantown 231 (Exit 33) and Hartford KY 69 (Exit 47) interchanges are both currently in progress. Morgantown's about half done, with Hartford about 1/4 of the way.  I think the completion date is either late October or early November.

Once those two "former toll booths" interchanges get done, the corridor will be fully up to interstate standards.

Exit 47 is correct, by the way. I noted during my drive through on Friday that the new off-ramp northbound, once finished, will begin just north of the 47 mile marker.  It was Exit 50 before the I-165 designation was applied, but that's been changed and the signage already reflects it.

I kinda overlooked on the exit numbers via Google Maps before double-checking, so silly me!  :pan:

hbelkins

They backed up the exit numbers by three when the road was renumbered from KY 900x to I-165, because the interstate is shorter than the old parkway when the extension to US 231 is factored in. Not sure why they didn't keep the exit numbers the way I-265 continues the exit numbers for KY 841.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

seicer

I guess it's all a moot point once the Natcher Parkway is extended to form a loop around Bowling Green (and connect to KY 3145): https://transportation.ky.gov/Planning/Planning%20Studies%20and%20Reports/Proposed%20Interstate%2066%20-%20Appendix_A.pdf

Something I wasn't aware of!

I-55

Quote from: seicer on May 02, 2022, 01:21:59 PM
I guess it's all a moot point once the Natcher Parkway is extended to form a loop around Bowling Green (and connect to KY 3145): https://transportation.ky.gov/Planning/Planning%20Studies%20and%20Reports/Proposed%20Interstate%2066%20-%20Appendix_A.pdf

Something I wasn't aware of!

How long has this been dead? The whole I-66 ship has sailed has it not?
Let's Go Purdue Basketball Whoosh

seicer

No - construction is progressing on the new I-66/KY 461 interchange east of Somerset, with the next segment between US 27 and KY 461 to follow. Final alternative selection for the alignment between KY 461 and London is progressing, along with upgrades to the Hal Rogers Parkway to the east. There are also upgrades planned for the Cumberland Parkway to upgrade it fully to interstate standards.

hbelkins

Quote from: seicer on May 02, 2022, 02:49:08 PM
No - construction is progressing on the new I-66/KY 461 interchange east of Somerset, with the next segment between US 27 and KY 461 to follow. Final alternative selection for the alignment between KY 461 and London is progressing, along with upgrades to the Hal Rogers Parkway to the east. There are also upgrades planned for the Cumberland Parkway to upgrade it fully to interstate standards.

The KY 80/KY 461 interchange, when completed will make the through movement staying on a straight line from London to Russell Springs, bypassing Somerset to the north. I honestly don't look for anything else to be done between Somerset and London. The existing KY 80 is adequate for traffic and there is too much opposition from environmentalists over a new Rockcastle River crossing. And an upgrade between London and Hazard would be hugely expensive. This stuff exists on paper, but I don't think it will ever come to reality.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

The Ghostbuster

The western Interstate 66 proposal was canceled on August 6, 2015. Last I heard (with Wikipedia being my source), the entire Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway was proposed to become Interstate 365.

seicer

From what it looks like on some of those alternatives presented, it would utilize the central KY 80 corridor because of those major environmental drawbacks from either using a northern or southern alignment which would be on all new terrain. I thought that it would have been much simpler to just use KY 80 between Somerset and London, but the amount of right-of-way that would need to be purchased - and all of the properties that would need to be razed, was very, very high. And that's not even including the interchange that would be required at I-75.

@Ghostbuster: Funny that you posted that. I was curious, too, and found this: 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

""I can find NO evidence I-66 has been cancelled," responded Danielle Smoot, communications director for Congressman Hal Rogers. It was Rogers' efforts and influence that channeled the I-66 corridor along the Cumberland Parkway and then north of Somerset to London. Signs designating Cumberland Parkway as the future route of I-66 are still posted.

"That's your answer right there." commented Joe Gossett, branch manager for project development at the Highway Department's District 8, referring to Smoot's comments based on an inquiry from the Commonwealth Journal. The question about viability of the I-66 project arose after statements on the Internet, specifically Wikipedia, the Internet's free encyclopedia. Said Wikipedia: "The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet completed its feasibility study in 2005 and concluded that building I-66 was too costly and of little traffic benefit with high potential environmental impact and cancelled the project in (Kentucky)."

"Not so," said Amber Hale, public information officer for Kentucky Department of Highways' District 8. "I-66 has not been cancelled. The route is still on Highway Department maps; it's something for the future; it's a matter of money.""

--

I found KY 80 shields to be kind of sparse when I drove the highway the other night but found the massive "KY 80 HAL ROGERS PARKWAY" signs to be... overkill. I didn't realize Rogers had pretty much proclaimed that the former Daniel Boone Parkway would be extended west to Somerset to tie into the Cumberland Parkway.

hbelkins

Quote from: seicer on May 03, 2022, 08:28:06 PM
I found KY 80 shields to be kind of sparse when I drove the highway the other night but found the massive "KY 80 HAL ROGERS PARKWAY" signs to be... overkill. I didn't realize Rogers had pretty much proclaimed that the former Daniel Boone Parkway would be extended west to Somerset to tie into the Cumberland Parkway.

Those have been up for awhile, but it wasn't Rogers' doing. It was either Gov. Steve Beshear or Gov. Bevin who ordered that. Or it may have been the legislature. I don't remember the details. But just as Rogers had nothing to do with renaming the Daniel Boone Parkway, he had nothing to do with the extension of the named route to Somerset.

It's one of the few roads in Kentucky named after two separate people. Kentucky usually won't name a road if it's already named after someone else, but the Russell Dyche Memorial Highway signs are still up.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.



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