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I created this topic to update on the northern bypass of Somerset, witch was supposed to be built starting this year, but I'm not sure as I have not been in Shopville in a while. https://somersetkyleads.com/speda-touchstone-energy-lead-interstate-65-spur-project/ The link takes you to a page that states that the Louie B Nunn Parkway would become a spur of I65, most likely I365, before I66.
Quote from: KentuckyParkways on June 18, 2020, 02:14:04 AMI created this topic to update on the northern bypass of Somerset, witch was supposed to be built starting this year, but I'm not sure as I have not been in Shopville in a while. https://somersetkyleads.com/speda-touchstone-energy-lead-interstate-65-spur-project/ The link takes you to a page that states that the Louie B Nunn Parkway would become a spur of I65, most likely I365, before I66.I-66 was originally proposed, but from what I've seen, officials have pretty much scrapped the I-66 concept in favor of converting Kentucky's parkways into a bunch of 3-digit interstate spurs, save for I-69.
Except for the fact that the road doesn't really go anywhere (destination wise), they could have tagged the Audubon, Natcher, and Nunn parkways with a two digit, and it probably would have flown, since it did in North Carolina. Available in grid twos would have been 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60 and 62. You would have had an nice connection between Henderson Ky and London KY (with the extension from Somerset). It would have made the former Owensboro, KY mayor quite happy to have a 2-di go around his town.
No other state has an appetite for I-66, so the project appears to be dead at a national level.I also don't know how much political will exists in Kentucky to build the extension all the way to I-75. There was opposition to the original I-66 proposal on environmental concerns.
The traffic volumes along KY 80 between London and Somerset don't warrant four lanes, much less a full freeway. There are passing lanes on the hills and traffic moves very well at 55 mph or greater.
Quote from: tidecat on June 21, 2020, 09:48:46 AMNo other state has an appetite for I-66, so the project appears to be dead at a national level.I also don't know how much political will exists in Kentucky to build the extension all the way to I-75. There was opposition to the original I-66 proposal on environmental concerns. If I-66 were to be revived, a way should have been found to connect it somehow with the pieces of discontinuous limited access/pseudo expressway routes in West Virginia. Corridor H, King Coal, Coalfields, etc to make it a more logical and useful route. At least part of one of them. Something that might have attracted some regional traffic. Am guessing the two states KY/WV did not plan together to come up with something more encompassing. In the west, believe the original idea was to connect it to I-24 so it could cross into Missouri and make use of an upgraded US-60. Some overlay/paralleling of existing US 68 and state route 80. Am guessing a route N of, skirting Bowling Green and through Hopkinsville would be very very difficult.
^ I seem to recall (and it is probably even in an old thread on this forum) that the I-66 corridor was pretty much nailed down to a northern bypass of Bowling Green (which IMHO would be nice to have without any other I-66 improvements) and then using the Natcher and Western Kentucky Parkways over to I-24. The section that seemed up in the air was from I-24 around Paducah to I-55 in Missouri, with a routing over towards Cairo usually being favored but some off and on interest in an Illinois corridor.
^ Coincidentally, it was an old AARoads page that highlighted all those High Priority Corridors.
Remember the debate on running I-66 down I-64, the Bluegrass, and WK parkways vs. Daniel Boone Hal Rogers and Cumberland? Can't remember the website that had all the High Priority Corridors listed, but it had links to (probably now expired) and snippets from various news stories.
Quote from: froggie on June 27, 2020, 10:35:42 AM^ Coincidentally, it was an old AARoads page that highlighted all those High Priority Corridors.And back when it was known as Andy's Highway kick-off page with parts located on Geocities and Xoom.