I-69 to be signed in Kentucky this fall

[hbelkins]

[agentsteel53]

that is excellent news!  I'd been disappointed by the looming scarcity of state-named shields

[hbelkins]

There are state-named shields posted for every interstate in Kentucky except I-24. I have yet to find one of those.

[rickmastfan67]

There are state-named shields posted for every interstate in Kentucky except I-24. I have yet to find one of those.

That's including the 3di's?

[Alex]

There are state-named shields posted for every interstate in Kentucky except I-24. I have yet to find one of those.

That's including the 3di's?

Definitely saw some for Interstate 275 mainline and side roads in 2009.
Tim found a I-471 last year.
None were left for the I-264 or I-265 mainlines in 2009, but we did not scour the side roads.

[wriddle082]

There are state-named shields posted for every interstate in Kentucky except I-24. I have yet to find one of those.

I could have sworn that I saw a KY I-24 shield on US 68/KY 80 at Cadiz last year.  This was during the trip Adam Prince and I made around NW TN and SW KY one fall day.

But otherwise you're right.  The only state that regularly erects state-name I-24 shields is GA.  Otherwise it runs through states that almost exclusively use neutered shields (IL, KY, and TN).

[hbelkins]

Definitely saw some for Interstate 275 mainline and side roads in 2009.
Tim found a I-471 last year.
None were left for the I-264 or I-265 mainlines in 2009, but we did not scour the side roads.

Plenty on the side roads intersecting 264 and 265. And at least one on mainline 265 as of back in the spring.



Sorry for the blurry pic, but the fugly KY 841 sign makes up for it. :-p

[Michael in Philly]

that is excellent news!  I'd been disappointed by the looming scarcity of state-named shields

There's a looming scarcity of state-named shields?

[roadman65]

I think that it is about time to finally sign I-69 in Kentucky!  For those who worry about exit numbers, let those get used to the new route designation first.  Although, if like New Jersey where NJ 3 east of US 1 & 9 has been truncated for over 50 years, they will never accept the change.  When I-495 (now NJ 495) was created from pre existing NJ 3, all those around are mostly gone now, and people who are born since are calling it still Route 3.

[Alps]

There are state-named shields posted for every interstate in Kentucky except I-24. I have yet to find one of those.

That's including the 3di's?

Definitely saw some for Interstate 275 mainline and side roads in 2009.
Tim found a I-471 last year.
None were left for the I-264 or I-265 mainlines in 2009, but we did not scour the side roads.

There's also a 471 on KY 1892 EB, which is on my I-471 page. There's most of an I-264 shield on my 264 page, and there IS a 265 shield still on the mainline WB as featured on my 265 page.

[ShawnP]

I'm thinking that I-65 will suddenly get approved for the unique Scotty's Construction offer (offered to bond I-65 six laning for the final 30 plus miles with a state payback). As HB Elkins would say Breasher will make a splash with this.

[hbelkins]

I'm thinking that I-65 will suddenly get approved for the unique Scotty's Construction offer (offered to bond I-65 six laning for the final 30 plus miles with a state payback). As HB Elkins would say Breasher will make a splash with this.

I'm not so sure. I remember reading something about a plan similar to this in Kentucky being shot down due to some legal concerns, and thinking it would bring this proposal to a halt.

[roadman65]

I was in Wal Mart and checked the new 2013 Rand McNally with the Blue Ridge Parkway Viaduct near Grandfather Mountain gracing the cover, and saw I-69 marked only where concurrent with I-24 and the Western Kentucky Parkway ONLY!  The other two Parkways were not marked as of yet.  

It goes along with everything that Kentucky is doing as per this topic starter.  Its better than some map makers, as I saw it done and under construction in the Hoosier State on one other printer.  Although, RN being as close to the best as you can possibly get, has an error where it fails to show one other roadway in a neighboring state that is currently under construction.

[Alex]

I was in Wal Mart and checked the new 2013 Rand McNally with the Blue Ridge Parkway Viaduct near Grandfather Mountain gracing the cover, and saw I-69 marked only where concurrent with I-24 and the Western Kentucky Parkway ONLY!  The other two Parkways were not marked as of yet.  

The Purchase and Breathitt Parkway sections are not a part of I-69 yet. There are only sporadic green Future I-69 signs posted at this time.

As for I-24 & 69, I recently watched video's from Tom Valazak's Crosscountryroads.com site, and as of March 20, 2012, I-69 was not signed along this stretch.

[Grzrd]

As for I-24 & 69, I recently watched video's from Tom Valazak's Crosscountryroads.com site, and as of March 20, 2012, I-69 was not signed along this stretch.

This March 6, 2012 article indicates that, as of March 6, a contractor was pouring concrete anchors for the new signs and working east-to-west from the I-69 (Western Kentucky Parkway) interchange with the Pennyrile Parkway over to the I-69/I-24 overlap:

... a contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has started installing permanent I-69 signs along the route, beginning with the pouring of concrete anchors for the new signs.
The contractor, Westate Construction Inc. of Hopkinsville, is starting at the WK Parkway (WKP) interchange with the Pennyrile Parkway near Madisonville and will be moving westward. Minimal traffic disruptions are expected.
New signs will also be placed along 16 miles of the existing I-24 near Eddyville that will double as a portion of I-69 ...

Anybody have any updated field reports?

[okroads]

I was in Wal Mart and checked the new 2013 Rand McNally with the Blue Ridge Parkway Viaduct near Grandfather Mountain gracing the cover, and saw I-69 marked only where concurrent with I-24 and the Western Kentucky Parkway ONLY!  The other two Parkways were not marked as of yet. 

The Purchase and Breathitt Parkway sections are not a part of I-69 yet. There are only sporadic green Future I-69 signs posted at this time.

As for I-24 & 69, I recently watched video's from Tom Valazak's Crosscountryroads.com site, and as of March 20, 2012, I-69 was not signed along this stretch.

I-69 was not signed along I-24 as of April 22 when I was in the area.

[kendancy66]

FHWA FAIL if you ask me. Anything less than Interstate standard is unacceptable to me. No grandfathering, no cutting corners. Those standards are there for safety and better flow of traffic. KYTC is trying to do it on the cheap and got the Feds to play along.

I disagree.  I think the standards are too strict, and result in escalating costs for repair to existing interstates.

[hbelkins]

FHWA FAIL if you ask me. Anything less than Interstate standard is unacceptable to me. No grandfathering, no cutting corners. Those standards are there for safety and better flow of traffic. KYTC is trying to do it on the cheap and got the Feds to play along.

I disagree.  I think the standards are too strict, and result in escalating costs for repair to existing interstates.

I say again. If there can be a 70 mph speed limit on I-24 and there can be a 70 mph limit on the WK Parkway, what's the difference?

The average motorist couldn't tell you if you were on an interstate or on one of Kentucky's former toll roads, which are not quite to interstate standards, if they didn't see the road signs.

[Alps]

The FHWA does tend to allow more waivers in certain areas than others. For example, substandard horizontal or vertical curvature, vertical clearance, median width without barriers, or short bridges lacking shoulders are unlikely to make it through. 8' instead of 10' shoulders, long bridges without shoulders, certain interchange configurations may make it through with waivers. I do see the point that if an existing freeway permits all vehicles and does not have any non-freeway sections, it ought to be able to be grandfathered, whereas new freeways clearly need to meet standards.

[hbelkins]

Did you get long and short mixed up in your comment about bridges? Seems FHWA would be more lenient toward short bridges without shoulders than long bridges w/o shoulders.

[kphoger]

Did you get long and short mixed up in your comment about bridges? Seems FHWA would be more lenient toward short bridges without shoulders than long bridges w/o shoulders.

I assume the difference is that long bridges are more expensive to replace than short ones.

[RoadWarrior56]

There is a "nice" substandard bridge they need to fix on the Pennyrile Pkwy at Mortons Gap.  I can't imagine the Feds letting that remain as is. The NB on-ramp at the Pilot Truck Stop is a yield sign onto the bridge over the cross road with no shoulders or acceleration lane.  I stop there often going north and I "hate" that yield situation.  Lots of trucks use it.

[Alps]

Did you get long and short mixed up in your comment about bridges? Seems FHWA would be more lenient toward short bridges without shoulders than long bridges w/o shoulders.

Long bridges are excepted from shoulder requirements due to the cost of building a wider bridge just for shoulders. While it's the same percentage of a short bridge's cost, short bridges cost a lot less so it's a much smaller percentage of the agency's budget to build short bridges to full width.

[RoadWarrior56]

At the bridge I am referring to, there is a non-existent acceleration lane that is the main issue.  You come up to the bridge on the ramp, you then have to yield or stop and then you have to directly enter the through traffic lane.

It is not just a question of no shoulders on the bridge.  This location is a hazard right now and it should be fixed whether or not the Pennyrile was designated I-69.  In fact, this section of the Pennyrile was originally constructed as a section of US 41 up to 10 years before the rest of the Pennyrile was built.  This section of roadway reflects late 1950's standards.

[roadman65]

There are only three places where the I-69 extension is very much alive according to the RN Road atlas.  Mississippi, Kentucky, and Indiana.  With this being said, does not mean that there is not more as there have been plenty of places where freeways were under construction and not at all marked on RN.

It is interesting to see that KY has two roads signed on RN and not actually yet signed by KDOT.  It would not at all suprise me to see I-69 shields go up where RN does not have marked like south of I-24 and along the Penryville before the two mentioned are.

What is even more interesting is the fact that I-66 is not mentioned along the Western Kentucky Parkway and I-24 with I-69 as Kentucky does have it proposed and permission to go further if they want to.