Kentucky

[Buck87]

Glad to see the next section of I-75 widening is underway. That first mile south of exit 29 is going to be the trickiest part of this project, as there is a pair of bridges that need widened and a section of cuts that will likely need widened too, unless a realignment can fit 3 lanes through the existing cuts. I've been looking at that little section for years when driving by wondering exactly how they'll go about it when the time comes.

The rest of this project segment from the end of these cuts down past exit 25 should be pretty smooth sailing, with the new lanes going in the median using KY's standard widening process.

[Great Lakes Roads]

https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/louisville-i65-construction-toll-roads-kentucky/417-c665d43e-5da2-4b28-a3e3-485328d716d5

Kentucky is talking about potentially adding toll roads (or a highway fee) to maintain their infrastructure...

[The Ghostbuster]

Kentucky hasn't had a toll road since the Audobon Parkway, and the then-William Natcher Parkway had their tolls removed in 2006. With that being the case, I wonder how much pushback there will be to reinstating tolls to Kentucky's roadways.

[hbelkins]

Tolls were floated as an option for paying for the Mountain Parkway widening. The outcry from the eastern part of the state was deafening. That idea got shot down in a hurry.

That being said, it sounds like Higdon (who's leaving after next year's legislative session) is advocating for toll lanes similar to what Virginia has implemented. As long as they are built as additional lanes and don't take away an existing general-purpose free lane, I can't imagine anyone would have a problem with them.

[Plutonic Panda]

I can't imagine anyone would have a problem with them.

If the only add toll lanes and not free GP lanes anymore I can understand why they'd have a problem with them.

[hbelkins]

I can't imagine anyone would have a problem with them.

If the only add toll lanes and not free GP lanes anymore I can understand why they'd have a problem with them.

I don't understand your point.

Let's say, for example, that KYTC decides to implement a toll lane on I-65 inside the Watterson.

If they currently have three free lanes and add one toll express lane, then I don't understand why anyone would have issues with it. Free-lane capacity is not reduced and the toll lane is an option for those who want to pay the toll.

But if instead, KYTC converts one of the free lanes to a toll lane, leaving only two free lanes, then yes, people would rightly have issues with that.

[Plutonic Panda]

Right, but if they don't add any more free lanes, then it's a problem. It's not simply just adding toll lanes a lot of facilities that have toll lanes have the free lanes that are clogged and people can't afford the toll lanes so they have to sit in the free lanes which are not being expanded because they're only adding toll lanes.

[seicer]

Project page for improvements to US 150 between KY 49 and KY 245 in Bardstown. I can barely use at this "interactive" interface that's not intuitive, but it does show a conventional two-lane road with a two-way center turn lane and a multi-use path, a roundabout at Pottershop Loop and Springhill Drive, and another at KY 49.

Revised preferred alternative

Revised Preferred Alternative for US 150 in Nelson County
Improvements planned between KY 49 and just west of KY 245

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (September 7, 2025) – The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) in partnership with the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) is presenting a revised preferred alternative for the US 150 improvement project from KY 49 (Loretto Road near My Old Kentucky Home) to just west of KY 245 (near Walmart).

The purpose of this project is to alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety along this stretch of US 150. This will include widening the roadway from its existing two lanes to add a center turn lane. In addition, Pottershop Loop will be relocated to create an intersection with US 150 and Springhill Drive. Roundabouts will be constructed at the intersection of US 150 and KY 49, along with the newly relocated intersection of US 150, Springhill Drive and Pottershop Loop.

This project has been in planning phases for several years. An original public meeting was held in November, 2007. Preliminary plans of improving US 150 from KY 49 to Leslie Ballard Road were created based on comments from that meeting. In 2018, the project was divided, and KYTC moved forward with improving US 150 from KY 245 to Leslie Ballard Road. This portion of the project was completed in 2022. KYTC continues to move forward with the realignment and improvement of US 150 from Leslie Ballard Road to Springfield in three separate projects, including the segment currently under construction.

For updated exhibits and a virtual look at the revised preferred alternative, visit the District 4 page at transportation.ky.gov then look under project listings for Nelson County.

[hbelkins]

District 4 has gone crazy with roundabouts recently. That one at KY 49 will eat into the property of My Old Kentucky Home State Park, so I'm a little surprised they went with one there.

[Rothman]

District 4 has gone crazy with roundabouts recently. That one at KY 49 will eat into the property of My Old Kentucky Home State Park, so I'm a little surprised they went with one there.

Well, they got through 4(f) with that one, somehow, then.

[seicer]

Latest studyboards with proposed alignments
Survey

Milton Small Area Planning Study
KYTC launched a planning study in late 2024 to explore mobility needs for Lower Milton in Trimble County and along KY 36 into Carroll County.

Project Scope

The study is expected to develop concepts and cost estimates that will focus on three key elements:

• U.S. 421 approach improvements to the Milton-Madison bridge, including "Milton Hill," which contains grades up to 7% and has recurring slides/maintenance issues as the highway climbs the edge of the bluffs along the river.
• Freight mobility is challenging for large trucks with tight turns downtown (KY 36/Ferry Street). Narrow pavement and low-lying areas along KY 36 also limit routing. Truck trips to/from Madison reportedly must follow US 421 to I-71 to reach Carrollton, representing a 45-minute detour.
• Continue to consider pedestrian/bicycle mobility within Milton.

The current study grew from three decades of transportation plans and projects, which focused on the Ohio River Bridge but also started to consider other mobility needs in Milton. Most recently, a 2015 project considered changes at the base of Milton Hill but did not address geotechnical concerns along the hillside.  The current study zooms out to view the larger area and see if community perspectives have shifted in the past ten years. We will analyze existing geometry, traffic, and crashes — plus listen to local input — to identify options for improving mobility, reliability, and safety.

[XamotCGC]

District 4 has gone crazy with roundabouts recently. That one at KY 49 will eat into the property of My Old Kentucky Home State Park, so I'm a little surprised they went with one there.

I noticed they built two in Springfield and are planning to build some in Marion County on the bypass. What makes roundabouts better than traffic lights?

[I-55]

District 4 has gone crazy with roundabouts recently. That one at KY 49 will eat into the property of My Old Kentucky Home State Park, so I'm a little surprised they went with one there.

I noticed they built two in Springfield and are planning to build some in Marion County on the bypass. What makes roundabouts better than traffic lights?

Reduced conflict points, lower crash severity, eliminates operation costs of signal equipment, safer pedestrian movements, and operates rather efficiently

[hbelkins]

District 4 has gone crazy with roundabouts recently. That one at KY 49 will eat into the property of My Old Kentucky Home State Park, so I'm a little surprised they went with one there.

I noticed they built two in Springfield and are planning to build some in Marion County on the bypass. What makes roundabouts better than traffic lights?

Reduced conflict points, lower crash severity, eliminates operation costs of signal equipment, safer pedestrian movements, and operates rather efficiently

Those mentioned roundabout (Lebanon bypass and KY 555 in Springfield) don't have pedestrian traffic. These are rural intersections with no sidewalks or crosswalks.

[seicer]

IMO, taller boundary fencing, like that used in parts of West Virginia and states out west, would do wonders for reducing animal-vehicle collisions.

-

Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Reduction Plan

This study includes two phases. In summer 2025, a pilot corridor study between Louisville and Frankfort was completed to look at patterns contributing to crashes with deer. By 2026, findings from the pilot will be expanded statewide with policy recommendations to improve safety for drivers and wildlife.

[hbelkins]

IMO, taller boundary fencing, like that used in parts of West Virginia and states out west, would do wonders for reducing animal-vehicle collisions.

-

Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Reduction Plan

This study includes two phases. In summer 2025, a pilot corridor study between Louisville and Frankfort was completed to look at patterns contributing to crashes with deer. By 2026, findings from the pilot will be expanded statewide with policy recommendations to improve safety for drivers and wildlife.

That's all well and good for interstates, but doesn't do squat for the high-speed rural roads without ROW fencing or access control.

[Bitmapped]

IMO, taller boundary fencing, like that used in parts of West Virginia and states out west, would do wonders for reducing animal-vehicle collisions.

-

Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Reduction Plan

This study includes two phases. In summer 2025, a pilot corridor study between Louisville and Frankfort was completed to look at patterns contributing to crashes with deer. By 2026, findings from the pilot will be expanded statewide with policy recommendations to improve safety for drivers and wildlife.

That's all well and good for interstates, but doesn't do squat for the high-speed rural roads without ROW fencing or access control.

Does KYTC not do controlled access ROW on its two-lane relocations? The newer sections of US 150 north of Bardstown appear to be controlled access and it looks like there is ROW fencing.

[hbelkins]

^^^

That's the exception, rather than the rule.

[seicer]

The U.S. Route 68 corridor study for Jessamine and Mercer counties has been released. I do have a concern with how the consultant characterized the roadway under the "no build" scenario:

"No-Build: As the bridge will eventually need to be replaced, there is no true "No-Build" option. Replacing the bridge in its current location would not improve the approaches' geometrics, including those that don't meet driver expectations for an arterial with a 55-mph posted speed limit."

Just because a roadway is posted with a 55 MPH speed limit doesn't mean traffic must travel 55 MPH. It has so many sharp curves and roadway drop-offs that the case could be made for a corridor-level reduction to 45 MPH, with further reductions on the Kentucky River approach in Jessamine County.

Concept 3 with improvements to the existing corridor is my preferred option based on cost, impact to prime farmland, ecological impacts to the Kentucky River Palisades gorge, and the very low AADT. Corridor 4 should include more HSHP improvements, such as two-foot shoulders throughout, proper drainage structures, and guardrails at all drop-offs. While the "no-build" option emphasises that the bridge must be replaced, the report itself gives an option for rehabilitation that will extend the bridge's lifespan.

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US 68 Corridor Study Item No. 7-80251.00 Jessamine and Mercer Counties, Kentucky

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) initiated the US 68 Corridor Study, KYTC Item No. 7-80251.00, in Jessamine and Mercer Counties to identify and evaluate potential concepts to improve safety, truck mobility, driver expectations (geometrics), and resiliency on US 68 and to determine the need for and optimal location of a replacement bridge over the Kentucky River.

[freebrickproductions]

I was poking around on Google Maps some this evening and stumbled across this interchange on I-169 in Hopkinsville, KY, that almost seems like it was designed to maximize weaving on I-169:
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.8948244,-87.4690828,447m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTAwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Interestingly, the C/D lanes on I-169 underneath KY 1682 appear to be about two cars wide on both sides as well. Anyone know why this interchange is designed the way it is?

[I-55]

I was poking around on Google Maps some this evening and stumbled across this interchange on I-169 in Hopkinsville, KY, that almost seems like it was designed to maximize weaving on I-169:
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.8948244,-87.4690828,447m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTAwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Interestingly, the C/D lanes on I-169 underneath KY 1682 appear to be about two cars wide on both sides as well. Anyone know why this interchange is designed the way it is?

This is a remnant of when the Kentucky parkways were tolled. Toll booths were located underneath overpasses at interchanges of this style. Here is a recently converted one at Wingo.

[freebrickproductions]

I was poking around on Google Maps some this evening and stumbled across this interchange on I-169 in Hopkinsville, KY, that almost seems like it was designed to maximize weaving on I-169:
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.8948244,-87.4690828,447m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTAwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Interestingly, the C/D lanes on I-169 underneath KY 1682 appear to be about two cars wide on both sides as well. Anyone know why this interchange is designed the way it is?

This is a remnant of when the Kentucky parkways were tolled. Toll booths were located underneath overpasses at interchanges of this style. Here is a recently converted one at Wingo.

Makes sense. Would there have been another one further south closer to I-24, or would I-24 have been tolled at the time as well?

[The Ghostbuster]

Exit 11 on Interstate 169, Exit 27 on the CP/future Interstate 365, Exit 10 on the AP/previously proposed Interstate 369, and Exit 58 on the WKP/future Interstate 569 will all need to be converted into Interstate Standard interchanges eventually.

[hbelkins]

I was poking around on Google Maps some this evening and stumbled across this interchange on I-169 in Hopkinsville, KY, that almost seems like it was designed to maximize weaving on I-169:
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.8948244,-87.4690828,447m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTAwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Interestingly, the C/D lanes on I-169 underneath KY 1682 appear to be about two cars wide on both sides as well. Anyone know why this interchange is designed the way it is?

This is a remnant of when the Kentucky parkways were tolled. Toll booths were located underneath overpasses at interchanges of this style. Here is a recently converted one at Wingo.

Makes sense. Would there have been another one further south closer to I-24, or would I-24 have been tolled at the time as well?

Nope.

For years, the Pennyrile ended at Alternate US 41. The exit being discussed was the northernmost Hopkinsville exit, so the toll booth was placed there to catch the traffic heading north toward Madisonville and Henderson.

[Georgia Guardrail]

Had a question about the Newtown Pike Widening in Lexington, KY. 

I know they are going to build an underpass for the Legacy Trail to go under Newtown Pike. 

Will this be a tunnel or an actual bridge?  I'm assuming a tunnel.