Kentucky

[Revive 755]

https://transportation.ky.gov/Program-Management/Documents/2026%20Recommended%20Highway%20Plan.pdf

Kentucky's Highway Plan (2026-2032) is up.

• Page 6 (or 164/376) mentions a proposed Barlow Eastern Bypass and a proposed LaCenter Southern Bypass.
• What's with the "US 60X" routes?
• Page 21 (or 29/376) has a note on the map to investigate reuse of the existing SB US 41 Ohio River Bridge.
• Page (87 or 123/376) mentions a preliminary study for replacing the Ohio River Bridge on I-24.

[hbelkins]

The Barlow and LaCenter bypasses are part of improving the US 60 corridor between Paducah and Wickliffe, to tie into the new Ohio River bridge.

In Kentucky parlance, the "X" refers to a business route. I'm guessing you're referring to the replacement of the "singing bridge" in Frannkfort, which is designated US 60X internally?

[akt85]

After driving the entire length of I-65 last year through Kentucky, am I correct in assuming the tolls on the I-65 bridge over the Ohio River is to pay for the six lanes of I-65 and parts of I-75 in Kentucky without raising gas taxes for the state?

[NWI_Irish96]

After driving the entire length of I-65 last year through Kentucky, am I correct in assuming the tolls on the I-65 bridge over the Ohio River is to pay for the six lanes of I-65 and parts of I-75 in Kentucky without raising gas taxes for the state?

No the bridge tolls are exclusively for the bridges.

[Revive 755]

In Kentucky parlance, the "X" refers to a business route. I'm guessing you're referring to the replacement of the "singing bridge" in Frannkfort, which is designated US 60X internally?

Yes - that one was making me wondering if the X was some sort of designation for a former alignment that was still state maintained.

[seicer]

The Interstate 24 bridge over the Ohio River has been faulty from its construction because of faulty welding and extensive cracks: https://bridgestunnels.com/location/paducah-bridge/

[seicer]

• Map: https://maps.kytc.ky.gov/activehighwayplan/
• Listing: https://transportation.ky.gov/Program-Management/Documents/2026%20Recommended%20Highway%20Plan.pdf

For Greenup and Boyd counties:

• SR 168 and Roberts Drive (CSX Crossing):
  Improvements are planned at the intersection of SR 168 and Roberts Drive near the CSX crossing at an estimated cost of $10.7 million. Design is scheduled for 2027, followed by right-of-way acquisition in 2028, utility relocation in 2029, and construction in 2030.
• Greenup Avenue (Southern Split to 20th Street):
  Improvements to Greenup Avenue between the southern split and 20th Street are estimated at $2.2 million. Design is planned for 2028, with right-of-way acquisition and utility work in 2029, and construction in 2030.
• US 60 and SR 168 Intersection:
  Improvements to the intersection of US 60 and SR 168 are estimated at $13.3 million. Design is scheduled for 2027, with right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation in 2029, and construction anticipated in 2031.
• SR 2 Reconstruction (Milepost 13.2 to 17.2):
  SR 2 will be reconstructed between mileposts 13.2 and 17.2 at a projected cost of $117 million. Design is planned for 2027, right-of-way acquisition in 2028, utility relocation in 2029, and construction in 2031.
• SR 207 Reconstruction:
  SR 207 will be reconstructed from SR 67/Industrial Parkway to SR 693 in Flatwoods at an estimated cost of $71 million. Right-of-way acquisition is scheduled for 2027, utility work in 2028, and construction in 2029.
• 13th Street Bridge Rehabilitation:
  Rehabilitation of the 13th Street Bridge is estimated at $20 million, with construction planned for 2031. A related minor project totaling $2.9 million is scheduled for 2027.

[GCrites]

• Map: https://maps.kytc.ky.gov/activehighwayplan/
• Listing: https://transportation.ky.gov/Program-Management/Documents/2026%20Recommended%20Highway%20Plan.pdf

For Greenup and Boyd counties:

• SR 168 and Roberts Drive (CSX Crossing):
  Improvements are planned at the intersection of SR 168 and Roberts Drive near the CSX crossing at an estimated cost of $10.7 million. Design is scheduled for 2027, followed by right-of-way acquisition in 2028, utility relocation in 2029, and construction in 2030.
• Greenup Avenue (Southern Split to 20th Street):
  Improvements to Greenup Avenue between the southern split and 20th Street are estimated at $2.2 million. Design is planned for 2028, with right-of-way acquisition and utility work in 2029, and construction in 2030.
• US 60 and SR 168 Intersection:
  Improvements to the intersection of US 60 and SR 168 are estimated at $13.3 million. Design is scheduled for 2027, with right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation in 2029, and construction anticipated in 2031.

Google Maps doesn't show KY-168 on overhead maps but does show it on Street View. On the map it's just Blackburn Ave., Woods Creek Pike and Wheatley Road.[/list]

[seicer]

• Map: https://maps.kytc.ky.gov/activehighwayplan/
• Listing: https://transportation.ky.gov/Program-Management/Documents/2026%20Recommended%20Highway%20Plan.pdf

Some noteworthy items (to be updated)

• US 119 (Pine Mountain): The proposed Pine Mountain tunnel along US 119 is no longer included in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Instead, reconstruction of the southern approach is scheduled for 2029 at a cost of $83 million, while work on the northern approach is planned for 2027 at $15 million.
• AA Highway (Maysville Bypass): Completion of the Maysville bypass is scheduled in two phases, set for 2030 and 2033, with a combined estimated cost of $250 million.
• SR 7 (Sandy Hook to Morgan County): Reconstruction of SR 7 from Sandy Hook to Morgan County is scheduled for construction in 2028 at a cost of $72 million. This project will complete the reconstruction of SR 7 from Grayson to West Liberty.
• SR 8 (AA Highway/SR 10 near Garrison to Scaffold Lick Road): Reconstruction of SR 8 east of the AA Highway/SR 10 near Garrison to Scaffold Lick Road is scheduled for 2033, with an estimated cost of $70 million.
• SR 32 (Elliott County Line to Yatesville Lake): Safety improvements along 23.5 miles of SR 32 from the Elliott County line to Yatesville Lake are scheduled for 2030. This project is intended to tie into the reconstructed segment between Yatesville Lake and US 23 in Louisa.
• SR 32 (SR 7 to SR 504): Improvements to SR 32 between SR 7 and SR 504 will occur in multiple phases. One segment is scheduled to begin construction in 2026 at a cost of $90 million, with a second segment planned for 2033 at $140 million. These projects will largely complete upgrades to SR 32 between Morehead and Louisa.
• SR 32 (Sandy Hook): Reconstruction of approximately 1 mile of SR 32 in Sandy Hook is scheduled for 2026, with an estimated cost of $16.5 million.
• SR 57 (Flemingsburg to AA Highway/SR 9): Reconstruction of SR 57 from Flemingsburg north to the AA Highway/SR 9 is scheduled for 2030, at a cost of $80 million.
• SR 72 (Alva to Pansy): Construction of SR 72 between Alva and Pansy will connect two disconnected segments using a former coal haul road and new terrain. The project is estimated at $30 million.
• SR 377 (Morehead Area): Reconstruction of SR 377 from SR 32 to SR 799 near Morehead will begin in 2027 at a cost of $47 million, with an additional segment scheduled for 2030 costing $33 million.
• SR 644 (Levisa Fork Bridge near Louisa): The planned replacement of a circa 1883 bridge over the Levisa Fork along SR 644 near Louisa has been cancelled.
• SR 645 (Inez to US 52 at Warfield, WV): Completion of SR 645 from Inez to US 52 at Warfield, West Virginia, is scheduled for 2026–2027, with an estimated cost of $75 million.

[hbelkins]

After driving the entire length of I-65 last year through Kentucky, am I correct in assuming the tolls on the I-65 bridge over the Ohio River is to pay for the six lanes of I-65 and parts of I-75 in Kentucky without raising gas taxes for the state?

Nope, those tolls are just for the Louisville bridges.

[roadman65]

I saw an old map of Kentucky in the 1970s showing I-65 from the Western Kentucky Parkway near Elizabethtown to I-264 south of Louisville as the Kentucky Turnpike.   It even showed four interchanges between Elizabethtown and the Henry Waterson Expressway.  One at KY 1035 and another at KY 44 with two partial interchanges at both KY 61 and KY 245 only existed.   With the three interchanges at Elizabethtown and its northern terminus it totalled eight overall.

I assume it was a barrier system and not a closed ticket system during its operation?

Plus I read it had a motel inside its service area which is unusual for a toll road to feature as areas only feature food and gas.

[zzcarp]

I saw an old map of Kentucky in the 1970s showing I-65 from the Western Kentucky Parkway near Elizabethtown to I-264 south of Louisville as the Kentucky Turnpike.  It even showed four interchanges between Elizabethtown and the Henry Waterson Expressway.  One at KY 1035 and another at KY 44 with two partial interchanges at both KY 61 and KY 245 only existed.  With the three interchanges at Elizabethtown and its northern terminus it totalled eight overall.

I assume it was a barrier system and not a closed ticket system during its operation?

Plus I read it had a motel inside its service area which is unusual for a toll road to feature as areas only feature food and gas.

While this article doesn't mention a hotel in the service plaza, just a restaurant along with normal services, it seems to give a good history and confirms that it was a barrier system, not a ticket system:

Two toll plazas punctuated the modern motorway. One was at the Shepherdsville exit in Bullitt County while the second was located at the Lebanon Junction exit near Elizabethtown. Travelers paid a quarter or a dime, depending on the toll booth and whether they were exiting the turnpike; trucks were assessed 10-cents per axle for their toll.

[hbelkins]

The Kentucky Turnpike's toll system was similar to the other former toll roads in the state. There was a toll booth at the southern terminus at E-town and one at Shepherdsville at the KY 44 exit. Plus there were toll ramps at Fern Valley and Outer Loop roads in suburban Louisville.

And yes, there was a motel at the service plaza at Shepherdsville. I remember it well. I think it may have been a Howard Johnson's at one time.

[roadman65]

I saw an old map of Kentucky in the 1970s showing I-65 from the Western Kentucky Parkway near Elizabethtown to I-264 south of Louisville as the Kentucky Turnpike.  It even showed four interchanges between Elizabethtown and the Henry Waterson Expressway.  One at KY 1035 and another at KY 44 with two partial interchanges at both KY 61 and KY 245 only existed.  With the three interchanges at Elizabethtown and its northern terminus it totalled eight overall.

I assume it was a barrier system and not a closed ticket system during its operation?

Plus I read it had a motel inside its service area which is unusual for a toll road to feature as areas only feature food and gas.

While this article doesn't mention a hotel in the service plaza, just a restaurant along with normal services, it seems to give a good history and confirms that it was a barrier system, not a ticket system:

Two toll plazas punctuated the modern motorway. One was at the Shepherdsville exit in Bullitt County while the second was located at the Lebanon Junction exit near Elizabethtown. Travelers paid a quarter or a dime, depending on the toll booth and whether they were exiting the turnpike; trucks were assessed 10-cents per axle for their toll.

The Kentucky Turnpike's toll system was similar to the other former toll roads in the state. There was a toll booth at the southern terminus at E-town and one at Shepherdsville at the KY 44 exit. Plus there were toll ramps at Fern Valley and Outer Loop roads in suburban Louisville.

And yes, there was a motel at the service plaza at Shepherdsville. I remember it well. I think it may have been a Howard Johnson's at one time.

I remember it was in a Ho Jo Directory at one time.  Yes there was a chain motel on the road itself.

[GCrites]

Those Kentucky Turnpike service plazas seem like they were a trip. They don't look like they were ADA compliant at all. I never got to use them but the pictures show one of those '50s/'60s building situations where you walked in and immediately had to choose whether to go up a staircase or down one. The only thing remotely like that left in the commonwealth is on the Western Kentucky Parkway and is basically an overgrown version of your typical rural chicken and pizza gas station. Beaver Dam Rest Stop

[The Ghostbuster]

Would it have been possible to retain the former Kentucky Turnpike's service areas along Interstate 65 after it was detolled in 1975. I kind of wish the Beaver Dam Rest Stop on the Western Kentucky Parkway (future Interstate 569) wasn't the only service area on Kentucky's Parkway System.

[bandit957]

It seems like the I-65 one was still there in 1993 and that we stopped there on a big college trip.

[GCrites]

Historic Aerials shows the Shepherdsville one there in 1983 but gone in 1987. So it was still there after detolling. There is a Lowe's at the site now.

[bandit957]

I'm trying to think what we stopped at in 1993 then. I know it was on I-65 just south of Louisville. It was close enough to Louisville that we could pick up their less powerful FM stations.

[ibthebigd]

Anything in the highway plan for the Nicholasville to I-75 connection?

[seicer]

• Map: https://maps.kytc.ky.gov/activehighwayplan/
• Listing: https://transportation.ky.gov/Program-Management/Documents/2026%20Recommended%20Highway%20Plan.pdf

More notes:

• Nicholasville–Interstate 75 Connector: The proposed connector between Nicholasville and Interstate 75 is not included in the current six-year highway plan.
• Nicholasville Bypass: Construction of the Nicholasville bypass is scheduled for 2026 at an estimated cost of $95 million.
• Somerset Northern Bypass / Interstate 66 (Section 4): Construction of Section 4, from east of the SR 39 interchange to the SR 461/US 80 interchange near Somerset, is scheduled for 2028, at an estimated cost of $89.5 million.
• US 27 (Nicholasville to Man o' War Blvd.): Major access management improvements and driveway consolidation along US 27 between Nicholasville and Man o' War Boulevard in Lexington are scheduled for 2026, with an estimated cost of $24.5 million.
• US 27 (SR 34 to Lancaster Bypass): Widening US 27 to four lanes between SR 34 and the Lancaster Bypass is scheduled for 2026, with an estimated cost of $38 million.
• US 27 (Stanford to Lincoln–Garrard County Line): Widening US 27 to four lanes from Bell Street in Stanford to the Lincoln–Garrard County line is scheduled for 2029, at a cost of $39 million.
• US 27 (South of Stanford to SR 1247): Additional widening or improvements of US 27 south of Stanford to SR 1247 is planned for 2030, with an estimated cost of $37 million.
• US 27 (SR 328 to KY 501, Lincoln County): Spot improvements or possible reconstruction along US 27 between SR 328 and KY 501 are scheduled for 2031, at a cost of $44.5 million. This project does not appear to encompass the full remaining two-lane section between Stanford and the Pulaski County line and may represent a 2+1 configuration rather than full four-lane widening.
• SR 461 (Buck Creek to Mount Vernon): Widening or major improvements to SR 461 from the end of improvements near Buck Creek to US 150 at Mount Vernon are scheduled for 2030, at a cost of $119 million. This project will connect with improvements currently underway around Mount Vernon.
• Brannon Road (Jessamine County): Reconstruction from US 68 to US 27 is scheduled for 2026 at a cost of $28 million.
• US 27 (Burnside): Reconstruction of US 27 through Burnside is scheduled for 2028, with an estimated cost of $14 million.
• US 119 (Bell County): Select 2+1 safety and capacity improvements along US 119 in Bell County are scheduled for 2029, at an estimated cost of $30 million.

[hbelkins]

• Map: https://maps.kytc.ky.gov/activehighwayplan/
• Listing: https://transportation.ky.gov/Program-Management/Documents/2026%20Recommended%20Highway%20Plan.pdf

More notes:

• US 27 (SR 34 to Lancaster Bypass): Widening US 27 to four lanes between SR 34 and the Lancaster Bypass is scheduled for 2026, with an estimated cost of $38 million.

What Lancaster bypass? There isn't one.

[seicer]

The Lancaster bypass is a proposed project, with the two US 27 widening projects north and south of Lancaster effectively ending at the southern and northern terminuses of the bypass: https://transportation.ky.gov/DistrictSeven/Pages/7-196.aspx

The STIP effectively divides this into three projects, with the bypass itself unfunded.

[Rothman]

• Map: https://maps.kytc.ky.gov/activehighwayplan/
• Listing: https://transportation.ky.gov/Program-Management/Documents/2026%20Recommended%20Highway%20Plan.pdf

More notes:

• US 27 (SR 34 to Lancaster Bypass): Widening US 27 to four lanes between SR 34 and the Lancaster Bypass is scheduled for 2026, with an estimated cost of $38 million.

What Lancaster bypass? There isn't one.

Looks like one's been proposed by rerouting US 27 around its west side.

[ibthebigd]

I drove the new route from Buc-ee's to Lancaster and was really impressed. Lancaster does need a bypass.