US 23-460 Business: Paintsville KY

[Mapmikey]

I am working on a website to update and continue the Droz US Highways page, but done in the style of my other route pages - http://www.vahighways.com/usroute/index.htm

I am working on the US 460 Bus page.  I am pretty solid on the US 23-460 Bus in Pikeville but Paintsville is less certain.  The only map I have found that explicitly shows it is a Topo map.  The Kentucky state officials 1962-65 imply its existence and the style of the state map changed in 1966 and beyond that made it look like there was no bypass at all.

County maps do not label any of the roads right in/around Paintsville.

The aaroads wiki also lists it but also said it served Prestonsburg but so far I have found zero evidence of this.

One theory is that US 23-460 Bus became KY 321 Bus when modern 23-460 was opened circa 1997.  However, the Johnson County route list doesn't mention the renumbering of it in its order list that goes back to 1982.  So, 23-460 Bus could've been dropped earlier.

Anyone have better information on this?

[hbelkins]

I am working on a website to update and continue the Droz US Highways page, but done in the style of my other route pages - http://www.vahighways.com/usroute/index.htm

I am working on the US 460 Bus page.  I am pretty solid on the US 23-460 Bus in Pikeville but Paintsville is less certain.  The only map I have found that explicitly shows it is a Topo map.  The Kentucky state officials 1962-65 imply its existence and the style of the state map changed in 1966 and beyond that made it look like there was no bypass at all.

County maps do not label any of the roads right in/around Paintsville.

The aaroads wiki also lists it but also said it served Prestonsburg but so far I have found zero evidence of this.

One theory is that US 23-460 Bus became KY 321 Bus when modern 23-460 was opened circa 1997.  However, the Johnson County route list doesn't mention the renumbering of it in its order list that goes back to 1982.  So, 23-460 Bus could've been dropped earlier.

Anyone have better information on this?

I don't remember the business routes ever being signed in Paintsville until Business KY 321 was signed..

As for Prestonsburg, the original route of US 23/460 ran along what is now KY 1428 from Allen (intersection of old KY 80) into downtown. The route then followed KY 1428 (a portion of which has been reconstructed) out to the new four-lane route (with portions now signed as KY 1100). It then followed KY 1428 in Johnson County  through downtown Paintsville. There was never, to my knowledge, a business route signed for 23 or 460 in Prestonsburg.

When the second-generation alignment was built between Prestonsburg and Paintsville (now KY 321) KY 1428 was routed along the first-generation route of US 23/460.When the current (third-generation) route was built, much of it was built atop the first-generation alignment.

Kentucky has a handful of older county maps posted online at https://transportation.ky.gov/Planning/Pages/Historical-Maps.aspx that might provide some more clues.

[The_Ginger]

I am working on a website to update and continue the Droz US Highways page, but done in the style of my other route pages - http://www.vahighways.com/usroute/index.htm

Not related to the page, but did you mean to write that the website was rolled out on July 1, 2026?

7/1/26: Welcome to US Highways: Histories for Mainline, Suffixed, and Bannered Routes. This site is intended to be an update and continuation to the defunct US-Highways.com

7/1/26: Initial roll out of the website
Previous Updates

[Rothman]

I am working on a website to update and continue the Droz US Highways page, but done in the style of my other route pages - http://www.vahighways.com/usroute/index.htm

I am working on the US 460 Bus page.  I am pretty solid on the US 23-460 Bus in Pikeville but Paintsville is less certain.  The only map I have found that explicitly shows it is a Topo map.  The Kentucky state officials 1962-65 imply its existence and the style of the state map changed in 1966 and beyond that made it look like there was no bypass at all.

County maps do not label any of the roads right in/around Paintsville.

The aaroads wiki also lists it but also said it served Prestonsburg but so far I have found zero evidence of this.

One theory is that US 23-460 Bus became KY 321 Bus when modern 23-460 was opened circa 1997.  However, the Johnson County route list doesn't mention the renumbering of it in its order list that goes back to 1982.  So, 23-460 Bus could've been dropped earlier.

Anyone have better information on this?

I don't remember the business routes ever being signed in Paintsville until Business KY 321 was signed..

As for Prestonsburg, the original route of US 23/460 ran along what is now KY 1428 from Allen (intersection of old KY 80) into downtown. The route then followed KY 1428 (a portion of which has been reconstructed) out to the new four-lane route (with portions now signed as KY 1100). It then followed KY 1428 in Johnson County  through downtown Paintsville. There was never, to my knowledge, a business route signed for 23 or 460 in Prestonsburg.

When the second-generation alignment was built between Prestonsburg and Paintsville (now KY 321) KY 1428 was routed along the first-generation route of US 23/460.When the current (third-generation) route was built, much of it was built atop the first-generation alignment.

Kentucky has a handful of older county maps posted online at https://transportation.ky.gov/Planning/Pages/Historical-Maps.aspx that might provide some more clues.

Isn't there/Wasn't there a Business KY 80/122 in Martin?

[Mapmikey]

1962 Official

1964 Topo

I am working on a website to update and continue the Droz US Highways page, but done in the style of my other route pages - http://www.vahighways.com/usroute/index.htm

I am working on the US 460 Bus page.  I am pretty solid on the US 23-460 Bus in Pikeville but Paintsville is less certain.  The only map I have found that explicitly shows it is a Topo map.  The Kentucky state officials 1962-65 imply its existence and the style of the state map changed in 1966 and beyond that made it look like there was no bypass at all.

County maps do not label any of the roads right in/around Paintsville.

The aaroads wiki also lists it but also said it served Prestonsburg but so far I have found zero evidence of this.

One theory is that US 23-460 Bus became KY 321 Bus when modern 23-460 was opened circa 1997.  However, the Johnson County route list doesn't mention the renumbering of it in its order list that goes back to 1982.  So, 23-460 Bus could've been dropped earlier.

Anyone have better information on this?

I don't remember the business routes ever being signed in Paintsville until Business KY 321 was signed..

As for Prestonsburg, the original route of US 23/460 ran along what is now KY 1428 from Allen (intersection of old KY 80) into downtown. The route then followed KY 1428 (a portion of which has been reconstructed) out to the new four-lane route (with portions now signed as KY 1100). It then followed KY 1428 in Johnson County  through downtown Paintsville. There was never, to my knowledge, a business route signed for 23 or 460 in Prestonsburg.

When the second-generation alignment was built between Prestonsburg and Paintsville (now KY 321) KY 1428 was routed along the first-generation route of US 23/460.When the current (third-generation) route was built, much of it was built atop the first-generation alignment.

Kentucky has a handful of older county maps posted online at https://transportation.ky.gov/Planning/Pages/Historical-Maps.aspx that might provide some more clues.

Thanks...those maps are the ones that show routes through Paintsville but do not label what they are designated.

These are the 2 maps that make me believe 23-460 Bus did exist at least initially.  The next edition of the Topo map removed the shields. Too bad the county route lists that KYTC has available online do not list orders/changes prior to 1982.

Not related to the page, but did you mean to write that the website was rolled out on July 1, 2026?

Yes.  I have not formally announced the site or linked it to the Virginia Hwys Project pages and am guesstimating that July is when I think I'll have enough route pages written to announce it.

[Rothman]

All I know is that I was in Prestonsburg when the bypass was just finished and never saw a Business 23/460 signed, ever.  The exit was always just KY 114.

Although...I do remember when the US 23/460/KY 80/KY 302 interchange was for KY 80 and KY 3...

[NE2]

https://wiki.aaroads.com/wiki/User_talk:Alexlatham96
Alex found a 1977 (?) log with snippet view that shows US 23 Business in Paintsville. Also the SPRS list does show US 23X becoming KY 321X in 1996. As to whether there was a US 460 Business, it's possible that it was signed but not inventoried, since KYTC does not include overlaps in descriptions.

[Mapmikey]

Thanks...didn't catch my eye because the Pike County version of that document used 23 BR when ditching that one...