Pennyrile Parkway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pennyrile Parkway

Length:

71.306 mi^[1] (114.756 km)

South end:

US 41 ALT in Hopkinsville

Major
junctions:

US 41/KY 109 in Hopkinsville

US 68/KY 80 in Hopkinsville

US 41 near Nortonville

US 62 in Nortonville

Western KY Pkwy near Nortonville

US 41 in Madisonville

Audubon Pkwy in Henderson

North end:

US 41 in Henderson

Counties:

Christian, Hopkins, Webster, Henderson

Major cities:

Hopkinsville, Madisonville, Henderson

Numbered highways in Kentucky
Interstates - U.S. Highways - State Highways

The Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway is a 71.306 mile (114.756 km) controlled-access highway from Henderson to Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The parkway begins at Henderson as a continuation of the limited-access U.S. Route 41 at exit 78. It travels south through rolling hills to its southern terminus at U.S. Route 41 Alternate in Hopkinsville. A seven-mile section was left unconstructed from US 41 Alternate south to Interstate 24 despite its approval in 1976 from the Parkway Authority for construction. This connection, now served by Alternate U.S. 41, is planned to be built by the end of the decade^[2]. Construction has begun on the first 1.8 miles of the extension to the U.S. Route 68 bypass. The seven-mile gap is reflected in the mileposts for the parkway, which start at 7.000 at the southern terminus.

It is one of nine highways that are part of Kentucky's parkway system. The section between the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway near Mortons Gap and the northern terminus in Henderson is a part of Future Interstate 69. The length of the road is unsigned Kentucky Route 9004 (EB 9004).

The road is named after Edward T. Breathitt, a former Kentucky governor. Originally called the Pennyrile Parkway from its opening in October of 1969 at a cost of $69.2 million. It was renamed for Breathitt in 2000.

The parkway passes the cities of Madisonville, Sebree, Mortons Gap, and Earlington. It intersects with the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway near Madisonville, and with the Audubon Parkway just south of Henderson.

1 History
2 Future
- 2.1 Interstate 69
- 2.2 Federal Legislation Designating Parkways as I-69
3 Exit list
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

The Breathitt Parkway, as with all nine parkways, was originally a toll road. By Kentucky state law, toll collection ceases when enough toll has been collected or funds received from other sources, such as a legislative appropriation, to pay off the construction bonds for the parkway. In the case of the Breathitt, toll booths were removed in 1992 when bonds were paid off ten years ahead of schedule.

A section near the middle of the parkway, in the Madisonville area, was free from tolls from the road's opening; this section was also signed as U.S. 41. The 41 designation has since been removed and applied to the former U.S. Highway 41A through Madisonville and other nearby cities; this road was the original U.S. 41 before the parkway opened. This redesignation followed a horrendous blizzard on January 17, 1994, which forced the Governor of Kentucky to close all Interstates and limited access highways in the state. Truck traffic was forced to take U.S. 41-A through downtown Madisonville for a week, snarling local traffic.

[edit] Future

[edit] Interstate 69

The portion of the parkway from Madisonville to Henderson is part of the proposed southern extension of Interstate 69. On May 15, 2006, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher announced that the Breathitt Parkway between Henderson and Madisonville will be incorporated into Future Interstate 69. That same day, highway crews began installing "Future Interstate 69 Corridor" signs along this segment and the Western Kentucky Parkway between Mortons Gap and Interstate 24.

[edit] Federal Legislation Designating Parkways as I-69

On May 2, 2008 the House of Representatives passed HR-1195 (SAFETEA-LU Technical Corrections Act of 2008) which designates the Breathitt Parkway from Henderson to Madisonville, and the Western Kentucky Parkway from Madisonville to I-24 at Eddyville as I-69. It further designates the Audubon Parkway as a future spur (I-X69) of I-69 once necessary upgrades are completed. President Bush signed the bill on June 6, 2008, and I-69 signs may begin appearing on the Parkways during the summer of 2008. ^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

[edit] Exit list

County	Location	Mile^[1]	#	Destinations	Notes
Christian	Hopkinsville	7.000	7	US 41 Alt. to I-24 - Hopkinsville, Fort Campbell	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 7A (north) and 7B (south)
		7.935	8	US 41 – Hopkinsville, Pembroke
		9.359	9	US 68 / KY 80 – Hopkinsville, Elkton	Serves Jefferson Davis Monument State Historic Site and the Hopkinsville-Christian County Airport
		11.697	12	KY 1682 to US 41 Truck - Hopkinsville	Serves Hopkinsville Community College
	Crofton	22.653	23	KY 800 - Crofton	Serves Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park
Hopkins	Nortonville	29.568	30	US 41 south	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		32.861	33	US 62 – Nortonville, Greenville
		34.271	34	Western Kentucky Parkway - Elizabethtown, Paducah	Signed as exits 34A (east) and 34B (west)
	Mortons Gap	37.070	37	KY 813 - Mortons Gap
	Earlington	39.794	40	KY 2171 - Earlington (KY 336)
	Madisonville	42.418	42	KY 70 - Madisonville, Central City
		44.337	44	US 41 Alt., KY 281 - Madisonville, Providence	Serves Madisonville Community College
		45.206	45	US 41 north – Hanson	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Hanson	48.979	49	KY 260 - Hanson
	Slaughters	54.070	54	KY 138 - Dixon, Calhoun
Webster	Sebree	62.637	63	KY 56 - Sebree, Owensboro
Henderson	Robards	68.363	68	KY 416	Southbound exit and northbound entrance.
	Henderson	76.258	76	KY 425 to US 60 west – Morganfield	Serves Henderson Community College
		77.210	77	Audubon Parkway east - Owensboro
		78.306	78	US 41 south	South end of US 41 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance
			79	KY 351 – Zion, Henderson
			81	US 60, US 41 Alt. - Owensboro, Henderson	Signed as exits 81A (east) and 81B (west/south)