Pennyrile Parkway

Pennyrile Parkway
Route information
Length:	71.306 mi[1] (114.756 km)
Component highways:	I-69 US 41
Major junctions
South end:	I-24 near Hopkinsville
	US 41 Alt. in Hopkinsville US 41 / KY 109 in Hopkinsville US 68 / KY 80 in Hopkinsville US 41 near Nortonville US 62 in Nortonville I-69 / Western Kentucky Parkway near Nortonville US 41 in Madisonville Audubon Parkway in Henderson
North end:	I-69 / US 41 in Henderson
Location
Counties:	Christian, Hopkins, Webster, Henderson
Highway system
Highways in Kentucky Interstate US State Parkways

The Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway is a 71.306-mile-long (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 (US 41) at exit 81; the northernmost three miles (4.8 km) of the Pennyrile Parkway are signed as US 41. It travels south through rolling hills to its southern terminus at Interstate 24 (I-24) south of Hopkinsville. A seven-mile (11 km) section was left unconstructed from US 41 Alternate south to I-24 despite its approval in 1976 from the Parkway Authority for construction. This connection was completed and opened to the public on March 1, 2011.^[2] The first 1.8 miles (2.9 km) of the extension to the US 68 bypass (exit 6) were completed and opened to traffic in September 2008. The construction was then completed to exit 5, with the final section to I-24 opened on March 1, 2011.

The next phase of the extension—now completed—encompassed the portion of the parkway between US 41 Alternate and I-24. As of May 2010, the Lover's Lane interchange (exit 5) is open to local traffic via US 68 ramp (exit 5). The final segment, from US 68 to I-24, opened on March 1, 2011.

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 became part of I-69 with the passage of federal legislation on June 6, 2008. The length of the road carries the unsigned designation Kentucky Route 9004 (EB 9004). From the Western Kentucky Parkway to interchange 148 (formerly interchange 76), the Pennyrile Parkway also carries the signed designation of I-69, effective November 16, 2015.^[3] North of Interchange 148, the Pennyrile Parkway runs concurrently with US 41.

The road is named after Edward T. Breathitt, a former Kentucky governor. Originally called the Pennyrile Parkway from its opening in October 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, Slaughters, and Earlington. It intersects with the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway near Madisonville, and with the Audubon Parkway just south of Henderson. Interstate 69 follows the Pennyrile Parkway from Henderson to the Western Kentucky Parkway interchange at Madisonville. At this interchange, I-69 turns west and follows the Western Kentucky Parkway toward Eddyville, while the Pennyrile Parkway continues south toward Hopkinsville.

History

The Pennyrile Parkway previously used a green shield.

The Pennyrile 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 Pennyrile, 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 US 41. The US 41 designation has since been removed and applied to the former US 41A through Madisonville and other nearby cities; this road was the original US 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. Heavy trucks were forced to take US 41A through downtown Madisonville for a week, snarling local traffic.

Future

Interstate 69

The portion of the parkway from Madisonville to Henderson is part of the under construction southern extension of Interstate 69. On May 15, 2006, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher announced that the Pennyrile 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. Contracts to upgrade interchanges, bridges and overpasses were let in stages between 2013 and 2015, culminating in the designation of the Pennyrile Parkway as I-69 on November 16, 2015.

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 Pennyrile 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.^[4][5][6][7]

Interstate 66 Spur

The parkway is planned to be part of a I-66 spur from where I-69 will join the parkway to the Pennyrile Parkways' Southern Terminus. The number for this routing would be I-166.

Exit list

Kentucky is in the process of renumbering exits between I-69/Western Kentucky Parkway interchange and the parkway's northern terminus in Henderson to reflect I-69 mileage through the state.^[8]

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Old exit	New exit	Destinations	Notes
Christian	Hopkinsville	0.000	0.000			I-24 – Nashville, Paducah	I-24 exit 81; exit 1 is for 24 west
		5.175	8.328		5	Lover's Lane – Hopkinsville	Serves James E. Bruce Convention Center
		6.000	9.656		6	US 68 Byp. – Hopkinsville
		7.000	11.265		7	US 41 Alt. – Hopkinsville, Fort Campbell	Southern terminus until 2009
		7.935	12.770		8	US 41 – Hopkinsville, Pembroke	south end of US 41 Truck overlap
		9.359	15.062		9	US 68 / KY 80 – Hopkinsville, Elkton	Serves Jefferson Davis Monument State Historic Site and the Hopkinsville-Christian County Airport
		11.697	18.824		12	KY 1682 / US 41 north – Hopkinsville	north end of US 41 Truck overlap; serves Hopkinsville Community College
	Crofton	22.653	36.456		23	KY 800 – Crofton	Serves Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park
Hopkins	Nortonville	29.568	47.585		30	US 41 south	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		32.861	52.885		33	US 62 – Nortonville, Greenville
		34.271	55.154	34	34/106	I-69 south / Western Kentucky Parkway – Elizabethtown, Paducah	South end of I-69 overlap; signed southbound as 106 A and B; and northbound as exits 34A (east) and 34B (west/south)
	Mortons Gap	37.070	59.658	37	108	KY 813 – Mortons Gap
	Earlington	39.794	64.042	40	111	KY 2171 – Earlington, Madisonville
	Madisonville	42.418	68.265	42	114	KY 70 – Madisonville, Central City
		44.337	71.353	44	116	US 41 Alt. / KY 281 – Madisonville, Providence	Serves Madisonville Community College
		45.206	72.752		117	US 41 north – Madisonville	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Hanson	48.979	78.824	49	120	KY 260 – Hanson
	Slaughters	54.070	87.017	54	125	KY 138 – Dixon, Calhoun
Webster	Sebree	62.637	100.804	63	134	KY 56 – Sebree, Owensboro
Henderson	Robards	68.363	110.020	68	140	KY 416	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Henderson	76.258	122.725	76	148/10	US 41 to Audubon Parkway to KY 425 – Morganfield I-69 temporary ends	Serves Henderson Community College and the Henderson City-County Airport; North end of I-69 overlap; south end of US-41 overlap. Signed as 148 A/B northbound, and as Exit 10 A/B southbound.
		Temporary Northern terminus of I-69 at U.S. Route 41
		77.210	124.257	77	11	Audubon Parkway east – Owensboro
		78.306	126.021	78	12	KY 2084 south	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
				79	13	KY 351 – Zion, Henderson
				81	14	US 60 / US 41 Alt. – Owensboro, Henderson, Evansville, Frankfort, Lexington, Louisville	Signed as exits 81A (east) and 81B (west/south). Highway continues north as US-41 toward Evansville, Indiana.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• KentuckyRoads.com — Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway
• Exit Guide for Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway