Pennyrile Parkway
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| Image:Edward T Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway Shield.png | |||||||||
| Pennyrile Parkway | |||||||||
| Length: | 71.306 mi[1] (114.756 km) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South end: | Image:Alternate plate.svg Image:US 41.svg US 41 ALT in Hopkinsville | ||||||||
| Major junctions: | Image:US 41.svgImage:Elongated circle 109.svg US 41/KY 109 in Hopkinsville Image:US 68.svgImage:Elongated circle 80.svg US 68/KY 80 in Hopkinsville Image:US 41.svg US 41 near Nortonville Image:US 62.svg US 62 in Nortonville Image:Wendell H Ford Western KY Parkway Shield.png Western KY Pkwy near Nortonville Image:US 41.svg US 41 in Madisonville Image:Audubon Parkway Shield.png Audubon Pkwy in Henderson | ||||||||
| North end: | Image:US 41.svg US 41 in Henderson | ||||||||
| Counties: | Christian, Hopkins, Webster, Henderson | ||||||||
| Major cities: | Hopkinsville, Madisonville, Henderson | ||||||||
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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.
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[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] Exit list
[edit] References
- ^ a b Kentucky Transportation Cabinet - Division of Planning - Highway Information System Official Milepoint Route Log Extract. Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
- ^ Carlyle, Jeffrey. Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway. KentuckyRoads.com.
