Interstate 69 in Kentucky

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This article is about the section of Interstate 69 in Kentucky. For the entire route, see Interstate 69.

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Not to be confused with Kentucky Route 69.

Interstate 69 marker

Interstate 69
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Route information
Maintained by KYTC
Length: 148.090 mi (238.328 km)
Existed: October 25, 2011 (2011-10-25) – present
History: <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Signed into law in 2008
  • Calvert City to Nortonville signed on October 25, 2011
  • Nortonville to Henderson signed on November 16, 2015
  • Mayfield to Calvert City signed in July 2018
  • Upgrades in progress on Fulton to Mayfield section.
Major junctions
South end: Purchase Parkway in Mayfield
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North end: US 41 in Henderson
Location
Counties: Graves, Marshall, Livingston, Lyon, Caldwell, Hopkins, Webster, Henderson
Highway system
← US 68 KY 69 →

Interstate 69 (I-69) in the US state of Kentucky is a 148.1-mile-long (238.3 km) freeway running from Fulton to Henderson. The route makes use of most of the Purchase Parkway and existing portions of I-24, the Western Kentucky Parkway, and the Pennyrile Parkway. Eventually, I-69 will leave the former Pennyrile Parkway just south of the Audubon Parkway interchange or remain on its current alignment and travel through Henderson on U.S. Route 41 (US 41) north into Indiana. The proposed route for the remainder of I-69 in Kentucky travels about 10 miles (16 km) to utilize an as-of-yet-unbuilt bridge into Indiana.

I-69 has been divided into three sections of independent utility (SIUs) through Kentucky. SIUs 5 and 6 encompass existing freeways. Federal legislation has designated the route for these sections, and Kentucky is in the process of installing I-69 signs on the route. SIU 4 includes a new bridge over the Ohio River between Henderson and Evansville, Indiana. The proposed funding formula calls for Kentucky to finance two-thirds of the projected $1.4-billion bridge, while Indiana would pay for the remaining third.

Route description

I-69 in Kentucky begins at the Tennessee state line at Fulton. It travels north on the former Purchase Parkway to Mayfield, where it bypasses the city to the west and north, passing interchanges with Kentucky Route 80 (KY 80), KY 121, and US 45, after which it heads northeast away from the city, passing through rural areas of Western Kentucky. Exit 41 provides access to US 641 in Benton. I-69 interchanges with US 68 at exit 47 near Draffenville. Just south of Calvert City, I-24 from the west joins I-69. The two highways run concurrently for 17 miles (27 km), crossing over the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers and interchanging with US 62 twice. At exit 42 of I-24, I-69 splits off and heads northeast, serving the communities of Princeton and Dawson Springs. At exit 106, the highway meets the western terminus of the Western Kentucky Parkway and the northern terminus of I-169. I-69 then makes a sharp turn to the north, passing by Mortons Gap, Madisonville, and Sebree. A trumpet interchange with KY 425 is located in the southern part of Henderson. Immediately after KY 425 is the western terminus of the Audubon Parkway. I-69 in Kentucky meets its current northern terminus at US 41 in Henderson.[1]

History

On May 15, 2006, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher announced that I-69 will encompass 130 miles (210 km) of existing parkways and a 17-mile-long (27 km) segment of I-24.[2] To reflect this decision by state and federal officials, crews began erecting Future I-69 signs along the following highway segments:

  • Western Kentucky Parkway between I-24 and Pennyrile Parkway, 38 miles (61 km)
  • Pennyrile Parkway between Western Kentucky Parkway and US 41, 41 miles (66 km)

Federal legislation

On May 2, 2008, the United States House of Representatives passed HR-1195 (SAFETEA-LU Technical Corrections Act of 2008) which designates the Pennyrile Parkway from Henderson to Nortonville and the Western Kentucky Parkway from Nortonville to I-24 at Eddyville as Future I-69. It further designates the Audubon Parkway as a future spur (I-X69) of I-69 once necessary upgrades are completed. Then-President George W. Bush signed the bill on June 6, 2008, and Future I-69 signs began appearing on the parkways in the middle of 2008.[3][4][5][6] This legislation applied the Future I-69 designation to the following roadways:

  • Pennyrile Parkway from just south of the Audubon Parkway in Henderson to the Western Kentucky Parkway in Nortonville (future I-569)
  • Western Kentucky Parkway from the Pennyrile Parkway to I-24 in Eddyville
  • I-24 from Eddyville to the Purchase Parkway in Calvert City
  • Purchase Parkway from I-24 to the US 51 interchange at the Tennessee state line
I-69 concurrent with Western Kentucky Parkway near Dawson Springs during transition period; now only I-69

All four highways, except for the section of the Purchase Parkway south of Mayfield, are now signed as I-69.[7] Signage and milemarker posts were changed in mid-December 2012.[8]

SIU 5

A 2007 engineering study for SIU 5 identified then-current conditions along the Pennyrile and Western Kentucky parkways. The report identified seven overpasses that fell short of the 16-foot (4.9 m) minimum vertical clearance necessary for Interstate Highways. An additional 28 mainline bridges were identified for not meeting the minimum horizontal clearance of 38 feet (12 m). Most—if not all—of the aforementioned bridges were built during construction of the parkways in the 1960s and are nearing the end of their serviceable lifespans and due to be replaced. The main issues concerning the 16 interchanges in SIU 5 were short acceleration/deceleration lanes (the average is 615 feet (187 m) while Interstate standards mandate 1,200 feet (370 m)) and tight curve radiuses at interchanges with loop ramps.[9] A particular challenge was reconfiguring the cloverleaf interchange between the Pennyrile and Western Kentucky parkways in Nortonville to accommodate the future movement of traffic primarily between points north and points west.[citation needed]

According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) 2006 Six-Year Transportation Plan Executive Summary, the KYTC "recently completed a study of the parkway upgrade needs from Interstate 24 to Henderson" (SIU 5). The summary further stated that "Continuing work on Interstate 69 in Kentucky will depend upon the financial support that can be garnered for the project through federal reauthorization and appropriations processes". The Transportation Plan estimated that the cost of upgrading the parkways would be about $700 million.[citation needed]

Nonetheless, the required improvements may be performed on individual segments of the parkways when the existing road surfaces reach the end of their lifespans, in what are known as "Pavement Preservation Projects". During a pavement preservation project, the existing pavement is removed, repairs are made to the highway's sub-base, and the road is then resurfaced. During such a project, bridges and overpasses may be rehabilitated or replaced, drainage systems are upgraded, and other modifications are made to improve safety on the road without completely reconstructing it, allowing it to remain at least partially open during construction.[citation needed]

Two projects on the Pennyrile Parkway and the Western Kentucky Parkway in Hopkins County were evidence that Kentucky took this approach. In 2007, work began on a $14.9-million (equivalent to $NaN in 2021[10]) project to replace seven miles (11 km) of pavement on the Pennyrile Parkway segment slated for the I-69 designation. A similar $23-million project (equivalent to $NaN in 2021[10]) in 2005 replaced and upgraded 11 miles (18 km) of pavement on the Western Kentucky Parkway west of the interchange with the Pennyrile Parkway, which was also slated to become part of I-69.[citation needed]

Several public meetings were held in towns along the parkways in late November and early December 2007 where Kentucky officials provided detailed information on upgrading the parkways, including changes to the projected cost for the upgrades. The adjusted cost of upgrading the parkways in SIUs 5 and 6 was pegged at around $300 million, significantly lower than initial estimates of $700 million. Of that $300-million pricetag, high-priority projects accounted for about half ($145 million) of the total cost. Kentucky transportation officials also raised the idea of applying for a waiver that would allow the parkways to immediately be signed as I-69, making the parkways eligible for federal Interstate Highway funds to complete the upgrades. Without the I-69 designation, the parkway sections slated to become I-69 would not be eligible for Interstate Highway funds for upgrades.[11] Kentucky officials announced that no funding for I-69 was included in the 2008–2014 Transportation Improvement Plan.[12]

In January 2010, then Governor Steve Beshear released the next draft Six-Year Plan for consideration by the Kentucky General Assembly. The proposed plan included the reconstruction of several interchanges on the Pennyrile and Western Kentucky parkways. The proposed work would upgrade the interchanges to Interstate standards as required to get the parkways signed as I-69. Pending approval and funding, the interchange work would begin in 2012 and be finished by 2015.[citation needed]

In 2014, work began on the required upgrades to the Pennyrile Parkway in anticipation of the I-69 designation. The cloverleaf interchange with I-69/Western Kentucky Parkway was modified to allow highspeed movements between points north and points west. During the same time frame, several interchanges along the Pennyrile were also reconstructed, and cable barriers were installed in the median. In April 2015, the KYTC awarded a $3-million contract (equivalent to $NaN in 2021[10]) to install I-69 and US 41 signs on the Pennyrile Parkway. The work was completed on November 16, 2015.[citation needed]

SIU 6

From Eddyville, I-69 follows I-24 for 17 miles (27 km), then turns southwest on the Purchase Parkway. I-69's designation along the Purchase Parkway from I-24 to the Tennessee state line at South Fulton, Tennessee, was written into law with the fiscal year 2002 Transportation Appropriations Bill.[13] However, many of the same issues that are being addressed in SIU 5 arise in SIU 6 as well, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky is upgrading the Purchase Parkway in a similar fashion. The massive interchange with US 45 and US 51 at the Tennessee state line in South Fulton is the main challenge for completing SIU 6 and has been broken out as a separate project from SIUs 6 and 7.[citation needed]

Kentucky is the only state that will be routing nearly its entire portion of I-69 over existing freeways, allowing the state to avoid years of costly environmental studies, and thereby enabling the KYTC to upgrade the parkways to I-69 as soon as funding becomes available. Technically, the Commonwealth of Kentucky could request a waiver from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) that would allow the state to apply the I-69 designation to its parkways before upgrades are completed, but this would only be able to have been done if adjoining segments in Tennessee or Indiana are completed first.[citation needed]

The Purchase Parkway has been designated as future I-69, but the route could not be signed as I-69 until several interchanges, including the interchange with I-24, are upgraded to Interstate standards. The northern portion of the parkway between Mayfield and I-24, including the reconfiguration of the KY 348 interchange at Benton from a toll-booth design (with opposing loop ramps) to a diamond interchange, the installation of cable barriers in the narrow parkway median, and resurfacing of the mainline to increase bridge clearances and lengthen merge lanes at other interchanges along this section was part of the upgrade to I-69. A $37-million contract (equivalent to $NaN in 2021[10]) to reconstruct the I-24/Purchase Parkway interchange was awarded to Jim Smith Contracting Company on November 20, 2015. Construction on the I-24/Purchase Parkway interchange began in early 2016,[14] with the project completed in July 2018. A similar contract to reconstruct the parkway interchanges at the south end of the Mayfield Bypass (exit 21) and KY 80 was let in February 2016. The section of the Purchase Parkway north of Mayfield received I-69 signage in July 2018.[15] A contract for the conversion of the last remaining tollbooth-style interchange requiring reconfiguration, located at KY 339 in Wingo (exit 14), was awarded again awarded to Jim Smith Contracting Company in December 2022 at a cost of $33.9 million. The project will turn this exit into a diamond interchange with extended ramps to meet interstate standards. The current ramps are expected to be closed for up to 90 days between July 10 – October 10, 2023 as the construction project begins.[16] Improvements to the exits 1 (US 51) and 2 (KY 307) will also be made.[17][18] The project is scheduled for completion on December 15, 2024.[19] After construction, I-69 will be extended down south to Fulton and the Tennessee state line.[20]

SIU 7

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The interchange between the Purchase Parkway, US 45, and US 51 straddles the Tennessee state line between the cities of Fulton, Kentucky, and South Fulton, Tennessee. Officially part of SIU 7, the interchange was broken out from the environmental impact statement (EIS) prepared by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) for SIU 7 at a time when Tennessee was moving forward with planning for the remainder of SIU 7 (all of which, except for a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) section of the Purchase Parkway approaching the Fulton–South Fulton interchange, lies within Tennessee). It was agreed upon by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the KYTC, and TDOT to prepare a separate environmental assessment (EA)/EIS for the Fulton–South Fulton interchange when both states were ready to perform its reconfiguration to accommodate I-69. As Tennessee continues to make progress toward completing the unbuilt portion of SIU 7 to the south and Kentucky's upgrades to the Purchase Parkway from the north, both states indicated their intention to start work on reconfiguring the Fulton–South Fulton interchange. A joint EA/EIS will be prepared by the KYTC and TDOT and submitted to the FHWA for a record of decision (ROD) prior to right-of-way acquisition and construction. The 2016 Kentucky Six Year Road Plan includes $7.8 million in fiscal years 2019 through 2022 to complete environmental studies, ROW acquisition, and utility relocation in anticipation of reconstructing the interchange thereafter.[citation needed]

SIU 4

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Further information: Interstate 69 Ohio River Bridge

SIU 4 is still in the planning stages, but Kentucky and Indiana had planned to finance a new bridge across the Ohio River with tolls.[21] The preferred alternative for SIU 4 was to leave the Pennyrile Parkway near its north end and cross the Ohio River to the former I-164 near Evansville, Indiana, and then use the former I-164 to I-64. All of I-164 was redesignated as I-69 in 2014,[22] but the Ohio River bridge plan had stalled in the late 2000s and early 2010s, due to lack of funding from both states.[23] However, with the completion of SIU 5 in Kentucky and with I-69 connected to Indianapolis via Indiana State Road 37 in Indiana, both states made completing the Ohio River Bridge a top priority.[citation needed]

On June 30, 2016, then-Indiana Governor Mike Pence and then-Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin announced an agreement to resume environmental studies and developed a funding strategy to complete the Ohio River Bridge and its approaches. Indiana contributed $17 million to restart and led the environmental studies that culminated in an approved EIS and ROD that allowed construction to begin. Environmental studies have taken three years to complete, with right-of-way acquisition and construction expected beginning thereafter. Parsons Transportation Group, a California-based firm with offices in Indiana, was picked to complete environmental and preliminary design work on November 15, 2016. Kentucky has committed over $43 million in its 2016 Six-Year Highway Plan for design and right-of-way acquisition for the bridge.[24][25]

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has proposed $267 million in his first Six-Year Highway Plan for the I-69 bridge. Of that, $77 million would become available from 2020 to 2022 and the rest from 2023 to 2026. The proposed money source developed the project and then began a portion of construction running from KY 425/Henderson Bypass to US 60. Due to the financial situation regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic, only $37 million was approved due to possible budget deficits.[citation needed]

On September 16, 2021, a combined final EIS and ROD was issued. On December 21, 2021, the first of two contracts for the bridge was awarded (running from the I-69/KY 425 interchange to US 60, more than six miles (9.7 km) in total length). It went to the design–build bid of Ragle Inc. and Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. for $158 million. Groundbreaking took place on June 23, 2022, and construction of the first phase is scheduled to complete in late 2025 at a cost of $257 million.[26] Construction for phase 2 will begin 2027. It will extend I-69 from US 60 to Evansville, Indiana which includes a new Ohio River crossing bridge. It is expected to be completed in 2031 in which I-69 will connect Indiana to Kentucky.[27]

Exit list

County Location mi[28] km Old exit New exit Destinations Notes
Graves ​ Purchase Parkway south – Fulton Southern end of I-69; road continues as Purchase Parkway
Mayfield 21.285–
21.887		 34.255–
35.224		 21
US 45 Byp. south		 Southern end of US 45 Bypass concurrency; signed as exit 21B northbound
22.267 35.835 22 KY 80 – Fancy Farm, Mayfield
23.701 38.143 24 KY 121 – Wickliffe, Mayfield
24.713 39.772 25
US 45 / US 45 Byp. ends – Paducah, Mayfield		 Northern end of US 45 Bypass concurrency
27.461 44.194 27 KY 131 – Airport Former southern end of I-69 signage
Marshall Benton 40.809 65.676 41
US 641 Spur south – Hardin, Murray
42.555 68.486 43 KY 348 – Benton, Symsonia
Draffenville 46.942 75.546 47 US 68 – Kenlake State Park, Kentucky Lake Recreation Area
Calvert City 51.398 82.717 52
25		 I-24 west / KY 1523 north to US 62 – Paducah, Fulton, Calvert City Western end of I-24 concurrency; signed as exits 52A (east) and 52B (west); I-24 exits signed as exits 25A (south) and 25B (north)
53.002 85.298 27 US 62 – Kentucky Dam
Livingston ​ 57.166 92.000 31 KY 453 – Smithland, Grand Rivers Serves Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
Lyon ​ 65.938 106.117 40 US 62 / US 641 – Eddyville, Kuttawa
Eddyville 68.084 109.571 1 42
68		 I-24 east – Nashville Eastern end of I-24 concurrency; I-69 exits signed as exits 68A (east) and 68B (west)
71.784 115.525 4 71 US 62 – Eddyville Serves Mineral Mound State Park
Caldwell Princeton 79.771 128.379 12 79 KY 91 / KY 139 – Marion, Princeton Serves Lake Barkley State Resort Park
81.189 130.661 13 81 KY 293 – Providence, Princeton
Hopkins Dawson Springs 92.506 148.874 24 92 KY 109 – Dawson Springs, Providence Serves Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park
Nortonville 105.707–
106.767		 170.119–
171.825		 38
34		 106 I-169 south / Western Kentucky Parkway east – Hopkinsville, Elizabethtown I-169 exits 34A-B-C; signed as exits 106A (south I-169) & 106B (east WKP); cloverleaf interchange with directional ramp for NB I-69 through movement.
Mortons Gap 108.886 175.235 37 108 KY 813 – Mortons Gap
Earlington 111.604 179.609 40 111 KY 2171 – Earlington, Madisonville
Madisonville 114.254 183.874 42 114 KY 70 – Madisonville, Central City
116.164 186.948 44 116
US 41 Alt. / KY 281 – Madisonville, Providence		 Serves Madisonville Community College
117.042 188.361 45 117 US 41 north – Madisonville Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Hanson 120.818 194.438 49 120 KY 260 – Hanson
Slaughters 125.906 202.626 54 125 KY 138 – Dixon, Calhoun
Webster Sebree 134.461 216.394 63 134 KY 56 – Sebree, Owensboro
Henderson Robards 140.195 225.622 68 140 KY 416 – Niagara, Robards
Henderson 148.090 238.328 76 148 US 41 to KY 425 – Morganfield Signed as exit 148 A/B northbound, and as Exit 10 A/B southbound; serves Henderson Community College and the Henderson City-County Airport; Future southern end of US 41 overlap: current northern terminus of I-69
Temporary northern terminus of I-69 at US 41. Follows US 41 north to I-69 in Indiana
149 240 77 149 Audubon Parkway east – Owensboro Future I-69 Spur/I-369
150 240 79 150 KY 351 – Henderson, Zion Interchange under reconstruction; to be completed by 2025
151 243 - 151 US 41 – Evansville Future northern end of US 41 overlap; under construction; to be completed by 2025
153 246 - 153 US 60 – Henderson Northern end of section 1 on the Ohio River Crossing project; southern end of section 2 on the Ohio River Crossing project; under construction; to be completed by 2025
Ohio River 155 249 Interstate 69 Ohio River Bridge; Kentucky–Indiana line
I-69 north to I-64 east – Evansville, Indianapolis Future continuation into Indiana
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Auxiliary routes

  • I-169: Includes the first 34.271 miles (55.154 km) of the former Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway from I-24 in Christian County to the I-69/Western Kentucky Parkway junction near Nortonville. It is currently unsigned pending improvements along the route.
  • I-369: A proposed auxiliary route to run the current course of the Audubon Parkway from Henderson to Owensboro. It is currently listed as "Future Interstate 69 Spur."
  • I-569: Another proposed auxiliary route to run the current course of the Western Kentucky Parkway from its current western terminus at I-69 to the junction with I-165.

See also

References

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  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "inflation-USGDP" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "inflation-USGDP" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "inflation-USGDP" defined multiple times with different content
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[self-published source]
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

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Interstate 69
Previous state:
Tennessee		 Kentucky Next state:
Indiana
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