FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 21, 2022) – New highway signs marking a “Future I-569 Corridor” on a three-county section of the Wendell Ford Western Kentucky Parkway were unveiled today, signaling continued growth and Gov. Andy Beshear’s commitment to economic development in all regions of the Commonwealth.
At the request of the Beshear administration, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) earlier this month approved the placement of signs on a 38.4-mile-long section of the Western Kentucky Parkway in Hopkins, Muhlenberg and Ohio counties. The designated area begins in the west at the parkway’s intersection with Interstate 69 south of Madisonville and continues east to its intersection with I-165 near Beaver Dam.
“Kentucky is on the move and looking to the future,” Gov. Beshear said. “By securing federal approval for signs that mark the Western Kentucky Parkway as a future interstate, we’re sending the message that Team Kentucky wholeheartedly supports Kentucky’s business community.”
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Secretary Jim Gray, who represented Gov. Beshear at an unveiling ceremony today, said the value of the Future I-569 Corridor signs is as much practical as it is symbolic.
“In this age of modern logistics and commerce, the importance of proximity to an interstate highway cannot be overstated,” Secretary Gray said. “These signs send a very clear message to existing and prospective businesses and industries that are deciding where to locate and expand.”
Today, four “Future I-569 Corridor” signs will be installed- two in each direction of the Western Kentucky Parkway.
“This isn’t just about about a road; it is also about a shift in our mindset,” Rep. Melinda Gibbons Prunty said. “We’re here to celebrate our future and ready to take advantage of new economic opportunities for our area to help the communities along this corridor reach their potential. Good things can happen when so many individuals on the state, local, and federal levels come together to make entire projects like this possible. I appreciate each and everyone’s commitment and efforts.”
“This recognition provides us even more economic opportunities as it validates our region as a logistics and distribution corridor,” Ray Hagerman, Executive Director, Muhlenberg Alliance for Progress said.
Congress in 2019 granted the Future I-569 designation to the Hopkins-Muhlenberg-Ohio section of the Western Kentucky Parkway, and KYTC launched a study to determine the improvements needed to bring it up to interstate highway standards.
The parkway was already a four-lane, controlled access highway. But like Kentucky’s other parkways, it was built as a toll road, with cloverleaf interchanges to accommodate a toll booth plaza instead of the diamond interchanges and extended ramps better suited for an interstate. The Western Kentucky Parkway Upgrade Study concluded that the necessary upgrades and spot safety improvements would cost about $30 million. The largest single project would be the reconstruction of the cloverleaf interchange at Central City. The interchange project appears in the 2022 Enacted Highway Plan.
Part of the Western Kentucky Parkway, from its interchange with the Pennyrile Parkway near Mortons Gap to its interchange with I-24 near Eddyville was previously upgraded and today is designated I-69. So, too, is the Pennyrile Parkway from Mortons Gap north to Henderson and the Purchase Parkway from I-24 to Mayfield. In addition, the one-time Natcher Parkway from Owensboro to Bowling Green is now I-165. Construction for the two-year project will begin in the spring to upgrade the remainder of the Purchase Parkway, from Mayfield to Fulton, so that it, too, can become part of I-69.