New highway signs marking a “Future I-569 Corridor” on a three-county section of the Wendell Ford Western Kentucky Parkway were unveiled on Wednesday, signaling continued growth and commitment to economic development in all regions of the commonwealth, Gov. Andy Beshear’s office said.
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 WK Parkway in Hopkins, Muhlenberg and Ohio counties.
Officials said 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,” 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 Beshear at an unveiling ceremony, 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,” Gray said. “These signs send a very clear message to existing and prospective businesses and industries that are deciding where to locate and expand.”
On Wednesday, four “Future I-569 Corridor” signs were installed; two in each direction of the WK Parkway.
Congress, in 2019, granted the Future I-569 designation to the Hopkins-Muhlenberg-Ohio section of the WK 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,” the governor’s office stated.
(Photo courtesy of Steve Mehling, 14News)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
