Revell attends milestone ceremony in Ky. for I-69 expansion
An unveiling event on Oct. 25 in Hopkins County, Ky. marked a milestone accomplishment for Kentucky transportation - as a 38-mile section of the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway was designated as part of Interstate 69.
Attending the event was I-69 Coalition Vice President Bill Revell. He, along with Tennessee Commissioner of Transportation John Schorer, showed their support for the superhighway that is planned to stretch from the Canadian border in Port Huron, Mich. to the Mexican border in Texas.
The section is the first segment of what will eventually become an 1-69 corridor from Henderson to Fulton, Ky., incorporating the Julian Carroll/Purchase Parkway, Edward T. Breathitt/Pennyrile Parkway and a portion of 1-24 in addition to the Ford/Western Kentucky Parkway.
The agreement, which Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez approved on Aug. 25, covers the Ford/ Western Kentucky Parkway from its interchange with 1-24 near Eddyville, Ky. to its interchange with the Breathitt/Pennyrile Parkway near Nortonville, in Hopkins County, Ky.
The agreement spells out improvements the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will undertake to bring parts of the parkway up to interstate standards. It also identifies design features that are at less than interstate standard but which the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has deemed acceptable.
Because the agreed improvements have been advertised to construction contractors, the designated section of the Ford/Western Kentucky Parkway is eligible for the distinctive red, white and blue shield signs that identify interstate routes. In addition, about 17 miles of 1-24, from Eddyville, Ky. to the Carroll/Purchase Parkway interchange, will also bear 1-69 signs, making the total, initial 1-69 designation 55 miles long.
Future agreed improvements will include widening paved shoulders and reconstructing the KY 109 interchange, at Dawson Springs, Ky.