PurchaseParkway
So namedbecause the far western part of Kentucky was part of the JacksonPurchase, the Purchase Parkway is a short limited-access route whichlinks Fulton with I-24.At Fulton, the route comes into Kentucky from Tennessee as US 51. Inthe Volunteer State, US 51 provides a four-lane, mostlylimited-access route to Memphis, with an intersection with I-155 atDyersburg. There, I-155 crosses the Mississippi River into Missouriand intersects I-55, allowing traffic heading southwest to bypassMemphis. Among the communities served by the Purchase Parkway areMayfield and Benton. A four-lane US 45 links the parkway with Paducah(and I-24westbound) while a four-lane US 641 brings traffic from Murray northto the parkway at Benton, and provides quick access to Murray fromI-24.The Purchase Parkway was built in the late 1960s and will probablybecome part of I-69 when that route is extended from Indiana toTexas. The tolls have been removed from this highway.
| US 45W /US 51 South |
Union City Memphis Right Lane |
US 45E |
Martin Jackson Left Lane |
These signs in Kentucky indicate the first exit in Tennessee. Not mentioned on the signs is US 45. By taking the US 45W /US 51 exit, you can turn left onto US 45 back toward Fulton. This intersection is the northernmost split of US 45 into US 45E and 45W. US 51 south leads to Dyersburg (and I-155) and eventually Memphis. |
Exit 0 | KY 116 / KY 166 | To KY 166 | Exit 0 |
| Weigh Station | Fulton Hickman | |
The first exit in Kentucky is just north of the state line. All northbound trucks and commercial vehicles are directed to the weigh stations, while local traffic can access either KY 116 or KY 166. KY 116 is State Line Road in Fulton. KY 166 runs parallel to and just north of KY 116. The routes intersect several miles west, when KY 116 turns northwest from the state line. From there, KY 166 intersects KY 125, which leads to Hickman, the westernmost town in Kentucky. |
Exit 1 | US 51 | US 51 North | Exit 1 |
| Clinton Fulton | Fulton Clinton | |
Cairo, Ill. | |
US 51 is a primary route in western Kentucky and Tennessee, roughly paralleling the Mississippi River. Here, US 51 leaves the Purchase Parkway alignment and heads north to Clinton, Bardwell, where it collects US 62, and Wickliffe, where it collects US 60. All three routes cross the Ohio River into Cairo, Ill., where US 60 and US 62 cross the Mississippi River and head for I-57 and Sikeston, Mo. |
Exit 2 | KY 307 | KY 307 | Exit 2 |
| Fulton | Fulton | |
KY 307 offers the northernmost access point to Fulton. It intersects US 45, then crosses the state line into Tennessee and becomes TN 43. Northbound, the route crosses KY 58 at Fulgham, KY 80 west of Fancy Farm, and ends at US 62 east of Bardwell. |
Exit 14 | KY 339 | KY 339 | Exit 14 |
| Wingo Clinton | Clinton Wingo | |
This exit was the former location of a toll booth. From this exit, KY 339 eastbound crosses US 45 at Wingo and intersects KY 97 at Sedalia. Westbound, it crosses KY 58, which provides access to Clinton, then turns due north and runs through Fancy Farm. |
Exit 21B | Bypass US 45 South | Purchase Parkway South | Exit 21 |
| | Fulton | |
Exit 21A | Purchase Parkway North Bypass US 45 North | Bypass US 45 South | |
| Mayfield Paducah | | |
This unusual interchange has the through route carrying an exit number in both directions. The US 45 bypass was built before the Purchase Parkway, and was incorporated into the parkway as a free route when the parkway was still a toll road. The bypass ends at US 45 just south of this exit. |
Exit 22 | KY 80 | KY 80 | Exit 22 |
| Fancy Farm Mayfield | Mayfield Fancy Farm | |
| Columbus-Belmont Battlefield State Park | Columbus-Belmont Battlefield State Park | |
KY 80 is the major through route across the southern part of Kentucky. This exit is very near the western terminus of the route. Taking KY 80 west goes through the community of Fancy Farm (famous for its political picnic sponsored by a local church) and on to US 51, and finally the Mississippi River at Columbus, where a ferry used to cross Old Man River to connect KY 80 with MO 80. East, through Mayfield, KY 80 intersects US 68 at Aurora, where the two routes go through the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area and on to Cadiz (I-24), Hopkinsville (Purchase Parkway) and Bowling Green (I-65 and the William H. Natcher and Cumberland Parkways). From there KY 80 and its corresponding parkways give an express route to the southeastern part of Kentucky, crossing US 27, I-75 and US 23. |
Exit 24 | KY 121 | KY 121 | Exit 24 |
| Wickliffe Mayfield | Mayfield Wickliffe | |
Murray | |
Much as the Purchase Parkway is the major southwest-to-northeast route through the Jackson Purchase region of Kentucky, KY 121 is the major northwest-to-southeast route. In fact, Mayfield is the crossroads of the region since the major east-west highway (KY 80) and major north-south highway (US 45) all intersect here. Taking KY 121 leads to Wickliffe, where US 51, US 60 and US 62 lead to Illinois and Missouri (I-55 and I-57). KY 121 south goes to Murray before the route crosses the state line into Tennessee. |
Exit 25 | US 45 | US 45 | Exit 25 |
| Paducah Mayfield | Mayfield Paducah | |
Kentucky State Police | Kentucky State Police |
From Fulton north to Mayfield, US 45 parallels the Purchase Parkway. At Mayfield, the highway turns due north to offer a four-lane route to Paducah where it intersects I-24, US 60 and US 62. |
Exit 27 | KY 131 | KY 131 | Exit 27 |
| Airport | Airport | |
This exit provides access to Mayfield's local airport. To the north is the Kaler Bottom Wildlife Management Area. |
| Bypass US 641 South | Exit 41 |
Hardin Murray | |
Murray State University |
This is a partial exit; northbound traffic cannot exit, and traffic cannot enter heading southbound. The parkway provides a bypass around Benton, and southbound parkway traffic can use this exit to follow US 641 south to Murray. |
Exit 43 | KY 348 | KY 348 | Exit 43 |
| Benton Symsonia | Symsonia Benton | |
This exit is the former location of a toll booth. |
Exit 47 | US 68 / Spur US 641 | US 68 | Exit 47 |
| Draffenville Aurora | Draffenville Aurora | |
Kenlake State Resort Park Kentucky Lake Recreation Area | Kenlake State Resort Park Kentucky Lake Recreation Area |
US 68 brings traffic west from Bowling Green and Hopkinsville to the Land Between the Lakes Area. At Aurora, a few miles to the southeast, US 68 intersects KY 80, where a long multiplex of the two routes begins eastward through Hopkinsville, Russellville and Bowling Green. At Draffenville, at this exit, US 68 intersects US 641. West of this interchange, US 68 intersects I-24 before ending at US 62 just east of Paducah. |
Exit 52A | I-24 East, To Western Kentucky Parkway | I-24 East | Exit 52A |
| Nashville | Nashville | |
Kentucky Dam | |
Exit 52B | I-24 West | I-24 West | Exit 52B |
| Paducah | Paducah | |
I-24 is a northwest-to-southeast route which carries an increasing amount of traffic. It links St. Louis (with a little help from I-57 and I-64 in Illinois) with Nashville (I-40 and I-65) and Chattanooga (I-59 and I-75). In Kentucky, it serves Paducah and Hopkinsville and links the Purchase and Western Kentucky parkways. |
US 62 West | |
Paducah |
KY 1523 |
Calvert City |
US 62 East |
Eddyville |
Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park |
The Purchase Parkway ends at an at-grade intersection (with a traffic light) at US 62 and KY 1523. US 62 west turns left, KY 1523 goes straight, and US 62 east turns right. |
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GoBack to H.B.'s Millennium HighwayThispage created June 2, 1998
Last modified Jan. 7, 1999
© 1998, H.B. Elkins