Western Kentucky Parkway

Western KentuckyParkway

Along with theBlueGrass Parkway, theWestern Kentucky Parkway provides a fast route from the far-westernportion of the state to the central portion. Both the WK andBGparkways parallel US 62 from Eddyville to Versailles. Intersectionswith I-24,the PennyrileParkway, theWilliamH. Natcher Parkwayand I-65make the WK Parkway easily accessible. At Elizabethtown, eastboundtraffic on the WK Parkway can take I-65north to Louisville, or the BGParkway east toLexington, where connections to I-64,I-75and the MountainParkway areavailable. At 137 miles, the WK Parkway is the longest of Kentucky'scurrent or former toll roads. Tolls were removed in the late1980s.

I-24 East

Exit 1A

Nashville

I-24 West
To
Purchase Parkway

Exit 1B

Paducah

The western terminus of the WK Parkway is at I-24. From this point, I-24 leads west to the Kentucky Dam area. It intersects the Purchase Parkway, which provides a connection to Benton, Mayfield, Murray, Fulton, and eventually Memphis. I-24 westbound continues to Paducah, where an exit with US 60 provides access to Cairo, Ill., and Sikeston, Mo., where I-55 and I-57 meet. Continuing on I-24, you cross the Ohio River into Illinois and turn northwestward. I-24 eventually ends at I-57, which provides a connection to Chicago (via I-57 north) and St. Louis (via I-64 west). Eastbound, I-24 actually heads southeast to Cadiz, Ft. Campbell, and on into Tennessee, where it passes through Nashville before ending at Chattanooga.

Exit 4

US 62
US 62

Exit 4

Eddyville
Eddyville

US 62 is the parallel route for both the WK and Blue Grass parkways, yet this is the only place where US 62 intersects either parkway. West of this exit, US 62 intersects US 641. US 641 north leads to Marion, where it ends at US 60. US 62 west and US 641 south go to Eddyville, where they intersect I-24, then continue to the Kentucky and Barkley lakes area. US 62 east leads to Princeton.

Exit 12

KY 91 / KY 139
KY 91 / KY 139

Exit 12

Marion
Princeton
Princeton
Marion

Lake Barkley State Resort Park
Lake Barkley State Resort Park

The WK Parkway's original western terminus was at Princeton. When I-24 was built, the parkway was extended westward to meet the interstate. Northbound KY 91 intersects US 641 and the two routes continue north to Marion. From there, KY 91 continues north to the Cave-in-Rock ferry across the Ohio River, while US 60 eastbound connects to Sturgis, Morganfield and Henderson. KY 91 south leads to Hopkinsville, while KY 139 south intersects I-24 at Exit 56 and then continues to Cadiz, where it intersects US 68 and KY 80.

Exit 13

KY 293

KY 293

Exit 13

Providence
Princeton

Princeton
Providence

This exit was built after the tolls were removed from the parkway. KY 293 north goes to Providence, where Alt. US 41 heads on to Dixon and Henderson. Taking KY 293 south will take you to Princeton, and then to I-24. It also provides a route, via KY 139, to Cadiz.

Exit 24

KY 109
KY 109

Exit 24

Dawson Springs
Providence
Providence
Dawson Springs

Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park
Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park

KY 109 is a major north-south route through this part of western Kentucky. To the north, it goes to Providence, intersects US 60 at Sturgis, and ends at KY 56 near the Shawneetown bridge over the Ohio River (the only bridge between Paducah and Henderson). To the south, it goes to Dawson Springs and Hopkinsville. This exit was the former location of a toll booth.

Exit 38A

Pennryile Parkway South
Pennyrile Parkway South

Exit 38A

Hopkinsville
Hopkinsville

Exit 38B

Pennyrile Parkway North
Pennyrille Parkway North

Exit 38B

Madisonville
Madisonville

The Pennyrile Parkway parallels US 41 from Hopkinsville north to Henderson. This section of the Pennyrile was originally a part of US 41, and in fact the parkway was multiplexed with US 41 here until a couple of years ago, when the "Alternate" designation was removed from Alt. US 41 and it became "regular" US 41. Southbound, the Pennyrile Parkway heads to Hopkinsville, where it offers a link to I-24 via Alt. US 41, thus providing a route to Ft. Campbell, Clarksville and Nashville. The northbound Pennryile provides access to Madisonville, Dixon, Calhoun, Morganfield, Henderson, Owensboro and Evansville via US 41, where I-164 in Indiana links the route to I-64. The Pennyrile Parkway was built in the 1970s and tolls were removed from it in the 1980s.

Milepoint 39

Kentucky State Police

Milepoint 39

The Madisonville post of the Kentucky State Police is located in the median of the parkway.

Exit 53

KY 181
KY 181

Exit 53

Sacramento
Greenville
Greenville
Sacramento

Lake Malone State Park
Lake Malone State Park

Another exit built after the tolls were removed, this exit allows direct access to Greenville. Northbound KY 181 leads to Sacramento and Calhoun (via KY 81). Southbound KY 181 passes through Greenville and on to Elkton before ending at US 41 and KY 79 near the Tennessee state line.

Exit 58

US 431 / KY 70
US 431 / KY 70

Exit 58

Central City
Drakesboro
Central City
Drakesboro

Owensboro

Everly Brothers Monument


Lake Malone State Park

Everly Brothers Monument


Lake Malone State Park

US 431 runs from the Tennessee state line north to Owensboro. It can be used as an alternate route, instead of the William H. Natcher Parkway. Northbound US 431 leads to Central City, Calhoun (via KY 81) and Livermore before ending at Owensboro. Southbound US 431 leads to Drakesboro and Russellville, where it intersects US 68, KY 80, KY 79 and US 79. KY 70 is an east-west route which travels through the central to south-central part of the state. Here, KY 70 accesses Madisonville to the west, and Morgantown, Brownsville and the Mammoth Cave area to the east. This exit was the location of one of the toll booths.

Exit 75

US 231
US 231

Exit 75

Beaver Dam
Morgantown
Beaver Dam
Morgantown

Hartford

US 231 parallels the William H. Natcher Parkway between Owensboro to the north, and Bowling Green to the south. Here, US 231 serves local traffic heading to Beaver Dam and Hartford to the north, and Morgantown to the south.

Milepoint 76

Service Area

Milepoint 76

This service area, in the median of the parkway, is the only such one in Kentucky. It offers a gas station and a restaurant.

Exit 77A

William H. Natcher Parkway (Toll Road) South
William H. Natcher Parkway (Toll Road) South

Exit 77B

Bowling Green
Bowling Green

Exit 77B

William H. Natcher Parkway (Toll Road) North
William H. Natcher Parkway (Toll Road) North

Exit 77A

Owensboro
Owensboro

Hartford

One of Kentucky's newest parkways, this toll road used to be known as the Green River Parkway before its name was changed to honor the longtime congressman from the region, whose claim to fame was having the longest tenure in the House of Representatives without missing a vote. (One wonders why they couldn't have just used auxiliary nameplates, as was done when the Mountain Parkway was named after former Kentucky Gov. Bert T. Combs.) The Natcher Parkway is one of four remaining toll roads, and its original name was the Owensboro-Bowling Green Parkway because it connects these two cities. It parallels US 231 for its entire 70-mile route. The Natcher northbound gives access to Hartford, Beaver Dam and Owensboro. A link with the Audubon Parkway allows a through route to Henderson and Evansville. Southbound, the Natcher skirts Morgantown before ending at I-65 near Bowling Green. From there, traffic can either take I-65 north and the Cumberland Parkway to Somerset, London and I-75, or continue south on I-65 to Nashville.

Exit 94

KY 79
KY 79

Exit 94

Caneyville
Morgantown
Caneyville
Morgantown

Rough River Dam State Resort Park
Rough River Dam State Resort Park

KY 79 offers a southwest-to-northeast route. To the south are Morgantown and Russellville, then via US 79, Clarksville. Hardinsburg, Irvington and an Ohio River crossing at Brandenburg are to the north.

Exit 107

KY 259
KY 259

Exit 107

Brownsville
Leitchfield
Leitchfield
Brownsville

Mammoth Cave National Park
Rough River Dam State Resort Park


Nolin Lake

KY 259 provides a vital north-south link through west-central Kentucky. To the south lies Brownsville, Mammoth Cave, and other cities including Bowling Green, Scottsville and Glasgow. To the north are Hardinsburg, and via US 60, Hawesville, Irvington and Brandenburg. A toll booth was located at this exit before the tolls were removed.

KY 224

Exit 112

Clarkson
Millerstown

No Re-Entry to Parkway Westbound

This recently-constructed partial exit allows westbound traffic to exit the parkway at Clarkson, and traffic to enter the parkway heading eastbound. It eliminates the need for traffic heading from Elizabethtown to Clarkson, or vice-versa, to use the Leitchfield exit.

Exit 124

KY 84
KY 84

Exit 124

Eastview
White Mills
White Mills
Eastview

Originally built as a partial exit to serve residents of western Hardin County, this exit was later expanded to a full exit. Originally, exit was only from the parkway westbound, and entry was permitted only to the parkway easbound. This allowed residents of the area to use the parkway to drive to E-town.

Exit 136

Bpyass US 31W North
Bypass US 31W North

Exit 136

Ft. Knox
Ft. Knox

Patton Museum

The US 31W Bypass offers a quick route for travelers heading north to Fort Knox. The road intersects US 62, providing another access point to downtown Elizabethtown, then continues north toward Radcliff. US 31W intersects US 60 near Fort Knox, and the two roads head on to the west end of Louisville.

I-65 South

Exit 137A

Nashville

I-65 North
To
Blue Grass Parkway

Exit 137B

Louisville
Lexington

US 31W/KY 61

Exit 137C

Elizabethtown
Hodgenville

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site

The Western Kentucky Parkway ends at I-65. Taking I-65 south leads to the Hardin County communities of Sonora, Glendale and Upton, and then on to Bowling Green and Nashville. Northbound I-65 provides access to the Blue Grass Parkway, with its destinations of Bardstown, Frankfort, Versailles and Lexington. Staying north on I-65 also offers additional access to Elizabethtown via US 62 and KY 61, then I-65 takes motorists on to Louisville. US 31W and KY 61 offer additional access to Elizabethtown. US 31W continues south as a parallel route to I-65, while KY 61 goes south to Hodgenville and the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace, Greensburg, Columbia (and an intersection with the Cumberland Parkway) and Burkesville, before entering Tennessee.

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Thispage created May 28, 1998
Last modified Jan. 7, 1999
© 1998, H.B. Elkins