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.
| Exit 1A | |
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To Purchase Parkway | Exit 1B | |
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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 | | | Exit 4 |
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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 | | | Exit 12 |
Princeton | Marion | ||
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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 | ||
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 | | | Exit 24 |
Providence | Dawson Springs | ||
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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 | | | Exit 38A |
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Exit 38B | | | Exit 38B |
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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 | | Milepoint 39 |
The Madisonville post of the Kentucky State Police is located in the median of the parkway. |
Exit 53 | | | Exit 53 |
Greenville | Sacramento | ||
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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 Exit 58 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 Exit 75 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 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 Exit 77B Exit 77B Exit 77A 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 Exit 94 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 Exit 107 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. Exit 112 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 Exit 124 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 Exit 136 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. Exit 137A Exit 137B Exit 137C 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.
Drakesboro
Drakesboro
Lake Malone State Park
Lake Malone State Park
Morgantown
Morgantown
Morgantown
Morgantown
Leitchfield
Brownsville
Nolin Lake
Millerstown
White Mills
Eastview
To Blue Grass Parkway
Lexington
Hodgenville
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Thispage created May 28, 1998
Last modified Jan. 7, 1999
© 1998, H.B. Elkins