PennyrileParkway
Paralleling US 41 along anorth-south route in western Kentucky, the Pennyrile Parkwaylinks the Kentucky cities of Hopkinsville, Madisonville, andHenderson. When combined with US 41, Alternate US 41 andInterstate24, it linksNashville and Clarksville, Tenn., with Evansville and Terre Haute,Ind. The Pennyrile Parkway has interchanges will all major east-westhighways in the region. There is a missing linkbetween I-24and Alt. US 41 at Hopkinsville, but a project to complete thatmissing link is on Kentucky's Six-Year Road Plan. This highway wasopened in January 1969, and the tolls were removed in January 1992.Even when the route was toll, a free portion existed between exits 30and 45 and carried US 41. That highway has since been rerouted to thehighway which used to be signed Alt. US 41.
| Alt. US 41 North | Exit 7A |
Hopkinsville | |
Alt. US 41 South / To I-24 | Exit 7B |
Ft. Campbell | |
From Hopkinsville south, Alt. US 41 links the southern terminus of the Pennyrile Parkway with I-24, and eventually Fort Campbell along the Kentucky-Tennessee border and the city of Clarksville, Tenn. Currently, US 41A is the through route linking the parkway with I-24, but the missing link is on the books to be built. |
Exit 8 | US 41 | US 41 | Exit 8 |
| Hopkinsville Pembroke | Pembroke Hopkinsville | |
| Trail of Tears Park |
KY 109 is also marked along this route, but is not signed at this exit. US 41 south takes traffic to Guthrie, where it intersects US 79 before disappearing into Tennessee. |
Exit 9 | US 68 / KY 80 | US 68 / KY 80 | Exit 9 |
| Hopkinsville Elkton | Elkton Hopkinsville | |
Jefferson Davis Monument State Historic Site | Jefferson Davis Monument State Historic Site |
Airport | Airport |
This route is a major through route through southern Kentucky, and is now four lanes all the way from Cadiz (west of Hopkinsville) to Bowling Green. When I-65 and the Cumberland and Daniel Boone parkways are added, a modern through route runs all the way across the southern tier of Kentucky from Cadiz to Pikeville. To the east are Elkton, Russellville, Bowling Green, Glasgow, the Lake Cumberland region, Somerset, London, Hazard and Prestonsburg. To the west is Land Between the Lakes, Mayfield, Murray (via KY 94) and Fulton. |
Exit 12 | KY 1682 / Truck US 41 / Truck US 68 | KY 1682 | Exit 12 |
| Hopkinsville | Hopkinsville | |
| Hopkinsville Community College |
Lake Barkley State Resort Park |
Hopkinsville Next 4 Exits |
KY 1682 is the northern bypass of Hopkinsville. As it loops around the north and west side of town, it intersects US 41, KY 109 (which leads to Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park), KY 91 (takes traffic to Princeton), and US 68/KY 80 before looping back around to the southwest and intersecting Alt. US 41 south of town. To the east, KY 1682 ends at KY 107, which intersects KY 189 and eventually carries traffic to Greenville. The combination of the Pennyrile Parkway and KY 1682 forms a truck route for US 41 and US 68. |
Exit 23 | KY 800 | KY 800 | Exit 23 |
| Crofton | Crofton | |
Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park | Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park |
West of Crofton, where KY 800 intersects US 41, is Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park, which is accessible by KY 1348 and KY 109. |
| US 41 South | Exit 30 |
This is the exit where an alternate route used to split off of US 41. The alternate route followed a surface highway, while US 41 was routed onto the limited-access parkway. Now, the parkway does not carry the US route designation, and US 41 follows the surface route through Nortonville, Mortons Gap, Earlington and Madisonville. Entrance is only to the northbound parkway, and only southbound traffic can exit. |
Exit 33 | US 62 | US 62 | Exit 33 |
| Nortonville Greenville | Greenville Nortonville | |
US 62 parallels the Western Kentucky Parkway and the Blue Grass Parkway. Since there is no direct access from the WK Parkway to US 41, this exit allows traffic from the WK Parkway to reach Nortonville. Greenville is 15 miles to the east. |
Exit 34 A | Western Kentucky Parkway East | Western Kentucky Parkway East | Exit 34A |
| Elizabethtown | Elizabethtown | |
Kentucky State Police | Kentucky State Police |
Exit 34B | Western Kentucky Parkway West | Western Kentucky Parkway West | Exit 34B |
| Paducah | Paducah | |
The Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway, along with the Blue Grass Parkway, provides a fast route from the far-western portion of the state to the central portion. Both the WK and BG parkways parallel US 62 from Eddyville to Versailles. Intersections with I-24, the Pennyrile Parkway, the William H. Natcher Parkway and I-65 make the WK Parkway easily accessible. At Elizabethtown, eastbound traffic on the WK Parkway can take I-65 north to Louisville, or the BG Parkway east to Lexington, where connections to I-64, I-75 and the Mountain Parkway are available. At 137 miles, the WK Parkway is the longest of Kentucky's current or former toll roads. Tolls were removed in the late 1980s. Cities along the highway include Eddyville, Princeton, Dawson Springs, Greenville, Central City, Beaver Dam and Leitchfield. |
Exit 37 | KY 813 | KY 813 | Exit 37 |
| Mortons Gap | Mortons Gap | |
This highway links the parkway to US 41 at Mortons Gap and also provides access to the White City Wildlife Management Area. |
Exit 40 | KY 2171 | KY 2171 | Exit 40 |
| Earlington | Earlington | |
Madisonville Next 4 Exits | |
This new route allows parkway traffic to reach Earlington, which lies along US 41 south of Madisonville. |
Exit 42 | KY 70 | KY 70 | Exit 42 |
| Madisonville Central City | Central City Madisonville | |
KY 70 runs east to west through the central part of the state. To the east, it intersects KY 85, which leads to US 431 and Livermore, and eventually to KY 69 and Hartford. KY 70 east goes to Central City, where it intersects US 431 and then continues to the southeast toward Morgantown. |
Exit 44 | KY 281 / To Alt. US 41 | KY 281 / To Alt. US 41 | Exit 44 |
| Madisonville Providence | Madisonville Providence | |
Madisonville Community College | Madisonville Community College |
Shawneetown Bridge | Madisonville Next 3 Exits |
Providence is located west of Madisonville, just off Alt. US 41. The Shawneetown Bridge crosses the Ohio River on KY 56, west of Morgantown. To reach the Shawneetown Bridge, traffic follows US 41A, KY 670 and KY 109 to KY 56, just east of the bridge. |
Exit 45 | US 41 North | |
| Hanson |
This is the exit where US 41 used to leave the Pennyrile Parkway for its own parallel alignment. Entrance is only to the southbound parkway, and only northbound traffic can exit. |
Exit 49 | KY 260 | KY 260 | Exit 49 |
| Hanson | Hanson | |
Hanson is located at the intersection of KY 260 and US 41. This exit allows local traffic on the north side of Hopkins County to access the county seat of Madisonville. |
Exit 54 | KY 138 | KY 138 | Exit 54 |
| Dixon Calhoun | Calhoun Dixon | |
Slaughters | Slaughters |
KY 138 is an east-west route which links county seat towns in this section of Kentucky. Slaughters is where the route crosses US 41. To the west, following KY 132 after KY 138 ends, is Dixon. From there, US 41A and KY 56 lead to Morgantown. To the east, the route crosses KY 81 at Calhoun, then it and KY 136 take parallel routes on either side of the Green River to US 431 at Livermore. From there, KY 136 continues eastward to US 231 at Hartford. |
Exit 63 | KY 56 | KY 56 | Exit 63 |
| Sebree Owensboro | Owensboro Sebree | |
KY 56 is something of an alternate route to US 60 and the Audubon Parkway between Morganfield and Owensboro. To the west, KY 56 crosses US 41 at Sebree, intersects Alt. US 41 north of Dixon, and continues westward to Morganfield and the Shawneetown Bridge. To the east, the route crosses the Green River and leads to Owensboro. |
| KY 416 | Exit 68 |
Robards | |
This partial exit allows traffic in the southern part of Henderson County to reach the county seat of Henderson. Entrance is only to the parkway northbound, while only southbound traffic can exit. KY 416 eastbound intersects the Audubon Parkway near Hebbardsville. |
Exit 76 | KY 425 / To US 60 West | KY 425 / To US 60 West | Exit 76 |
| Morganfield | Morganfield | |
This new route is a southern bypass of Henderson. It allows through traffic along US 60 or the Audubon Parkway to bypass downtown Henderson. At Morganfield, US 60 intersects KY 56, which crosses the Ohio River on the Shawneetown Bridge. US 60 continues to the southwest through Sturgis, Marion and Smithland before arriving at Paducah. |
Exit 77 | Audubon Parkway East (Toll Road) | Audubon Parkway East (Toll Road) | Exit 77 |
| Owensboro | Owensboro | |
Providing a high-speed route between the Ohio River towns of Henderson and Owensboro, the Audubon Parkway opened in December 1970, the seventh of Kentucky's toll roads to be opened to traffic. It is one of the four remaining routes on which tolls remain. This route links the Pennyrile Parkway and US 41 at Henderson to the limited-access US 60 bypass and the William H. Natcher Parkway at Owensboro. With its links to other Kentucky parkways and interstates, it gives Henderson a limited-access path to all major Kentucky cities and to cities in other states, such as Nashville. Originally there was only one exit between the two ends of the parkway, but in later years one exit each was added in Daviess and Henderson counties. |
| US 41 South | Exit 78 |
This partial exit allows US 41 north to join the Pennyrile Parkway for the final two miles of the limited-access route. Only southbound traffic can exit; traffic can only enter the parkway northbound. |
Exit 79 | KY 351 | KY 351 | Exit 79 |
| Zion Henderson | Zion Henderson | |
Downtown | |
This exit offers access to downtown Henderson. |
Exit 81A | US 60 East | US 60 East | Exit 81A |
| Owensboro | | |
Exit 81B | US 60 West | West US 60 / Alt. US 41 | Exit 81B |
| Henderson | Henderson | |
| Downtown |
This exit marks the northern terminus of the Pennyrile Parkway. US 60 east parallels the Audubon Parkway and crosses the Green River on its way to Owensboro. Westbound US 60 is multiplexed with Alt. US 41 through downtown. Northbound US 41 continues past Audubon State Park and across the Ohio River to Evansville, Ind., where it intersects I-164 and I-64. |
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Last modified March 7, 2000
© 2000, H.B. Elkins