Pennyrile Parkway sign from Jim Lin's Web site

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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Thispage created March 7, 2000
Last modified March 7, 2000
© 2000, H.B. Elkins