Interstate 69 (I-69) in the US state of Kentucky is a freeway running from Fulton to Henderson. The route makes use of most of the Purchase Parkway and existing portions of I-24, the Western Kentucky Parkway, and the Pennyrile Parkway. Eventually, I-69 will leave the former Pennyrile Parkway just south of the Audubon Parkway interchange or remain on its current alignment and travel through Henderson on U.S. Route 41 (US 41) north into Indiana. The proposed route for the remainder of I-69 in Kentucky travels about to utilize an as-of-yet-unbuilt bridge into Indiana.
I-69 has been divided into three sections of independent utility (SIUs) through Kentucky. SIUs 5 and 6 encompass existing freeways. Federal legislation has designated the route for these sections, and Kentucky is in the process of installing I-69 signs on the route. SIU 4 includes a new bridge over the Ohio River between Henderson and Evansville, Indiana. The proposed funding formula calls for Kentucky to finance two-thirds of the projected $1.4-billion bridge, while Indiana would pay for the remaining third.
Route description
I-69 in Kentucky begins at the Tennessee state line at Fulton. It travels north on the former Purchase Parkway to Mayfield, where it bypasses the city to the west and north, passing interchanges with Kentucky Route 80 (KY 80), KY 121, and US 45, after which it heads northeast away from the city, passing through rural areas of Western Kentucky. Exit 41 provides access to US 641 in Benton. I-69 interchanges with US 68 at exit 47 near Draffenville. Just south of Calvert City, I-24 from the west joins I-69. The two highways run concurrently for , crossing over the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers and interchanging with US 62 twice. At exit 42 of I-24, I-69 splits off and heads northeast, serving the communities of Princeton and Dawson Springs. At exit 106, the highway meets the western terminus of the Western Kentucky Parkway and the northern terminus of I-169. I-69 then makes a sharp turn to the north, passing by Mortons Gap, Madisonville, and Sebree. A trumpet interchange with KY 425 is located in the southern part of Henderson. Immediately after KY 425 is the western terminus of the Audubon Parkway. I-69 in Kentucky meets its current northern terminus at US 41 in Henderson.
History
On May 15, 2006, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher announced that I-69 will encompass of existing parkways and a segment of I-24. To reflect this decision by state and federal officials, crews began erecting Future I-69 signs along the following highway segments:
Western Kentucky Parkway between I-24 and Pennyrile Parkway, Pennyrile Parkway between Western Kentucky Parkway and US 41,
Federal legislation
On May 2, 2008, the United States House of Representatives passed HR-1195 (SAFETEA-LU Technical Corrections Act of 2008) which designates the Pennyrile Parkway from Henderson to Nortonville and the Western Kentucky Parkway from Nortonville to I-24 at Eddyville as Future I-69. It further designates the Audubon Parkway as a future spur (I-X69) of I-69 once necessary upgrades are completed. Then-President George W. Bush signed the bill on June 6, 2008, and Future I-69 signs began appearing on the parkways in the middle of 2008. This legislation applied the Future I-69 designation to the following roadways: Pennyrile Parkway from just south of the Audubon Parkway in Henderson to the Western Kentucky Parkway in Nortonville (future I-569) Western Kentucky Parkway from the Pennyrile Parkway to I-24 in Eddyville I-24 from Eddyville to the Purchase Parkway in Calvert City Purchase Parkway from I-24 to the US 51 interchange at the Tennessee state line
All four highways, except for the section of the Purchase Parkway south of Mayfield, are now signed as I-69. Signage and milemarker posts were changed in mid-December 2012.