Cumberland Parkway
The Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway is a 92-mile-long (148 km) east–west controlled-access highway in the U.S. state of Kentucky, extending from Barren County in the west to Somerset in the east. It is one of seven named highways designated in Kentucky's parkway system.
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| Route information | |
| Length | 92.313 mi[1] (148.563 km) |
| Existed | 1972–present |
| Major junctions | |
| West end |  |
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| East end |  |
| Location | |
| Counties | Barren, Metcalfe, Adair, Russell, Pulaski |
| Highway system | |
Route description
The parkway begins at an interchange with Interstate 65 (exit 43) between Smiths Grove and Park City. It travels east through rolling farmland to its eastern terminus at US 27 on the north side of Somerset. The road parallels Kentucky Route 80 for its entire length. The parkway passes the cities of Glasgow, Edmonton, Columbia, and Russell Springs. It passes near two popular state parks: Lake Cumberland State Resort Park and Barren River Lake State Resort Park. The length of the parkway is designated unsigned Kentucky Route 9008 (LN 9008).
History
The road is named after Louie B. Nunn, a former Kentucky governor from Barren County, who was instrumental in the road's creation. Originally called the Cumberland Parkway from its opening in 1972-1973, it was renamed for Nunn in 2000.[2]
The Nunn Parkway, as with all nine parkways, was originally a toll road. By Kentucky state law, toll collection ceases when enough toll has been collected or funds received from other sources, such as a legislative appropriation, to pay off the construction bonds for the parkway. In the case of the Nunn, toll booths were removed in 2003 because of a bill in the United States Congress sponsored by Hal Rogers (R-KY), which included an appropriation to pay off the bonds on the parkway as well as the Daniel Boone Parkway in eastern Kentucky. The state legislature then renamed the Boone Parkway for Rogers, which sparked a controversy among residents of the region and the offspring of Boone. Nunn tried to calm the controversy by suggesting the state rename the Nunn Parkway for Rogers instead, restoring the Boone name, saying that the Cumberland Parkway had been named for Nunn without his consent.
Toll plazas and prices
The parkway had three toll plazas upon opening in 1973. A fourth one opened at the Nancy exit on the eastbound on-ramp and westbound off-ramp when that interchange opened in the 1980s.
| Exit or MM | Location[3] | Through cars charge | Enter east or leave west | Enter west or leave east | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | near Bon Ayr (Barren County) | 30 cents | N/A | Toll Plaza office originally located on Oak Grove Church Road off KY 255 | |
| 27 | Edmonton | 80 cents | 50 cents | 30 cents | |
| 62 | Russell Springs | 90 cents | 60 cents | 30 cents | |
| 78 | Nancy (Pulaski County) | Free | 20 cents[4] | Free | |
21st century
Presumably, the Nunn Parkway was built to Interstate Highway standards at its time of construction aside from some at-grade intersections and traffic signals near its east end, which were eliminated in 2010 by constructing a northwestern bypass around Somerset. The east end of the parkway is currently a partial cloverleaf at U.S. 27. The bypass was constructed as part of the now-cancelled Interstate 66 proposed extension through Kentucky.
New interchange in Glasgow
On May 28, 2015, a new interchange on the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway west of Glasgow was opened to serve the western extension of the Veterans Outer Loop. The eastern extension of that road has been opened in early 2012, complete with the opening of exit 15, which serves the eastern extension of Veterans Outer Loop, designated at KY 1519. The state highway designation for the western extension was announced as Kentucky Route 3600. Upon completion of the new western extension of the Veterans Outer Loop, it includes the new on- and off-ramps of the Cumberland Parkway, and a new at-grade intersection with Kentucky Route 1297[5][6][7][8][9]
Exit list
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barren | | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0A-B | | Western terminus; I-65 exit 43; signed as exits 0A (north) & 0B (south); trumpet interchange. |
| Glasgow | 8.704 | 14.008 | 8 |    | Opened May 28, 2015 | |
| 11.467 | 18.454 | 11 |  | |||
| 14.027 | 22.574 | 14 |  | |||
| 15.374 | 24.742 | 15 |  | Constructed in the 2011-12 fiscal year. | ||
| Metcalfe | Edmonton | 27.400 | 44.096 | 27 |  | |
| 29.795 | 47.950 | 30 | | Opened late 2014 | ||
| Adair | Columbia | 46.000 | 74.030 | 46 |  | Constructed in 2011 |
| 48.886 | 78.674 | 49 |  | |||
| Russell | Russell Springs | 62.419 | 100.454 | 62 |  | |
| Pulaski | | 78.349 | 126.090 | 78 | | |
| Somerset | 86.104 | 138.571 | 86 |  | ||
| 88.258 | 142.037 | 88 | | Cloverleaf interchange; signed as exits 88A (south) and 88B (north); eastern terminus & parkway over, ghost ramps exist. | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | ||||||
References
- "Kentucky Transportation Cabinet - Division of Planning - Highway Information System Official Milepoint Route Log Extract". Archived from the original on April 30, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2007.
- "Another familiar building gone". Edmonton Herald-News. June 26, 2019, page 1.
- Kentucky Department of Transportation (1976). Kentucky Official Highway and Parkway Map (PDF) (Map). c. 1:760,320. Frankfort: Kentucky Department of Transportation. Cumberland Parkway Toll Rates inset. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (1998). Kentucky Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Frankfort: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Parkway Rates & Signs inset. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- Forsythe, Lauren. "Glasgow Outer Loop to be Completed Next Year". Archived from the original on October 4, 2015.
- "Multiple road projects on tap". The Daily News. Kentucky.
- Times, BY GINA KINSLOW Glasgow Daily. "Expect lane closures this week on Happy Valley Road".
- Kinslow, Gina (June 5, 2015). "Roadway project comes full circle". Glasgow Daily Times, pages A1 and A8. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- GLASGOW OUTER LOOP RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY Archived July 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. WBKO. June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.