West end: US 60 at Illinois state line East end: US 60 at West Virginia state line | ||
U.S. Route 60 (US 60) in the state of Kentucky parallels the Ohio River (the northern boundary of the state) from Cairo, Illinois, to Louisville, and then takes a direct eastward route (near Interstate 64, I-64) to rejoin the Ohio River at Kenova, West Virginia.
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Route description
US 60 is concurrent with US 51 and US 62 from the Ohio River bridge to the town of Wickliffe. At Wickliffe, US 60 separates from the other routes and heads generally northeast toward the city of Paducah. Between Wickliffe and Paducah, the towns of Barlow, La Center and Kevil are situated along the route.
In Paducah, US 60 intersects with I-24, and I-24's business loop enters the city concurrent with US 60. In the midtown area, the route once again meets US 62, and also meets US 45. Once out of the city of Paducah, US 60 again veers to the northeast, generally following the Ohio River until reaching Smithland, where the route again turns to the east, passing through the small town of Burna. From Burna, US 60 passes through Salem.
The next city along the route is Marion. At Marion, US 60 turns once more to the north, where it heads toward Sturgis. From Sturgis, the route continues generally northward to Morganfield. In recent years, a bypass of US 60 around the south and east sides of Morganfield has taken a great deal of traffic congestion out of the city.
US 60 passes through Waverly and Corydon before reaching Henderson. At Henderson, the route intersects Kentucky Route 136 (KY 136), KY 425 and US 41A. US 41A is concurrent with US 60 along Green Street in the city of Henderson as it intersects with KY 812 and KY 351. At the US 41/Pennyrile Parkway interchange, US 41A ends and US 60 continues alone, bypassing the cities of Owensboro, Lewisport, Hawesville, and Hardinsburg.
In Fort Knox, US 60 connects with US 31W, and they remain together until downtown Louisville. Originally built as a bypass route around downtown Louisville, US 60 Alt. used several existing roads running through Louisville to get between the east and south sides of town without having to travel through the heavily congested downtown or west ends of town. US 60 Alt. runs northeast to southwest from St. Matthews to Shively; including a stretch on one of Frederick Law Olmsted's last remaining parkways, Eastern Parkway. Before its completion and designation as I-264 in 1984, the Henry Watterson Expressway connecting Dixie Highway (US 31W/US 60) and Shelbyville Road (US 60) was signed US 60 Bypass.
After passing Shelbyville, it continues through the state capital of Frankfort, becomes four lanes and then heads more south than east toward Versailles. In Versailles, US 60's eastbound lanes are very briefly the westbound lanes of US 62, which runs more south than west at that point. After turning east and intersecting the Bluegrass Parkway, US 60 is one of the major routes through Lexington. It intersects I-75 and from there roughly parallels I-64 and goes to Winchester and passes very near the Mountain Parkway but does not intersect with it. It proceeds to Mount Sterling, Morehead, past Carter Caves State Resort Park, on to Grayson and finally to Ashland. US 23 southbound follows US 60 eastbound into Catlettsburg, where they split at 35th Street. US 23 southbound continues straight as a four-lane highway, while US 60 eastbound turns onto 35th Street, passes Oakland Avenue, and enters Kenova, West Virginia via the Billy C. Clark Bridge.
History
Until 2010, US 60 passed through the city of Owensboro, while US 60 Bypass (Wendell H. Ford Expressway) skirted the city to its south. The city of Owensboro and state of Kentucky requested the decommissioning of US 60 within the city, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials approved the request, making the expressway the main line of US 60. As of April 2011, signage has been changed, and US 60 now solely follows the expressway around Owensboro.
Especially in the eastern and central part of the state, US 60 has been largely replaced by I-64 for long distance travel, since both routes follow each other through much of this area. However, several cites in this area rely on US 60 to connect them to the Interstate. By contrast, in the western part of the state, US 60 is not paired with an Interstate Highway and serves a much more independent purpose, connecting communities located along and near the Ohio River.