North end: US 431 in Russellville | Length 34.31 km | |
South end: US 79 / SR 13 at Tennessee state line | ||
U.S. Route 79 (US 79) enters Kentucky from Tennessee in Todd County west of Guthrie and runs northeast into Logan County, terminating at a junction with US 431 in Russellville.
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Route description
US 79 in Kentucky begins at the Tennessee state line west of Guthrie and travels northeast, forming a junction with US 41 0.497 miles (0.800 km) from the state line. The route continues to the northeast, passing north of Guthrie and Allensville in rural areas of Todd County. 10.606 miles (17.069 km) from the Kentucky-Tennessee border, US 79 crosses into Logan County where it becomes known as Clarksville Road. The route continues northeast through rural areas of Logan County until it comes to its northern terminus at US 431 on the south side of Russellville 10.713 miles (17.241 km) from the Todd County line. US 79 remains a two-lane road throughout Kentucky.
History
The current route in Kentucky was paved by 1939 but was not signed as US 79. The highway was originally designated as Kentucky Route 105. KY 105 originally ran the current designations of US Route 79 and Kentucky Route 79, from the state line to Russellville to the Rough River Lake State Resort Park area, and ending with KY 105's current alignment. By 1958, the current route was signed as US 79, although, it extended a bit further northeast into Russellville. The current northern terminus at US 431 was created by 1999 with the construction of the Russellville Bypass.