Interstate 369 Kentucky

Overview
A 38.4 mile section of the Western Kentucky Parkway, between I-69/Future I-169 (Pennyrile Parkway) near Nortonville and I-165 (Natcher Parkway) near Beaver Dam is proposed as new Interstate 369. The rural freeway connects the Muhlenberg County seat of Greenville and adjacent Powderly and Central City with the Ohio County cities of Rockport and Beaver Dam. Upgrades needed to bring the rural freeway to Interstate standards include replacing the four loop interchange at U.S. 431 (2nd Street) at Central City to eliminate weaving traffic.
Designated by the KYTC as WK-9001, Western Kentucky Parkway extends another 98.4 miles east from I-165 to Interstate 65 and KY 61 at Elizabethtown. This portion is not currently proposed as an Interstate. Western Kentucky Parkway west from the Pennyrile Parkway to Interstate 24 near Eddyville was designated in 2011 as the first section of Interstate 69 in the Bluegrass State.
Route Information
East End – Beaver Dam, KY
West End – Nortonville, KY
Mileage – 38.4
Cities – Greenville, Powderly, Central City, Rockport, Beaver Dam
- Junctions –
Future
Source: Estimate from KYTC map viewer
WK-9001 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)
Source: 2013-16 AADT – KYTC Traffic Counts
History
Legislation to designate the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway as Interstate 369 from the exchange joining I-69 and the Pennyrile Parkway (Future I-169) to I-165 (William Natcher Parkway) was introduced by Senator Mitch McConnell and U.S. Representative James Comer on April 3, 2019. This section would be added as a High Priority Corridor, allowing for the eventual classification of the Interstate highway. The new designation would help promote economic development and new industry in Muhlenberg and Ohio Counties.1
Western Kentucky Parkway was completed in 1963 and operated as a toll road until 1987. The exchange at Exit 58 once housed a toll plaza below the U.S. 431 overpass.2
East End
– Beaver Dam, Kentucky
A full cloverleaf interchange joins Interstate 165 (Natcher Parkway) with the Western Kentucky Parkway in a rural area southeast of Beaver Dam. Signs for I-165 were installed along the Natcher Parkway starting in March 2019.
West End
Future
– Nortonville, Kentucky
Future north at
/ Western Kentucky Parkway
Pennyrile Parkway (Future I-169) north at the eastbound ramp (Exit 34A) for the Western Kentucky Parkway (proposed I-369). The cloverleaf interchange between the two parkways was modified during a $29 million design build project to accommodate free flow movements for Interstate 69. Work at the exchange here wrapped up in November 2015.3 Photo taken 05/27/11.
Sources:
- “Legislation Introduced to Designate I-369 Spur in Muhl., Ohio Counties” SurfKY, April 3, 2019.
- KentuckyRoads.com – Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway.
- “Rebuilt I-69/Pennyrile Parkway interchange nearing completion.” The Gleaner (Henderson, KY), October 16, 2015.
Page updated April 11, 2019.