The Widening of the Mountain Parkway in Kentucky

History

Construction

The Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway, completed in 1963, marked a significant development in Kentucky’s infrastructure, linking Interstate 64 in Winchester to US Route 460 in Salyersville.

The project’s groundbreaking took place in February 1960, attended by Governor Bert T. Combs, Lt. Governor Wilson Wyatt, and Highway Commissioner Henry Ward, ⁵ with construction beginning in 1961. ⁴ On August 13, 1962, Governor Combs announced the Parkway would be named “Mountain Parkway.” ¹⁷

The first section, spanning 43 miles, opened on January 14, 1963, as Kentucky’s second toll road. ⁴ Its dedication on May 8 involved eight ceremonies over three hours, with an event in Campton drawing over 3,000 attendees featuring a ribbon-cutting by Governor Combs among other activities. ¹² There were also ribbon-cutting ceremonies at seven other points between Campton and Winchester, each featuring between 200 and 500 spectators. More than 200 automobiles were in the motorcade.

On November 1, the portion from Campton to Salyersville was dedicated. ¹³ Initially, the Parkway comprised a 46-mile four-lane freeway from Winchester to Campton, with the 29-mile section extending to Salyersville constructed as a two-lane freeway. ³ There were plans for extending the Parkway further to Whitesburg and Pikeville.

The construction cost totaled $58 million. ^{12 13} At its opening, toll rates were set at 30¢ at Waltersville and 50¢ at Slade, or 1.8¢ per mile, on par per mile with Kentucky’s other toll road, the Kentucky Turnpike. ⁴

Impact

Beyond facilitating transportation, the Mountain Parkway was pivotal in connecting the Bluegrass region with southeastern Kentucky’s mountainous area. It played a crucial role in the approval of the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) Corridor Q from Pikeville to Christiansburg, Virginia, via Bluefield, West Virginia, providing a four-lane upgrade to parts of US Route 23 and 460 and KY and VA Routes 80. ³ It also supported tourism destinations like Natural Bridge and Jenny Wiley State Resort Parks by providing a more direct connection.

In tribute to Governor Bert T. Combs, who championed its construction, the Parkway was renamed in his honor on June 17, 1976. ¹⁶ Peak traffic and toll revenue were recorded in the 1978-79 fiscal year, primarily due to a coal mining boom. ¹³ Of Kentucky’s ten parkways, only the Western Kentucky Parkway did better.

Once the construction bonds were repaid, Kentucky eventually removed tolls on all its toll roads. The continuation of tolls was discussed to help pay for the highway’s maintenance. ¹³ However, Governor Martha Layne Collins decided to end tolls on January 11, 1985. Tolls ceased from the four-lane section on January 31, 1985, and tolls on the two-lane segment were lifted on July 31.

In 1988, ¹⁴ a new rest area was completed at Slade to replace a facility by the Campton reservoir that had closed because of water problems in 1980. ¹⁵ It was named after Ronnie “Junior” Williamson Jr., a shoe-shiner who had hounded state lawmakers for years about the need for a rest area along the Parkway. ¹⁴

The idea for the rest area began with an unsuccessful 1982 bill sponsored by state senator John Doug Hays that called for constructing at least one rest area on every state toll road. ¹⁴ However, the measure died in a House committee after Transportation Secretary Frank Metts pledged to build rest areas along the Mountain Parkway near Campton. Plans for the rest area were approved in 1984, and ground was broken for the rest area in 1986.

Expansion

The Mountain Parkway was proposed initially to extend past Salyersville to Pikeville and from Campton to Hazard, but the limited-access freeway extensions were never built. ⁵ They were to be built with federal and state funds instead of toll revenues, but the funding for the freeways was never secured. ¹² Governor A. B. “Happy” Chandler, who succeeded Combs, called the Parkway a road that “starts nowhere and ends nowhere” and canceled any plans for the Parkway’s extension. ¹³ In their place, KY Route 114 and 15, modern two-lane routes with numerous at-grade intersections and driveway entrances, was built instead.

On January 15, 2014, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear announced plans to widen the Parkway to four lanes for its entire length and to extend the limited-access Parkway from US Route 460 in Salyersville to US Route 23 in Prestonsburg. ⁵ The project was estimated to cost more than $750 million. ¹

The widening of the Parkway began in early 2015 with the construction of the 5.7 mie Magoffin County Central segment between the Middle Fork of the Licking River (milepost 69.6) to US Route 460 at Salyersville (milepost 75.3). ⁶ Work on the Gifford Road interchange was completed in November 2016, and work on the KY Route 30 and KY Route 7 interchanges was finished in the summer of 2018.

In 2016, work began on the 2.4-mile Salyersville “Restaurant Row” segment from US Route 460 at Salyersville (milepost 75.3) to KY Route 114 (milepost 77.7). ¹⁰ This segment of the Parkway was awarded a competitive $24 million federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant that expedited the project, allowing construction to begin two years ahead of schedule. The “Restaurant Row” segment was finished in November 2019. Unlike other segments of the Parkway, this segment was built with limited access but with intersections.

In January 2017, work began to reconstruct 8.2 miles of the Parkway from Lee City and West Liberty (milepost 56.8) and Cutuno-Hager Road (milepost 65), completed in September 2021. ⁸

Construction of the 4.6-mile Magoffin County West Segment between the Middle Fork of the Licking River (milepost 69.6) and Cutuno-Hager Road (milepost 65) began in the fall of 2019 and will open to traffic in 2024. ⁷ This section adds an interchange at KY Route 3046 for local access.

In June 2020, the 11-mile Wolfe County Segment between KY Route 191 in Campton (milepost 45.8) and Lee City and West Liberty (milepost 56.8) was awarded a competitive $55 million federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant to jumpstart construction. ⁹ A $97.1 million construction contract was awarded in spring 2022, six months ahead of schedule. The project broke ground in August 2022, which includes the widening of the roadway and the reconstruction of the KY Route 191 and KY Route 1010 interchanges, with work on the segment expected to be completed in 2027.

The 13-mile Magoffin-Floyd segment, between US Route 460 and KY Route 114 in Salyersville and KY Route 404 in Prestonsburg, will be the final section of the Mountain Parkway to be built and will complete the Mountain Parkway expansion project. ¹¹ It will be a four-lane, limited-access freeway.

Initially, an Environmental Assessment from 2000 and a Finding of No Significant Impact from 2003 recommended rebuilding the existing KY Route 114 to freeway standards. ¹¹ In the fall of 2022, it was announced that the preferred alignment of the Magoffin-Floyd segment would be a cross-country route instead of expanding the current Kentucky Highway 114 corridor because it will cause fewer disruptions and property impacts to homes and businesses. ^{6 11}

The segment is currently under development, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is advancing the project through a method known as a design-build project. ¹¹ In late 2023, Bizzack Construction was announced as the lead contractor for this section.

Sources

1. Hesterberg, Tanner. “Gov. Beshear releases plan for extending, four-laning Mountain Parkway.” WYMT-TV, 16 Jan. 2014.
2. “Frequently Asked Questions.” Mountain Parkway Extension.
3. “Mountain Parkway Key, Ward Claims.” State Journal, 23 July 1965, p. 1.
4. “Mountain Parkway To Open For Traffic On January 14.” Herald-Leader, 30 Dec. 1962, p. 18.
5. “History.” Mountain Parkway Extension.
6. “Magoffin County Central.” Mountain Parkway Extension.
7. “Magoffin County West.” Mountain Parkway Extension.
8. “Morgan County.” Mountain Parkway Extension.
9. “Wolfe County.” Mountain Parkway Extension.
10. “Salyersville Restaurant Row.” Mountain Parkway Extension.
11. “Magoffin-Floyd.” Mountain Parkway Extension.
12. “Mountain Parkway Is Dedicated In 8 Ceremonies Lasting 3 Hours.” Lexington Herald, 9 May 1963, p. 1.
13. Mueller, Lee. “Free parkway ends for workers, area.” Herald-Leader, 27 Jan. 1985, pp. A1-A10.
14. “Mountain Parkway rest stop is dedicated.” State Journal, 15 Dec. 1988, p. A10.
15. Crowdus, Vincent. “Whatever happened to…” Courier-Journal, 13 Feb. 1984, p. B6.
16. “Mountain Parkway renamed to honor former Gov. Combs.” Courier-Journal, 19 Jun. 1976, p. 17.
17. “Mountain Parkway is Toll Road Name.” Kentucky Post, 14 Aug. 1962, p. 1.