Kentucky Roads - I-64/US 150

I-64, I-64/US 150

All photos except three are eastbound.


Entering Kentucky on the lower level of the Sherman Minton Bridge. The bridge is a beautiful double-arch that can be seen from the top level or from either shore of the Ohio River, but I had the misfortune of never getting those views.


Past a passel of other bridges. The first four photos are the Kentucky and Indiana Terminal Bridge and the last four photos are the 14th Street Bridge, both of which are railroad bridges (despite the name of the latter). Sandwiched between them are three photos of the 27th Street bridge to Shippingport Island, location of the eponymous town that was swallowed by Louisville in the 19th century. The 27th St. bridge and foreground of the 14th St. Bridge cross the Louisville and Portland Canal, while only the 14th St. Bridge continues across the Ohio River proper. US 150 leaves I-64 between them at 22nd St.


The next bridge eastward, the Clark Memorial Bridge carrying US 31. Behind it is yet another truss for the JFK Bridge carrying I-65.


WB at the Clark Memorial.


As I mentioned before, here is the JFK Bridge. In turn, there's yet another truss behind that, which I'll get to below. After the I-65 interchange, I-71 soon splits from I-64, so soon that the ramps to and from 65 don't even get a chance to join 64.


Here's that one last bridge, the Big Four Bridge that once carried the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis Railway (the Big Four cities it connected). The bridge was built in 1895 and currently sits unused, but as you can see there's a long pedestrian ramp leading up to it. Within the next year or two, it's supposed to be completed as a walkway across the Ohio River.


After the I-71 split at a sign as old as Kentucky gets (not very), I-64 tunnels under Cochran Hill in the eponymous tunnel and comes out as a parkway-style road in Cherokee Park. After Alta Vista Rd., Seneca Golf Course, and Pee Wee Reese Rd. (formerly Willis Rd.), the highway settles back down as a regular, boring freeway.

Any doubts as to where Matt Groening got his inspiration?


Another distance sign to a less than compelling destination (KY 53, not reasonably compelling Frankfort), rare narrow state route shield, and a RIDOT-style construction shield. Oh, and snow in Kentucky. On Christmas, no less.


Sights of the cool and weird on the Lexington duplex.


State of the art now is Clearview font, but the MUTCD still requires the "EXIT ONLY" panel - just changing the arrow color doesn't cut it. The Exit 96 sign is a little confusing, especially on its own (why sign the truck route separately?), but at least the context of the Exit 94 sign tells you that I-64 is trying to sign Truck 627 consistently. The trouble is that regular KY 627 goes both directions at Exit 96, and the "North" becomes ambiguous as laid out. I'm sure the next sign will look more like the one at Exit 94.


WB courtesy H.B. Elkins, and gone now, because the former WB-SB loop has been demolished in favor of making Exit 96B (once WB-NB) into the only WB exit so that there will no longer be a weave along I-64. Not only is that cute little sign one growth spurt shy of adolescence, thus rendering it illegible to drivers, it's not exactly proportionate either.

The other WB photo, at the bottom of what's now the Exit 96 ramp.

Not just deer, Prancers.

Onto US 150 alone

Into Indiana on I-64
Into West Virginia on I-64
Exit 6 to I-71
Exit 65 to US 62
Onto I-75
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