Audubon Parkway
Encyclopedia
The Audubon Parkway is a four-lane controlled-access freeway (formerly a toll road
) connecting the cities of Henderson
and Owensboro, Kentucky
.
Named for John James Audubon
, an early American naturalist, the Audubon's western terminus is the Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway; the eastern terminus is the U.S. 60 bypass. The road opened on December 18, 1970 at a cost of $23.5 million and, at 23.4 miles (37.7 km), is the shortest of the nine roads in the state's parkway
system. It is also the only road in the parkway system that has not had the name of a Kentucky politician attached to it.
The road carries the unsigned designation of Kentucky Route 9005 (AU 9005).
A white and gold shield was used along the Audubon Parkway until 2006, when a new, standardized blue-on-white marker was introduced for all of Kentucky's parkways.
, which opened in 1972, had their tolls removed on Tuesday, November 21, 2006. Ernie Fletcher
, who was governor at the time, announced the removal of the tolls at the Natcher Parkway's Hartford
toll plaza on September 27, 2006. Fletcher himself manned the end loader which demolished one of the Audubon's Hebbardsville toll booths during a press conference and ceremony which heralded the end of toll collections.
With the end of toll collection, the Hebbardsville (KY 416) interchange was modified slightly, although its past as the parkway's only toll plaza remains in the modified-cloverleaf layout of the ramps, a trait shared by most such interchanges on Kentucky's other parkways. The islands where the toll booths were mounted were removed, and the pavement at the interchange was smoothed over, although the rumble strips approaching the interchange from both directions remain as of July 2009.
During 2008, the former toll plaza office on the south side of the interchange was demolished.
officials proposed in 2005 that the Audubon be upgraded to an Interstate highway, specifically suggesting the number Interstate 369. This would, according to the proposal, take place when and if Interstate 69
is extended southward from Indianapolis, Indiana
through Evansville
and across the Ohio River
near Henderson, Kentucky
. The I-369 "spur" would connect Owensboro, Kentucky
to I-69, which is to be routed along the following parkways (a new bridge will be built between Henderson
and Evansville
):
It is a widely held belief that the Audubon would have to be significantly upgraded in order for it to be approved as an Interstate highway; specifically, the shoulders would need to be widened and the median would have to either be widened or have a safety barrier constructed along its entire 24 miles (38.6 km) length. Any of these changes would be very expensive.
However, it would not be unheard of for the Audubon, or any of the other parkways proposed as Interstates above, to be "grandfathered" into the Interstate system by the issuance of a waiver; it has been done before, with such roads as the Kansas Turnpike
, Pennsylvania Turnpike
and others which do not (or did not at the time) meet the minimum Interstate standards.
New "Future I-69 Spur" Signs were placed on the parkway on September 2008.
and Daviess
counties. When the parkway first opened, the sole interchange was exit 10, but exits 5 and 18 were constructed in 1986.
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
) connecting the cities of Henderson
Henderson, Kentucky
Henderson is a city in Henderson County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River in the western part of the state. The population was 27,952 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area often referred to as "Kentuckiana", although "Tri-State Area" or "Tri-State" are more...
and Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
.
Named for John James Audubon
John James Audubon
John James Audubon was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats...
, an early American naturalist, the Audubon's western terminus is the Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway; the eastern terminus is the U.S. 60 bypass. The road opened on December 18, 1970 at a cost of $23.5 million and, at 23.4 miles (37.7 km), is the shortest of the nine roads in the state's parkway
Parkway
The term parkway has several distinct principal meanings and numerous synonyms around the world, for either a type of landscaped area or a type of road.Type of landscaped area:...
system. It is also the only road in the parkway system that has not had the name of a Kentucky politician attached to it.
The road carries the unsigned designation of Kentucky Route 9005 (AU 9005).
A white and gold shield was used along the Audubon Parkway until 2006, when a new, standardized blue-on-white marker was introduced for all of Kentucky's parkways.
Toll removal
The last two tolled parkways in Kentucky, the Audubon and the nearby William H. Natcher ParkwayWilliam H. Natcher Parkway
The Wiliam H. Natcher Green River Parkway is a limited-access freeway from Bowling Green, Kentucky to Owensboro, Kentucky. The Natcher is one of nine highways that are part of Kentucky's parkway system. Conceived as the "Owensboro-Bowling Green Parkway," it was instead named the Green River...
, which opened in 1972, had their tolls removed on Tuesday, November 21, 2006. Ernie Fletcher
Ernie Fletcher
Ernest Lee "Ernie" Fletcher is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. In 1999, he was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives; he resigned in 2003 after being elected the 60th governor of Kentucky and served in that office...
, who was governor at the time, announced the removal of the tolls at the Natcher Parkway's Hartford
Hartford, Kentucky
Hartford is a city in Ohio County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,571 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ohio County. It is believed to be named for a deer crossing on the nearby Rough River....
toll plaza on September 27, 2006. Fletcher himself manned the end loader which demolished one of the Audubon's Hebbardsville toll booths during a press conference and ceremony which heralded the end of toll collections.
With the end of toll collection, the Hebbardsville (KY 416) interchange was modified slightly, although its past as the parkway's only toll plaza remains in the modified-cloverleaf layout of the ramps, a trait shared by most such interchanges on Kentucky's other parkways. The islands where the toll booths were mounted were removed, and the pavement at the interchange was smoothed over, although the rumble strips approaching the interchange from both directions remain as of July 2009.
During 2008, the former toll plaza office on the south side of the interchange was demolished.
Interstate 369
Daviess CountyDaviess County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 91,545 people, 36,033 households, and 24,826 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 38,432 housing units at an average density of...
officials proposed in 2005 that the Audubon be upgraded to an Interstate highway, specifically suggesting the number Interstate 369. This would, according to the proposal, take place when and if Interstate 69
Interstate 69
Interstate 69 is an Interstate Highway in the United States. It exists in two parts: a completed highway from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, and a mostly proposed extension southwest to the Mexican border in Texas...
is extended southward from Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
through Evansville
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
and across the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
near Henderson, Kentucky
Henderson, Kentucky
Henderson is a city in Henderson County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River in the western part of the state. The population was 27,952 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area often referred to as "Kentuckiana", although "Tri-State Area" or "Tri-State" are more...
. The I-369 "spur" would connect Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
to I-69, which is to be routed along the following parkways (a new bridge will be built between Henderson
Henderson, Kentucky
Henderson is a city in Henderson County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River in the western part of the state. The population was 27,952 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area often referred to as "Kentuckiana", although "Tri-State Area" or "Tri-State" are more...
and Evansville
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
):
- The Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway from the new bridge at Henderson southward to the
- Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway to Interstate 24Interstate 24Interstate 24 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from Interstate 57 to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at Interstate 75....
, then west to the - Julian M. Carroll Purchase Parkway, which it would follow to TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
It is a widely held belief that the Audubon would have to be significantly upgraded in order for it to be approved as an Interstate highway; specifically, the shoulders would need to be widened and the median would have to either be widened or have a safety barrier constructed along its entire 24 miles (38.6 km) length. Any of these changes would be very expensive.
However, it would not be unheard of for the Audubon, or any of the other parkways proposed as Interstates above, to be "grandfathered" into the Interstate system by the issuance of a waiver; it has been done before, with such roads as the Kansas Turnpike
Kansas Turnpike
The Kansas Turnpike is a freeway-standard toll road that lies entirely within the U.S. state of Kansas. It runs in a general southwest-northeast direction from the Oklahoma border, and passes through several major Kansas cities, including Wichita, Topeka, Lawrence and Kansas City...
, Pennsylvania Turnpike
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...
and others which do not (or did not at the time) meet the minimum Interstate standards.
New "Future I-69 Spur" Signs were placed on the parkway on September 2008.
Exit list
There are three interchanges along the parkway, each serving small communities in HendersonHenderson County, Kentucky
Henderson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1799. As the latest census data update of 2010, the population was counted 46,250. The county seat is the City of Henderson. The county was named for Colonel Richard Henderson who originally purchased of land...
and Daviess
Daviess County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 91,545 people, 36,033 households, and 24,826 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 38,432 housing units at an average density of...
counties. When the parkway first opened, the sole interchange was exit 10, but exits 5 and 18 were constructed in 1986.
| County | Location | Mile | # Exit number An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore.... |
Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson Henderson County, Kentucky Henderson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1799. As the latest census data update of 2010, the population was counted 46,250. The county seat is the City of Henderson. The county was named for Colonel Richard Henderson who originally purchased of land... |
Henderson Henderson, Kentucky Henderson is a city in Henderson County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River in the western part of the state. The population was 27,952 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area often referred to as "Kentuckiana", although "Tri-State Area" or "Tri-State" are more... |
0.000 | 0A-B | Westbound only. | |
| 5.389 | 5 | ||||
| Hebbardsville | 10.175 | 10 | Former toll plaza | ||
| Daviess Daviess County, Kentucky As of the census of 2000, there were 91,545 people, 36,033 households, and 24,826 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 38,432 housing units at an average density of... |
18.043 | 18 | |||
| Owensboro Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's... |
23.441 | 24A-B | Eastbound only. |