1. Route description
    Jackson Purchase region  Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake to Somerset  Somerset to Hazard  Hazard to Pikeville and the Virginia border 

2. History
    Pre-1960s  Late 20th century realignments  Rerouting in the Purchase area  Eggners Ferry Bridge collapse of 2012 

3. Major intersections

4. Special routes
    Mayfield business route  Pulaski County connector route  Somerset business route  Floyd County spur route 

5. See also

6. References

7. External links

Kentucky Route 80 (KY 80) is a {{convert|483.55|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} state highway in the southern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. The route originates on the state's western border at Columbus in Hickman County, and stretches across the southern portion of the state, terminating southeast of Elkhorn City on the Virginia state line. It is the longest Kentucky State Highway, though the official distance as listed in route logs is much less due to multiple concurrencies with U.S. Route 68 (US 68) and U.S. Route 23.

The route was split into two segments from 2003 to November 2009. Construction and relocation of Kentucky Route 80 in Graves, Calloway, and Marshall counties during this time caused the route to be split. A new, four-laned {{convert|8.5|mi|km|adj=on}} section of Kentucky Route 80 opened in Calloway County on November 25, 2009. The route is now four-lanes from Mayfield to Aurora with plans to complete the four-laning from Aurora to Cadiz over the next few years.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}

Route description

Jackson Purchase region

From Columbus, the road passes through Hickman, Carlisle, and Graves Counties to Mayfield. Before 2003, the road passed through Mayfield and into Marshall County before converging with U.S. Route 68 in Aurora. The two-lane segment of former Kentucky Route 80 from Mayfield to Aurora now has two separate designations. From Mayfield to Brewers in Marshall County, the road retains its former co-designation as Kentucky Route 58. The segment from Brewers to Aurora is now designated as Kentucky Route 402.

From Mayfield, Kentucky Route 80 travels along a new four-lane corridor into Calloway County and on to Murray. The route continues through eastern Calloway County and into Marshall County before converging with U.S. Route 68 near the eastern terminus of Kentucky Route 402 in Aurora.

Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake to Somerset

From Aurora, it follows U.S. Route 68 through Trigg, Christian, Todd, and Logan counties to Bowling Green (Warren County).

From Bowling Green through Glasgow to Edmonton, Kentucky Route 80 remains co-joined with US Route 68 serving eastern Warren, Barren and Metcalfe Counties until it goes a little past downtown Edmonton.

From Glasgow to Somerset, Kentucky Route 80 is paralleled (and largely supplanted) by the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway, which is officially designated as the future route of Interstate 66 (I-66), although interest in that project has been lost.

Kentucky Route 80 serves rural portions of Barren, Metcalfe (including the city of Edmonton), Adair, Russell, and Casey counties to Somerset (Pulaski County).

Somerset to Hazard

Between Somerset and London (Laurel County), Kentucky Route 80 is again the primary route. The state's I-66 proposals call for Kentucky Route 80 to again be bypassed in this area, with the new road sharing only the crossing over the Rockcastle River gorge.^[2] This proposal has met with controversy, with area residents preferring that the new Interstate be built on the existing Kentucky Route 80 right of way.^[3]

From London to Hazard, Kentucky Route 80 is again supplanted, this time by the former Daniel Boone Parkway, renamed the Hal Rogers Parkway in 2003. Kentucky Route 80 serves rural portions of Clay, Leslie, and Perry counties before rejoining the Parkway near Hazard.

Hazard to Pikeville and the Virginia border

Kentucky Route 80 is a modern four-lane highway (though not controlled access) from Hazard through Knott County to Watergap in Floyd County where it converges with U.S. Route 23. This section of Kentucky Route 80 was completely new construction, with the old highway's segments renamed with several designations, primarily Kentucky Route 550. Kentucky Route 80 continues, concurrent with U.S. Route 460 until reaching Belcher in Pike County and continues into Virginia from Elkhorn City as Virginia State Route 80.

History

Pre-1960s

KY 80's original western terminus was on the east side of Bowling Green during the 1930s and early 1940s. It was extended to its current length, including the concurrency with US 68, in around the late 1940s or early 1950s.^[4]

Originally, westbound Kentucky Route 80 continued via ferry across the Mississippi River to Belmont, Missouri, where it connected with Missouri Route 80, which traveled west to US 61/US 62 near Sikeston, Missouri.^[4][5] That ferry has long since been discontinued.

Late 20th century realignments

KY 80's original alignments in Knott and Perry Counties were renumbered to KY 550 at some point around 1979–80. Several other segments of KY 80 were rerouted in various areas between Somerset and Prestonsburg between 1977 and 1984.

When the US 68/KY 80 four-lane realignment was completed in the late 1990s, several of the route's old alignments were kept intact, notably in areas between Hopkinsville and Bowling Green. In towns like Fairview, Elkton, Russellville, and Auburn, the old alignments were converted into business routes of US 68.

Rerouting in the Purchase area

The KY 80 alignment from Brewers to Aurora was renumbered as KY 402 at some point during the 2002/03 fiscal year.^[6] In the late 2000s, KY 80 was re-routed onto a four-lane highway from Mayfield to Aurora via the northern outskirts of Murray. The segment from US 641 to US 68 was completed in 2006, while the remainder was built during the 2008/09 fiscal year.^[7][8]

Eggners Ferry Bridge collapse of 2012

On January 26, 2012, the Eggner's Ferry Bridge carrying KY 80 and US 68 over Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River) near Aurora collapsed because a cargo ship crashed into one of the bridge's support pillars.^[9] The bridge re-opened to traffic in May 2012,^[10] but it was replaced by a four-lane bridge that was built more than three years afterwards. A new bridge with similar design over Lake Barkley was completed in 2018 to replace the old bridge there.

Major intersections

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Special routes

Mayfield business route

Kentucky Route 80 Business (KY 80 Bus.) is a business route of KY 80 located in Mayfield, in Graves County. The main alignment of KY 80 has a {{convert|2.199|mi|km|adj=on}} gap within the city from the Purchase Parkway (Future Interstate 69) interchange to US 45 in downtown Mayfield. KY 80's main alignment resumes beyond the US 45 junction.

Pulaski County connector route

Kentucky Route 80 Connector (KY 80 Conn.) is a roadway in Pulaski County that connects KY 80 with KY 3261. It is located on the west side of Somerset just outside of the city limits.

Somerset business route

Kentucky Route 80 Business (KY 80 Bus.) is a business route of KY 80 located in Somerset, the Pulaski County seat. It begins on the west side of Somerset at KY 80's junction with the KY 914 bypass. It intersects US 27 and KY 1247 in downtown. Its eastern terminus after intersecting KY 912 is at mile point 21.161 of the main route of KY 80 on the east side of Somerset.

Floyd County spur route

Kentucky Route 80 Spur (KY 80S) is a spur route of KY 80 in southern Floyd County. It connects KY 80 with KY 1428 at Martin.

See also

• {{Portal-inline|Kentucky}}
• {{Portal-inline|U.S. Roads}}

References

External links

• KentuckyRoads.com KY 80
• KentuckyRoads.com Images along KY 80

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