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113-647: Interstate 75 (I-75) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs 1,786.47 miles (2,875.04 km) from Miami Lakes, Florida to the Canada–United States border at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan . In the U.S. state of Kentucky , I-75 runs through the eastern half of the state, from the Tennessee state line near the city of Williamsburg to the Ohio state line near Covington . The Interstate serves

226-522: A concurrency or overlap. For example, I‑75 and I‑85 share the same roadway in Atlanta ; this 7.4-mile (11.9 km) section, called the Downtown Connector , is labeled both I‑75 and I‑85. Concurrencies between Interstate and US Highway numbers are also allowed in accordance with AASHTO policy, as long as the length of the concurrency is reasonable. In rare instances, two highway designations sharing

339-507: A ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with the KY 55 and US 127 interchanges along I-64. The group of three headed to Florence and performed ribbon-cutting exercises, resulting in this portion of I-75 becoming the first one to be opened formally to the public. On December 19, several days later, the southernmost portion of the 21.5-mile (34.6 km) segment of I-75 at the KY 22 interchange in Dry Ridge

452-637: A 28-year-old brevet lieutenant colonel, accompanied the trip "through darkest America with truck and tank," as he later described it. Some roads in the West were a "succession of dust, ruts, pits, and holes." As the landmark 1916 law expired, new legislation was passed—the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 (Phipps Act). This new road construction initiative once again provided for federal matching funds for road construction and improvement, $ 75 million allocated annually. Moreover, this new legislation for

565-705: A beltway encircling Cincinnati . As with all other Interstate, US, and state highways in Kentucky, I-75 is maintained by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for its entire length. Annual average daily traffic counts in 2022 ranged from a peak of 196,929 vehicles per day concurrent with I-71 at the I-275 interchange in Erlanger to a low of 33,001 vehicles per day from Williamsburg to the Tennessee state line. The route

678-739: A branch of the Eagle Creek to reach an interchange with KY 32 near Sadieville . As I-75 bypasses Sadieville to the west, it crosses the main Eagle Creek and continues through rural land, entering Grant County and coming very close to the border with Owen County as well. At milepost 144, it intersects KY 330 and passes along the shoreline of a nearby lake and after eight miles (13 km), has an interchange with KY 36 for Owenton and Williamstown . The Interstate passes by more lush farmland for another 5 miles (8.0 km) to Dry Ridge , where it meets KY 22 / KY 467 (Broadway Street), which both serve

791-558: A brief concurrency with the U.S. Highways. The three routes turn northwest to cross the Kentucky River on the Clays Ferry Bridge and enter Fayette County . I-75 then separates from both U.S. Highways and turns slightly northwest to enter Lexington . As it approaches Lexington, I-75 gradually begins entering the commercial developments of the city. After passing the neighborhood of Autumn Ridge , its first interchange in downtown

904-476: A change in the numbering system as a result of a new policy adopted in 1973. Previously, letter-suffixed numbers were used for long spurs off primary routes; for example, western I‑84 was I‑80N, as it went north from I‑80 . The new policy stated, "No new divided numbers (such as I-35W and I-35E , etc.) shall be adopted." The new policy also recommended that existing divided numbers be eliminated as quickly as possible; however, an I-35W and I-35E still exist in

1017-657: A constant rate of speed, then the Interstate could be fully completed by 1972. Ward also said that I-75 from Cincinnati to Richmond could be ready for travel around 1964. I-75 between Clays Ferry and Richmond had already been built, and the bypass at Frankfort helped shorten the driving time between Lexington and Louisville anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes. The state as a whole decided that the I-75 corridor would cut between Berea, Richmond, Mount Vernon, and Corbin on its way to Tennessee, paralleling that of US 25. The decision would be pending "for

1130-454: A distance of about 115 miles (185 km). The interchange of I-71/I-75 and I-275 has seen a push to be renovated. In an August 2019 survey from the 5th to the 19th, approximately 2,278 people provided a response to the survey, with 79% of respondents using the interchange several times a week or even several times a day, and 63% of respondents using the interchange for work-related travel. Many respondents also frequently cited several issues at

1243-462: A distance of about 7.29 miles (11.73 km). It also involved adding two new bridges along US 25 over I-75 and providing truck climbing lanes at the steep portion of the roadway near the Wood Creek Lake reservoir to reduce accidents caused by trucks. The southern portion, located at mileposts 28.9 to 33.2, was projected to be widened from four to six lanes too, and also reconstruct the bridges over

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1356-409: A few weeks", as the state was required to get approval from the federal government before proceeding ahead even if the suggestion was approved. On October 25, another 19-mile (31 km) stretch of the Interstate was opened, but signs and traffic islands had not been erected yet and according to a State Highway Department official, a strip would have its opening later. With the highway almost complete,

1469-580: A national road grid with the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 . In 1926, the United States Numbered Highway System was established, creating the first national road numbering system for cross-country travel. The roads were state-funded and maintained, and there were few national standards for road design. United States Numbered Highways ranged from two-lane country roads to multi-lane freeways. After Dwight D. Eisenhower became president in 1953, his administration developed

1582-576: A numbering scheme in which primary Interstates are assigned one- or two-digit numbers, and shorter routes which branch off of longer ones are assigned three-digit numbers where the last two digits match the parent route. The Interstate Highway System is partially financed through the Highway Trust Fund , which itself is funded by a combination of a federal fuel tax and transfers from the Treasury's general fund. Though federal legislation initially banned

1695-456: A parclo with KY 371 (Buttermilk Pike), and then alternates between northeast and east directions for the next several miles. In the meantime, it bypasses both Fort Mitchell and Fort Wright to the north and has an interchange with US 25/US 42/US 127 upon entering Covington , then parallels them. I-71/I-75 turns back north and descends a steep incline, known as "Cut-in-the-Hill" for an interchange with 12th Street and 5th Street, both heading for

1808-442: A program, including undetermined mileage through the westernmost portion of Kentucky as well as an authorized route between Cairo, Illinois and Nashville, Tennessee to build in the state. As of November 24, 1957, I-75 was the longest single Interstate stretch in the program which costed a total of $ 350,277,000. While the program would take approximately 13 to 16 years, the length of I-75 was mostly complete to standards, running from

1921-481: A proposal for an interstate highway system, eventually resulting in the enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 . Unlike the earlier United States Numbered Highway System, the interstates were designed to be all freeways, with nationally unified standards for construction and signage. While some older freeways were adopted into the system, most of the routes were completely new. In dense urban areas,

2034-540: A report called Toll Roads and Free Roads , "the first formal description of what became the Interstate Highway System" and, in 1944, the similarly themed Interregional Highways . The Interstate Highway System gained a champion in President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was influenced by his experiences as a young Army officer crossing the country in the 1919 Motor Transport Corps convoy that drove in part on

2147-460: A safer speed. The Cut-in-the-Hill was originally designed to carry up to 80,000 vehicles per day, but, in 2006, it carried 155,000 daily. Kentucky officials are reportedly working to raise more than $ 2 billion to replace the section of highway, but as of 2012, no construction is planned. Interstate Highway System [REDACTED] The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways , commonly known as

2260-430: A second time. Bypassing Mount Vernon to the north, I-75 passes along the shoreline of Lake Linville and continues to parallel US 25. Approximately 10 miles (16 km) after this, the Interstate enters the rocky Pottsville Escarpment to reach Madison County and from here, descends into the flat Bluegrass region . I-75 has an interchange with KY 21 (Paint Lick Road) near the city of Berea . After avoiding Berea to

2373-480: A sharp left turn into a steep grade down to the Ohio River—;about 370 feet (110 m) in four miles (6.4 km). Accidents are usually attributed to a combination of speeding, curvy lanes, poor weather, longer stopping times for trucks traveling downhill, and traffic congestion. The area earned the sobriquet "Death Hill" shortly after I-75 opened in 1962. By 1968, a total of 23 people died in crashes on

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2486-649: A sharp turn to the west and nears the Daniel Boone National Forest . Near the Wood Creek Lake reservoir, I-75 approaches Livingston and provides indirect access to US 25 via KY 909 . Continuing northwest, I-75 crosses the Rockcastle River , entering Rockcastle County . The Interstate turns a bit north and parallels a small stream for 9 miles (14 km) before reaching a direct interchange with US 25. I-75 then turns northwest again and meets US 25

2599-409: A single digit prefixed to the two-digit number of its parent Interstate Highway. Spur routes deviate from their parent and do not return; these are given an odd first digit. Circumferential and radial loop routes return to the parent, and are given an even first digit. Unlike primary Interstates, three-digit Interstates are signed as either east–west or north–south, depending on the general orientation of

2712-769: A speed limit of 45 mph (70 km/h) because it is a parkway that consists of only one lane per side of the highway. On the other hand, Interstates 15, 80, 84, and 215 in Utah have speed limits as high as 70 mph (115 km/h) within the Wasatch Front , Cedar City , and St. George areas, and I-25 in New Mexico within the Santa Fe and Las Vegas areas along with I-20 in Texas along Odessa and Midland and I-29 in North Dakota along

2825-456: A speed limit of 80 mph (130 km/h). Other Interstates in Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming also have the same high speed limits. In some areas, speed limits on Interstates can be significantly lower in areas where they traverse significantly hazardous areas. The maximum speed limit on I-90 is 50 mph (80 km/h) in downtown Cleveland because of two sharp curves with

2938-467: A suggested limit of 35 mph (55 km/h) in a heavily congested area; I-70 through Wheeling, West Virginia , has a maximum speed limit of 45 mph (70 km/h) through the Wheeling Tunnel and most of downtown Wheeling; and I-68 has a maximum speed limit of 40 mph (65 km/h) through Cumberland, Maryland , because of multiple hazards including sharp curves and narrow lanes through

3051-423: A weigh station to the Eagle Creek bridges. Although the total project would cost about $ 23.5 million total, the state would contribute $ 2.3 million not in federal grant money. In northern and southern Laurel County, the state helped widen the roadway of the Interstate from four to six lanes. The northern portion of the project, located at milepost 40.7 to 48, involves the segment running from south of KY 909 to London,

3164-534: Is also commonly believed the Interstate Highway System was built for the sole purpose of evacuating cities in the event of nuclear warfare . While military motivations were present, the primary motivations were civilian. The numbering scheme for the Interstate Highway System was developed in 1957 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The association's present numbering policy dates back to August 10, 1973. Within

3277-603: Is designated as the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Trail for its entire length. I-75 enters Whitley County, Kentucky from Tennessee near the city of Williamsburg . Skirting the foothills of the Cumberland Plateau , the Interstate briefly parallels Clear Fork and crosses it before reaching the welcome center. Curving left, I-75 crosses Clear Fork again near Saxton and begins paralleling US 25W . 8 miles (13 km) later, I-75 reaches its first interchange in

3390-494: Is impounded near its mouth by Laurel River Dam, which forms Laurel River Lake . Completed in 1974 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , the dam and reservoir serve mainly for flood control, although some hydroelectricity is also produced. The river was likely named for thick growth of laurel along its banks. 36°56′46″N 84°17′46″W  /  36.94611°N 84.29611°W  / 36.94611; -84.29611 This Laurel County, Kentucky state location article

3503-472: Is to have the highway route extend from Tamaulipas , Mexico to Ontario , Canada. The planned I-11 will then bridge the Interstate gap between Phoenix, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada , and thus form part of the CANAMEX Corridor (along with I-19 , and portions of I-10 and I-15 ) between Sonora , Mexico and Alberta , Canada. Political opposition from residents canceled many freeway projects around

Interstate 75 in Kentucky - Misplaced Pages Continue

3616-513: Is with KY 1973 (Iron Works Pike), providing indirect access to US 25, before entering Scott County a short distance later and crossing a stream known as Cane Run. Exiting the Lexington urban area and meandering its way through farmland, I-75 makes a turn to the northeast, then the northwest as it crosses the north branch of the Elkhorn Creek approaching Georgetown . Its first interchange there

3729-434: Is with Man o' War Boulevard . It then stays in a northwest direction as it also passes near a hospital part of Baptist Health . The Interstate turns to the north and has an interchange with US 60 (Winchester Road), which leads to downtown. I-75 curves northwest again and has an interchange with I-64 , which merges with I-75, beginning a concurrency and retaining I-75's exit numbers. The highways jog northwest through more of

3842-414: Is with US 460 (Paris Pike) and then it immediately intersects with US 62 (Cherry Blossom Way). After its interchange with Lexus Way (exit 127), the Interstate reaches a rest area and interchanges with KY 620 (Cherry Blossom Way) a short distance later. The northbound lanes then reach a truck weigh station as I-75 begins paralleling US 25 again. I-75 passes through lush greenery and farmland, then crosses

3955-526: The Cincinnati metropolitan area . From here, it passes Florence and interchanges with KY 536 (Mount Zion Road) and rolls by the campus of Gateway Community and Technical College . The route continues through more suburban development and at milepost 180, reaches a parclo interchange with US 42 / US 127 for downtown Florence. As it bypasses the city to the west, I-71/I-75 has a southbound interchange for Mall Road, which connects to Florence Mall . Passing near

4068-474: The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Texas, and an I-35W and I-35E that run through Minneapolis and Saint Paul , Minnesota, still exist. Additionally, due to Congressional requirements, three sections of I-69 in southern Texas will be divided into I-69W , I-69E , and I-69C (for Central). AASHTO policy allows dual numbering to provide continuity between major control points. This is referred to as

4181-525: The Eastern Kentucky Coalfield at its southernmost stretch and passes near the Daniel Boone National Forest in London . Of the six states which I-75 passes through, the segment in Kentucky is the second-shortest, at 191.78 miles (308.64 km) long. I-75 parallels the older U.S. Route 25 (US 25) and U.S. Route 25E (US 25E) corridors for its entire length in Kentucky. The Interstate was part of

4294-538: The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law. Under the act, the federal government would pay for 90 percent of the cost of construction of Interstate Highways. Each Interstate Highway was required to be a freeway with at least four lanes and no at-grade crossings. The publication in 1955 of the General Location of National System of Interstate Highways , informally known as the Yellow Book , mapped out what became

4407-732: The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 , with a section of it from the Ohio River at Covington to an unknown location north of Richmond being the first segment of the Interstate Highway, opened in 1957. Unfinished portions of the highway were eventually completed in increments, with the very last section being opened in 1969. Due to the rapid growth and high traffic volume in the Lexington metropolitan area and Northern Kentucky, many widening projects and renovations have been undertaken on I-75 since then. The Interstate has one auxiliary route , I-275 ,

4520-603: The Grand Forks area have higher speed limits of 75 mph (120 km/h). As one of the components of the National Highway System , Interstate Highways improve the mobility of military troops to and from airports, seaports, rail terminals, and other military bases. Interstate Highways also connect to other roads that are a part of the Strategic Highway Network , a system of roads identified as critical to

4633-760: The Interstate Highway System , or the Eisenhower Interstate System , is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States . The system extends throughout the contiguous United States and has routes in Hawaii , Alaska , and Puerto Rico . In the 20th century, the United States Congress began funding roadways through the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , and started an effort to construct

Interstate 75 in Kentucky - Misplaced Pages Continue

4746-515: The Lincoln Highway , the first road across America. He recalled that, "The old convoy had started me thinking about good two-lane highways... the wisdom of broader ribbons across our land." Eisenhower also gained an appreciation of the Reichsautobahn system, the first "national" implementation of modern Germany's Autobahn network, as a necessary component of a national defense system while he

4859-499: The US Department of Defense . The system has also been used to facilitate evacuations in the face of hurricanes and other natural disasters. An option for maximizing traffic throughput on a highway is to reverse the flow of traffic on one side of a divider so that all lanes become outbound lanes. This procedure, known as contraflow lane reversal , has been employed several times for hurricane evacuations. After public outcry regarding

4972-464: The US Highways , which increase from east to west and north to south). This numbering system usually holds true even if the local direction of the route does not match the compass directions. Numbers divisible by five are intended to be major arteries among the primary routes, carrying traffic long distances. Primary north–south Interstates increase in number from I-5 between Canada and Mexico along

5085-541: The West Coast to I‑95 between Canada and Miami, Florida along the East Coast . Major west–east arterial Interstates increase in number from I-10 between Santa Monica, California , and Jacksonville, Florida , to I-90 between Seattle, Washington , and Boston, Massachusetts , with two exceptions. There are no I-50 and I-60, as routes with those numbers would likely pass through states that currently have US Highways with

5198-559: The Congress Hotel in Chicago. In the plan, Mehren proposed a 50,000-mile (80,000 km) system, consisting of five east–west routes and 10 north–south routes. The system would include two percent of all roads and would pass through every state at a cost of $ 25,000 per mile ($ 16,000/km), providing commercial as well as military transport benefits. In 1919, the US Army sent an expedition across

5311-709: The Corbin campus of Eastern Kentucky University . I-75 bypasses Corbin to the west and heads slightly to the east through forests to cross the Laurel River , a branch of the Laurel River Lake , and enters Laurel County . From here, it reaches an interchange for access to US 25 for the first time and US 25E near Corbin. North of the interchange, the Interstate crosses the Laurel River once more. Beyond this, I-75 continues for about 1 mile (1.6 km) or so before crossing over

5424-506: The Interstate Highway System. Assisting in the planning was Charles Erwin Wilson , who was still head of General Motors when President Eisenhower selected him as Secretary of Defense in January 1953. Some sections of highways that became part of the Interstate Highway System actually began construction earlier. Three states have claimed the title of first Interstate Highway. Missouri claims that

5537-424: The Interstate Highway program. The Interstates of Alaska and Puerto Rico are numbered sequentially in order of funding without regard to the rules on odd and even numbers. They also carry the prefixes A and PR , respectively. However, these highways are signed according to their local designations, not their Interstate Highway numbers. Furthermore, these routes were neither planned according to nor constructed to

5650-491: The Interstate as a whole. I-75 has undergone multiple projects and alignments since its establishment. The Clays Ferry Bridge which carries I-75 traffic across the Kentucky River was fully opened to traffic on December 2, 1963, at a cost of $ 2,450,000. The bridge, which was designed for southbound travelers, faces parallel with the older bridge made of riveted truss . It was made of welded truss and resulted in Kentucky having

5763-550: The Little Laurel River, a tributary of the Laurel River and reaching a truck weigh station. Another 4 miles (6.4 km) pass by before I-75 reaches London and intersects with KY 192 . From here, I-75 avoids London to the west and briefly after that, intersects KY 80 (which carries a part of the Hal Rogers Parkway ). Just after this interchange, I-75 closely parallels US 25 from East Bernstadt . The Interstate makes

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5876-418: The Little Laurel River, both of which I-75 crosses. The southern portion of the project was completed on November 30, 2021, while the northern portion was completed on July 16, 2022. Currently, the section of I-64/I-75 in Lexington is also undergoing widening; this segment was a length of 2.3 miles (3.7 km), extending from milepost 112.9 to 115.2 and at a cost of $ 48 million. The project is estimated to widen

5989-592: The Ohio River at Covington to an unknown point north of Richmond in Madison County. This resulted in a 70-mile (110 km) gap left to be filled in, as the other segment of I-75 in Laurel County, just north of Corbin, would continue on to the Tennessee state line, ultimately down south to Knoxville . On December 15, 1961, Bert Combs , Wilson W. Wyatt , and Henry Ward selected I-75 as one of three stretches to be in

6102-820: The US to determine the difficulties that military vehicles would have on a cross-country trip. Leaving from the Ellipse near the White House on July 7, the Motor Transport Corps convoy needed 62 days to drive 3,200 miles (5,100 km) on the Lincoln Highway to the Presidio of San Francisco along the Golden Gate . The convoy suffered many setbacks and problems on the route, such as poor-quality bridges, broken crankshafts, and engines clogged with desert sand. Dwight Eisenhower , then

6215-759: The United States, including: In addition to cancellations, removals of freeways are planned: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has defined a set of standards that all new Interstates must meet unless a waiver from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is obtained. One almost absolute standard is the controlled access nature of the roads. With few exceptions , traffic lights (and cross traffic in general) are limited to toll booths and ramp meters (metered flow control for lane merging during rush hour ). Being freeways , Interstate Highways usually have

6328-473: The act was signed, and paving started September 26, 1956. The state marked its portion of I-70 as the first project in the United States completed under the provisions of the new Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. The Pennsylvania Turnpike could also be considered one of the first Interstate Highways, and is nicknamed "Grandfather of the Interstate System". On October 1, 1940, 162 miles (261 km) of

6441-648: The cancellation of the Somerset Freeway . This situation was remedied when the construction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project started in 2010 and partially opened on September 22, 2018, which was already enough to fill the gap. However, I-70 remains discontinuous in Pennsylvania , because of the lack of a direct interchange with the Pennsylvania Turnpike at

6554-406: The choice of routing destroyed many well-established neighborhoods, often intentionally as part of a program of " urban renewal ". In the two decades following the 1956 Highway Act, the construction of the freeways displaced one million people, and as a result of the many freeway revolts during this era, several planned Interstates were abandoned or re-routed to avoid urban cores. Construction of

6667-609: The city's commercial developments before reaching a parclo interchange with US 27 / US 68 (North Broadway). I-64/I-75 stays northwest passing some of Lexington's neighborhoods such as Radcliffe , Joyland , and Winburn before meeting KY 922 (Newtown Pike) for the Bluegrass Parkway and Blue Grass Airport . From here, the routes head almost entirely west before I-64 splits from I-75 to head for Frankfort and Louisville while I-75 continues north through rural terrain. Its next interchange roughly one mile (1.6 km) after that

6780-402: The city's district. Two miles (3.2 km) after this, it reaches the interchange with I-71 , which heads southbound for Louisville. I-71 joins I-75 in a concurrency, with both routes heading due north. Their first junction together is a diverging diamond interchange with KY 338 (Richwood Drive) for Richwood and Union . As I-71/I-75 passes the interchange, it enters Northern Kentucky and

6893-650: The city. In some locations, low speed limits are the result of lawsuits and resident demands; after holding up the completion of I-35E in St. Paul, Minnesota , for nearly 30 years in the courts, residents along the stretch of the freeway from the southern city limit to downtown successfully lobbied for a 45 mph (70 km/h) speed limit in addition to a prohibition on any vehicle weighing more than 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) gross vehicle weight . I-93 in Franconia Notch State Park in northern New Hampshire has

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7006-401: The collection of tolls, some Interstate routes are toll roads , either because they were grandfathered into the system or because subsequent legislation has allowed for tolling of Interstates in some cases. As of 2022 , about one quarter of all vehicle miles driven in the country used the Interstate Highway System, which has a total length of 48,890 miles (78,680 km). In 2022 and 2023,

7119-431: The construction and improvement of highways. The nation's revenue needs associated with World War I prevented any significant implementation of this policy, which expired in 1921. In December 1918, E. J. Mehren, a civil engineer and the editor of Engineering News-Record , presented his "A Suggested National Highway Policy and Plan" during a gathering of the State Highway Officials and Highway Industries Association at

7232-407: The contiguous United States, primary Interstates—also called main line Interstates or two-digit Interstates—are assigned numbers less than 100. While numerous exceptions do exist, there is a general scheme for numbering Interstates. Primary Interstates are assigned one- or two-digit numbers, while shorter routes (such as spurs, loops, and short connecting roads) are assigned three-digit numbers where

7345-567: The discontinuity, but they have been blocked by local opposition, fearing a loss of business. The Interstate Highway System has been expanded numerous times. The expansions have both created new designations and extended existing designations. For example, I-49 , added to the system in the 1980s as a freeway in Louisiana , was designated as an expansion corridor, and FHWA approved the expanded route north from Lafayette, Louisiana , to Kansas City, Missouri . The freeway exists today as separate completed segments, with segments under construction or in

7458-448: The dissemination of public information. As a result, the 2005 evacuation of New Orleans, Louisiana, prior to Hurricane Katrina ran much more smoothly. According to urban legend , early regulations required that one out of every five miles of the Interstate Highway System must be built straight and flat, so as to be usable by aircraft during times of war. There is no evidence of this rule being included in any Interstate legislation. It

7571-434: The downtown area. After passing the many neighborhoods of Covington, I-71/I-75 crosses the Ohio River via the lower level of the Brent Spence Bridge (southbound traffic uses the upper level) into Hamilton County, Ohio and the city of Cincinnati. As part of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 , I-75 was one of the original Interstate Highways in Kentucky when the KYTC was allotted 641 miles (1,032 km) of mileage for

7684-492: The downtown area. I-75 heads in a relatively straight direction north of the interchange, and passes the side of Boltz Lake for another seven miles (11 km) to Crittenden , where an interchange with KY 491 (Violet Road) appears. A short distance from here, the southbound lanes have a truck weigh station while I-75 turns back to the northwest. It briefly enters Kenton County then crosses into Boone County in quick succession. In Walton , I-75 interchanges with KY 16 for

7797-445: The eastern end of the concurrency near Breezewood . Traveling in either direction, I-70 traffic must exit the freeway and use a short stretch of US 30 (which includes a number of roadside services) to rejoin I-70. The interchange was not originally built because of a legacy federal funding rule, since relaxed, which restricted the use of federal funds to improve roads financed with tolls. Solutions have been proposed to eliminate

7910-450: The economy. Not just as a public works measure, but for future growth. Clay's committee proposed a 10-year, $ 100 billion program ($ 1.13 trillion in 2023), which would build 40,000 miles (64,000 km) of divided highways linking all American cities with a population of greater than 50,000. Eisenhower initially preferred a system consisting of toll roads , but Clay convinced Eisenhower that toll roads were not feasible outside of

8023-439: The existing, largely non-freeway, United States Numbered Highways system. By the late 1930s, planning had expanded to a system of new superhighways. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave Thomas MacDonald , chief at the Bureau of Public Roads, a hand-drawn map of the United States marked with eight superhighway corridors for study. In 1939, Bureau of Public Roads Division of Information chief Herbert S. Fairbank wrote

8136-426: The federal government, Interstate Highways are owned by the state in which they were built. With few exceptions , all Interstates must meet specific standards , such as having controlled access, physical barriers or median strips between lanes of oncoming traffic, breakdown lanes , avoiding at-grade intersections , no traffic lights , and complying with federal traffic sign specifications. Interstate Highways use

8249-507: The first three contracts under the new program were signed in Missouri on August 2, 1956. The first contract signed was for upgrading a section of US Route 66 to what is now designated Interstate 44 . On August 13, 1956, work began on US 40 (now I-70) in St. Charles County. Kansas claims that it was the first to start paving after the act was signed. Preliminary construction had taken place before

8362-594: The first time sought to target these funds to the construction of a national road grid of interconnected "primary highways", setting up cooperation among the various state highway planning boards. The Bureau of Public Roads asked the Army to provide a list of roads that it considered necessary for national defense. In 1922, General John J. Pershing , former head of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe during

8475-484: The government announced that I-75 would bypass these places to the west, avoiding their traffic lights and low speed limits and saving drivers several minutes of time. As this segment was opened, it almost connected with the already complete segment in Florence. Ward indicated however, that it was "not likely" the highway would be opened by September 1 as signs had not been installed and a formal inspection had to be done before

8588-542: The highest speed limits in a given area. Speed limits are determined by individual states. From 1975 to 1986, the maximum speed limit on any highway in the United States was 55 miles per hour (90 km/h), in accordance with federal law. Typically, lower limits are established in Northeastern and coastal states, while higher speed limits are established in inland states west of the Mississippi River . For example,

8701-543: The highest bridges east of the Mississippi River , with a length of 250 feet (76 m) across the body of the river. The bridge was designed with 11,397 cubic yards of concrete, 5,202,700 pounds of concrete, and 1,646,127 pounds of steel reinforcement. The Brent Spence Bridge at Covington was dedicated a day later, at a cost of approximately $ 10 million and a double-decker bridge. It was the first Ohio River bridge to be constructed in 72 years, allowing traffic to run uninterrupted from Georgetown to just south of Dayton, Ohio , at

8814-542: The highly populated coastal regions. In February 1955, Eisenhower forwarded Clay's proposal to Congress. The bill quickly won approval in the Senate, but House Democrats objected to the use of public bonds as the means to finance construction. Eisenhower and the House Democrats agreed to instead finance the system through the Highway Trust Fund , which itself would be funded by a gasoline tax. In June 1956, Eisenhower signed

8927-607: The highway now designated I‑70 and I‑76 opened between Irwin and Carlisle . The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania refers to the turnpike as the Granddaddy of the Pikes, a reference to turnpikes . Milestones in the construction of the Interstate Highway System include: The initial cost estimate for the system was $ 25 billion over 12 years; it ended up costing $ 114 billion (equivalent to $ 425 billion in 2006 or $ 618 billion in 2023 ) and took 35 years. The system

9040-543: The hill and the Brent Spence Bridge saw 151 crashes in the northbound direction and 121 crashes in the southbound direction, totaling 272 in all. To help reduce the number of accidents, a flashing "Steep Grade" sign was installed and a Kentucky State Police trooper was assigned to patrol just the Cut-in-the-Hill. Additionally, eight radar speed signs would be installed in 2007 to remind motorists to drive

9153-463: The hill, so a concrete wall was installed to separate northbound and southbound traffic. The wall helped reduce fatal crashes, but accidents continued, and in 1977, the hill averaged 583 automobile accidents per year. In 1986, a tractor-trailer lost control, leading to an accident that caused a Northern Kentucky University student to burn to death in his car. As a result, Governor Martha Layne Collins banned most northbound tractor-trailer traffic from

9266-411: The hill. From 1989 until 1994, $ 50 million (equivalent to $ 93.3 million in 2023) in reconstruction was spent to straighten the hill's S-curve and add a fourth lane for southbound traffic, and in 1995, the truck ban was lifted. Also as part of the reconstruction, ramps were added at Pike Street to give complete access, while an interchange with Jefferson and Euclid avenues was obliterated. In 2006,

9379-454: The inefficiency of evacuating from southern Louisiana prior to Hurricane Georges ' landfall in September 1998, government officials looked towards contraflow to improve evacuation times. In Savannah, Georgia , and Charleston, South Carolina , in 1999, lanes of I-16 and I-26 were used in a contraflow configuration in anticipation of Hurricane Floyd with mixed results. In 2004, contraflow

9492-547: The interchange; there was often dangerous merging from I-275 to the Erlanger interchange, slow traffic along I-275 in both sides of I-71/I-75, and slowdowns on I-71/I-75 themselves on the north and south sides of the interchange. The peak travel time was shown to be between 5-7 pm. As the problem had been persisting for several years, the process to renovate the interchange was divided into five phases: planning, preliminary engineering and environmental evaluation, design, right of way and utility coordination, and construction. Currently,

9605-518: The last gap in the Interstate to Covington would be opened in approximately 30 days. On November 24, 1964, the state opened up more than $ 16 million worth of Interstate Highways in Fayette County, which involved "barrier breaking" to open up I-75 in the area. The "barrier breaking" opened up a 7.75-mile (12.47 km) section of road where I-75 and I-64 covered a circle to the north and east of Lexington while an additional 5 miles (8.0 km) of I-75

9718-431: The last two digits match the parent route (thus, I-294 is a loop that connects at both ends to I-94 , while I-787 is a short spur route attached to I-87 ). In the numbering scheme for the primary routes, east–west highways are assigned even numbers and north–south highways are assigned odd numbers. Odd route numbers increase from west to east, and even-numbered routes increase from south to north (to avoid confusion with

9831-450: The mainline. Some auxiliary highways do not follow these guidelines, however. The Interstate Highway System also extends to Alaska , Hawaii , and Puerto Rico , even though they have no direct land connections to any other states or territories. However, their residents still pay federal fuel and tire taxes. The Interstates in Hawaii, all located on the most populous island of Oahu , carry

9944-493: The mall and the Florence Y'all Water Tower , I-71/I-75 makes a turn to the northeast and has an interchange with KY 18 (Burlington Pike). The highway then veers even more northeast for approximately a mile while entering Kenton County again in the process. It has a parclo interchange with KY 236 (Commonwealth Avenue) and reaches a stack interchange with the long I-275 beltway. From here, I-71/I-75 continues for some distance, has

10057-737: The maximum speed limit is 75 mph (120 km/h) in northern Maine, varies between 50 and 70 mph (80 and 115 km/h) from southern Maine to New Jersey, and is 50 mph (80 km/h) in New York City and the District of Columbia. Currently, rural speed limits elsewhere generally range from 65 to 80 miles per hour (105 to 130 km/h). Several portions of various highways such as I-10 and I-20 in rural western Texas, I-80 in Nevada between Fernley and Winnemucca (except around Lovelock) and portions of I-15 , I-70 , I-80 , and I-84 in Utah have

10170-404: The number of fatalities on the Interstate Highway System amounted to more than 5,000 people annually, with nearly 5,600 fatalities in 2022. The United States government's efforts to construct a national network of highways began on an ad hoc basis with the passage of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , which provided $ 75 million over a five-year period for matching funds to the states for

10283-411: The official Interstate Highway standards . On one- or two-digit Interstates, the mile marker numbering almost always begins at the southern or western state line. If an Interstate originates within a state, the numbering begins from the location where the road begins in the south or west. As with all guidelines for Interstate routes, however, numerous exceptions exist. Laurel River The river

10396-576: The opening of the full segment. September 14 saw the dedication of 11 miles (18 km) of the Interstate from Florence to Fifth Street in Covington, allowing drivers to travel approximately 38 miles (61 km) from Covington to Williamstown, with paving on a 12-mile (19 km) section in Scott County north of Georgetown still in progress. By December 20, the Kentucky State Police announced that

10509-561: The original Interstate Highway System was proclaimed complete in 1992, despite deviations from the original 1956 plan and several stretches that did not fully conform with federal standards . The construction of the Interstate Highway System cost approximately $ 114 billion (equivalent to $ 618 billion in 2023). The system has continued to expand and grow as additional federal funding has provided for new routes to be added, and many future Interstate Highways are currently either being planned or under construction. Though heavily funded by

10622-633: The planning phase between them. In 1966, the FHWA designated the entire Interstate Highway System as part of the larger Pan-American Highway System, and at least two proposed Interstate expansions were initiated to help trade with Canada and Mexico spurred by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Long-term plans for I-69 , which currently exists in several separate completed segments (the largest of which are in Indiana and Texas ),

10735-411: The prefix H . There are three one-digit routes in the state ( H-1 , H-2 , and H-3 ) and one auxiliary route ( H-201 ). These Interstates connect several military and naval bases together, as well as the important communities spread across Oahu, and especially within the urban core of Honolulu . Both Alaska and Puerto Rico also have public highways that receive 90 percent of their funding from

10848-403: The project has completed the survey and scoping study, while it is in the second phase: preliminary engineering and environmental analysis. Some widening projects have also been undertaken along the Interstate to help reduce traffic and improve flow. Around November 1990, the state received $ 21 million in funds to widen a 7.7-mile (12.4 km) section of I-75 in Scott County to three lanes from

10961-462: The roadway to eight lanes to improve traffic flow as the interchanges in Lexington experience heavy congestion. The project was let to construction on August 18, 2022, awarded on August 23, and construction is currently ongoing as of September. The stretch through Covington originally included hills and curves steeper than those recommended for Interstate Highway standards . As a result, the northbound descent into Cincinnati, known as Cut-in-the-Hill,

11074-524: The route, without regard to the route number. For instance, I-190 in Massachusetts is labeled north–south, while I-195 in New Jersey is labeled east–west. Some looped Interstate routes use inner–outer directions instead of compass directions, when the use of compass directions would create ambiguity. Due to the large number of these routes, auxiliary route numbers may be repeated in different states along

11187-419: The same numbers, which is generally disallowed under highway administration guidelines. Several two-digit numbers are shared between unconnected road segments at opposite ends of the country for various reasons. Some such highways are incomplete Interstates (such as I-69 and I-74 ) and some just happen to share route designations (such as I-76 , I-84 , I‑86 , I-87 , and I-88 ). Some of these were due to

11300-503: The same roadway are signed as traveling in opposite directions; one such wrong-way concurrency is found between Wytheville and Fort Chiswell , Virginia, where I‑81 north and I‑77 south are equivalent (with that section of road traveling almost due east), as are I‑81 south and I‑77 north. Auxiliary Interstate Highways are circumferential, radial, or spur highways that principally serve urban areas . These types of Interstate Highways are given three-digit route numbers, which consist of

11413-502: The state with KY 92 for downtown Williamsburg. I-75 then meanders through more mountainous terrain and passes by a water plant before straightening out and crossing the Cumberland River . The Interstate then directly intersects with US 25W containing a roundabout at the interchange. It continues on for 10 miles (16 km) and reaches the city of Corbin where it once again meets US 25W (Cumberland Falls Highway) providing access to

11526-448: The state's second-most populous city, Lexington . Outside of it, the route is mostly rural or suburban in nature, mainly providing access to other cities via state and U.S. Highways . The major landscapes traversed by I-75 include the rolling hills and mountains of the Cumberland Plateau , the flat Bluegrass region , the urban core of Lexington, and the highly urbanized suburbs of Northern Kentucky ; it also very briefly crosses through

11639-514: The stretch of I-75 between Richmond and the Clays Ferry Bridge was open to traffic. By January 16, 1963, over $ 18 million worth of roads were dedicated by the government, being the first dedications in 1963 after a full year of construction. The dedication for I-75 at the US 25 interchange at Richmond was opened by 2 pm with an approximate cost of $ 7.37 million. On January 17, Combs said at a ribbon-cutting tour that if construction continued at

11752-490: The war, complied by submitting a detailed network of 20,000 miles (32,000 km) of interconnected primary highways—the so-called Pershing Map . A boom in road construction followed throughout the decade of the 1920s, with such projects as the New York parkway system constructed as part of a new national highway system. As automobile traffic increased, planners saw a need for such an interconnected national system to supplement

11865-641: The west, I-75 passes through rural fields before milepost 83, where it reaches the city of Richmond and has an exit for KY 2872 (Duncannon Lane) and passes right near a Buc-ee's truck stop. As it approaches the downtown area of Richmond, I-75 avoids it and passes off the flagship campus of Eastern Kentucky University . The route then hits suburban development and intersects with US 25/ US 421 (Robert R. Martin Bypass). Here, I-75 curves northwest and then back north as it parallels US 25/US 421. At milepost 97, it meets US 25/US 421 (Lexington Road) again, but this time starts

11978-405: Was also dedicated, allowing drivers to use I-75 to get from Dry Ridge to Louisville along a mostly four-lane road. Around the week of August 1962, another section of the Interstate was opened from the same interchange with KY 22 at Dry Ridge to KY 36 south of Williamstown , a stretch of approximately 29.4 miles (47.3 km) while paralleling US 25. Although US 25 goes through several communities,

12091-555: Was also opened in the area. This allowed travelers to drive a distance of 100 miles (160 km) from Richmond to Cincinnati. By 1966, out of its 191.6-mile (308.4 km) length, approximately 114 miles (183 km) of the Interstate were fully complete, while 35 miles (56 km) were still under construction. The sections open included from the Tennessee state line to near Williamsburg, and from Richmond to Covington. The stretch from Corbin to near Roundstone in Rockcastle County

12204-541: Was employed ahead of Hurricane Charley in the Tampa, Florida area and on the Gulf Coast before the landfall of Hurricane Ivan ; however, evacuation times there were no better than previous evacuation operations. Engineers began to apply lessons learned from the analysis of prior contraflow operations, including limiting exits, removing troopers (to keep traffic flowing instead of having drivers stop for directions), and improving

12317-461: Was nicknamed " Death Hill ". It is a steep descent into the valley of the Ohio River between Kyles Lane and the Brent Spence Bridge leading into Downtown Cincinnati. The hill is known for its high number of automobile accidents. In 2006, the Cut-in-the-Hill averaged over seven times more accidents when compared to similar roadways in Kentucky. At the Cut-in-the-Hill, the northbound road takes

12430-402: Was officially dedicated to the public as well. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at 3 pm on the north end of the interchange with Combs also participating. This part was open, and the segment from Florence to Covington was expected to be open around spring of 1962 once the interchange with Fifth Street was also completed. During the same time, the stretch of I-64 from Frankfort to Shelbyville

12543-422: Was proclaimed complete in 1992, but two of the original Interstates— I-95 and I-70 —were not continuous: both of these discontinuities were due to local opposition, which blocked efforts to build the necessary connections to fully complete the system. I-95 was made a continuous freeway in 2018, and thus I-70 remains the only original Interstate with a discontinuity. I-95 was discontinuous in New Jersey because of

12656-494: Was serving as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II . In 1954, Eisenhower appointed General Lucius D. Clay to head a committee charged with proposing an interstate highway system plan. Summing up motivations for the construction of such a system, Clay stated, It was evident we needed better highways. We needed them for safety, to accommodate more automobiles. We needed them for defense purposes, if that should ever be necessary. And we needed them for

12769-457: Was still undergoing construction, and right-of-way acquisition as well as engineering were on process in parts of Rockcastle, Laurel, and Whitley counties. By December 30, 1967, a three-mile (4.8 km) portion at Mount Vernon was opened and connected to US 25 at both ends, providing a bypass around the city and relieving a bottleneck for many travelers. By May 16, 1969, I-75 through Corbin was finished and opened for traffic, officially completing

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