U.S. Route 79 in Kentucky
{{short description|Segment of American highway}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{highway detail hatnote|U.S. Route 79}}
{{Infobox road
|state=KY
|route=79
|type=US
|length_mi=26.80
|map={{maplink-road|from=U.S. Route 79 in Kentucky.map}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=US 79 highlighted in red
|length_ref={{cite web|url=http://apps.transportation.ky.gov/DMI_Reports/ |title=Kentucky Transportation Cabinet - Division of Planning |publisher=Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) |access-date=July 22, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://maps.kytc.ky.gov/photolog/?config=ActiveHighwayPlan |title=Active Highway Plan |publisher=KYTC |access-date=November 19, 2017}}
|direction_a=South
|terminus_a={{Jct|state=TN|US|79|TN|13}} at Tennessee state line near Guthrie
|junction={{plainlist|
- {{Jct|state=KY|US|41}} near Guthrie
- {{jct|state=KY|US|431}} in Russellville
}}
|direction_b=North
|terminus_b={{Jct|state=KY|US|68|US-Bus|68|dab2=Russellville|KY|80}} in Russellville
|previous_type=KY
|previous_route=78
|next_type=KY
|next_route=79
}}
U.S. Route 79 (US 79) enters Kentucky from Tennessee in Todd County west of Guthrie and runs northeast into Logan County, terminating at a junction with US 68, US 68 Business, and Kentucky Route 80 (KY 80) in Russellville. US 79 remains a two-lane road throughout Kentucky.
Route description
US 79 in Kentucky begins at the Tennessee state line west of Guthrie and travels northeast, forming a junction with US 41 {{convert|0.497|mi|km}} from the state line. The route continues to the northeast, passing north of Guthrie and Allensville in rural areas of Todd County. {{convert|10.606|mi|km}} from the Kentucky-Tennessee border, US 79 crosses into Logan County where it becomes known as Clarksville Road. The route continues northeast through rural areas of Logan County until it comes to an intersection with US 431, the Russellville Bypass, on the south side of Russellville {{convert|10.713|mi|km}} from the Todd County line. US 79 and US 431 run concurrently along the Bypass south of town where it intersects KY 96 and the concurrency ending at Nashville Road (US 431 continues south while KY 2146 begins and heads north). US 79 and the Bypass begin to curve back north where it intersects KY 100 at its western terminus (KY 100 formerly continued along the Bypass to US 79's current terminus). US 79 ends at an intersection with Bowling Green Road which carries US 68 and KY 80 to the east and US 68 Bus. to the west towards downtown Russellville.{{google maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/36.6417875,-87.203719/36.8296402,-86.907164/@36.7358254,-87.1254812,29340m/am=t/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!4m1!3e0?hl=en-US |title=US 79 (from Tennessee to US 431) |access-date=November 19, 2017}}{{google maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/36.8069847,-86.8788897/36.8421995,-86.8636161/@36.8238105,-86.8875098,7327m/am=t/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-86.8661788!2d36.8216054!3s0x8865a72fbbe97697:0x9dd5df4b8828c06c!1m0!3e0?hl=en-US |title=US 79 (from US 431 to US 68) |access-date=November 19, 2017}}
History
File:US 79 End at US 231, Russellville Kentucky.jpg
The current route in Kentucky was paved by 1939 but was not signed as US 79. The highway was originally designated as Kentucky Route 105. KY 105 originally ran the original alignment of U.S. Route 79 and the current alignment of Kentucky Route 79, from the state line to Russellville to the Rough River Lake State Resort Park area, and ending with KY 105's current alignment.{{cite map |publisher=Kentucky State Highway Department |cartography=State-wide Highway Planning Survey |url=http://transportation.ky.gov/Planning/Maps/1939KYF.pdf |title=Kentucky |scale=1 inch:12 miles |year=1939 |edition=1939 |access-date=July 22, 2014}} By 1958, the current route was signed as US 79, although, it extended a bit further northeast into the city of Russellville.{{cite map |publisher=Kentucky State Highway Department |cartography=State-wide Highway Planning Survey |url=http://transportation.ky.gov/Planning/Maps/LoganCo1958.pdf |title=Logan County|scale=1 inch:125000 feet |year=1958 |edition=1958 |access-date=July 22, 2014}} Its northern terminus at US 431 was created by the early 2010s with the construction of a segment of the Russellville Bypass from US 79 to US 68 on the western outskirts of Russellville.
In November 2017, US 79's northern terminus returned to the east side of Russellville when it was routed onto the southern section of the Russellville Bypass loop when it was completed.{{cite news|last=French|first=Jackson|date=November 8, 2017|url=http://www.bgdailynews.com/news/section-of-russellville-bypass-opens-completes-loop-around-city/article_b1ff085b-f187-5310-88a7-cb87c687463d.html|title=Section of Russellville bypass opens, completes loop around city|work=Bowling Green Daily News|access-date=November 18, 2017}} A historical marker was erected at the eastern terminus in 2019 commemorating the importance of the highway's impact on early economical development in western Kentucky.{{Cite sign |title =Origin of Federal Highway U.S. 79|date=October 9, 2019|publisher=Kentucky Transportation Cabinet|location=|author=Kentucky Historical Society|url=https://history.ky.gov/markers/origin-of-federal-highway-us-79|access-date=June 14, 2023|medium=Kentucky Historical Marker}}
Major intersections
{{jcttop|state=KY|length_ref=}}
{{KYint
|county=Todd
|cspan=6
|location=none
|mile=0.00
|road={{jct|state=TN|US|79|dir1=south|name1=SR 13|to2=to|I|24|city1=Clarksville}}
|notes=Tennessee state line
}}
{{KYint
|location=Guthrie
|lspan=3
|mile=0.28
|road={{jct|state=KY|KY|181|dir1=north|KY|2128|dir2=east|to3=to|KY|294|US|41|dir4=north|city1=Elkton|city2=Trenton|city3=Hopkinsville}}
}}
{{KYint
|mile=0.50
|road={{jct|state=KY|US|41|to2=to|KY|181|dir2=north|city1=Trenton|city2=Hopkinsville|city3=Downtown Guthrie|location4=Robert Penn Warren Birthplace Museum}}
}}
{{KYint
|mile=1.86
|road={{jct|state=KY|KY|346|name1=North Ewing Street|dir1=south}}
}}
{{KYint
|location=none
|mile=3.97
|road={{jct|state=KY|KY|848|dir1=west}}
}}
{{KYint
|location=none
|mile=8.79
|road={{jct|state=KY|KY|102|city1=Elkton|city2=Allensville}}
}}
{{KYint
|county=Logan
|cspan=10
|location=none
|mile=12.57
|road={{jct|state=KY|KY|775|dir1=east}}
}}
{{KYint
|location=Old Volney
|mile=14.08
|road={{jct|state=KY|KY|1309|name1=Old Volney Road}}
}}
{{KYint
|location=none
|type=concur
|mile=15.79
|road={{jct|state=KY|KY|1151|dir1=south}}
|notes=South end of KY 1151 overlap
}}
{{KYint
|location=none
|type=concur
|mile=15.83
|road={{jct|state=KY|KY|1151|name1=Union Church Road|dir1=north}}
|notes=North end of KY 1151 overlap
}}
{{KYint
|location=Cave Springs
|mile=17.96
|road={{jct|state=KY|KY|1041|name1=Watermelon Road|dir1=south}}
}}
{{KYint
|type=concur
|location=Russellville
|mile=21.32
|road={{Jct|state=KY|US|431|dir1=north|name1=Russellville Bypass|KY|3240|dir2=east|name2=West 9th Street|city1=Adairville|city2=Lewisburg|location3=Lake Malone State Park}}
|notes=Western terminus of KY 3240 (former US 79); western end of US 431 concurrency
}}
{{KYint
|location=none
|mile=23.29
|road={{Jct|state=KY|KY|96|name1=Orndoff Mill Road}}
|notes=
}}
{{KYint
|type=concur
|location=none
|mile=23.94
|road={{Jct|state=KY|US|431|dir1=south|KY|2146|dir2=north|name2=Nashville Road|extra=hospital}}
|notes=eastern end of US 431 concurrency; southern terminus of KY-2146
}}
{{KYint
|location=none
|mile=26.13
|road={{Jct|state=KY|KY|100|dir1=east|city1=Franklin|extra=airport|location2=Airport}}
|notes=Western terminus of KY 100 since 2017
}}
{{KYint
|location=Russellville
|mile=26.80
|road={{Jct|state=KY|US|68|KY|80|US-Bus|68|dir3=west|name2=Russellville Bypass|name3=Bowling Green Road|city1=Bowling Green|location2=Russellville Business District|to4=to|KY|79}}
|notes=Northern terminus of US 79; Russellville Bypass continues straight ahead
}}
{{Jctbtm|keys=concur}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}