Wendell H. Ford Expressway
| Wendell H. Ford Expressway | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Maintained by KYTC | |
| Length: | 13.057 mi (21.013 km) |
| Existed: | c. 1967 – present |
| Component highways: |
|
| Major junctions | |
| West end: |
  US 60 / KY 331
|
| East end: |
 KY 2830
|
| Highway system | |
The Wendell H. Ford Expressway, also known as the Owensboro By-Pass, is a major partial beltway that runs around the outer parts of the city of Owensboro, Kentucky. With a length of 13.057 miles (21.013 km), the expressway includes parts of U.S. Route 60 (US 60) and US 231.
The expressway begins on the west side of Owensboro at a junction with the original alignment of US 60. Immediately after its start, it has a junction with the Audubon Parkway. After the exit for the Audubon, there are interchanges with Kentucky Route 81 (KY 81), US 431, and US 231. US 231 joins the road at the exit for New Hartford Road, and it then intersects the William H. Natcher Parkway at that parkway’s northern terminus. After the interchange with KY 54 (Leitchfield Road), the road then has additional interchanges with KY 603 and KY 144. The expressway ends at an at-grade intersection with KY 2830, which is part of the original US 60 alignment on the east side of town. US 60/US 231 continues after this point as a regular four-lane highway before the two routes split again. US 231 enters Spencer County, Indiana, while US 60 continues on to Hancock County, Kentucky.
Construction of the Wendell H. Ford Expressway began in the 1967/68 fiscal year. It began as a two-lane road that went from US 60 to KY 54 on the east side of Owensboro. That segment opened in 1967. By the time the 1968 Official Kentucky Highway Map was released, the expressway expanded to four lanes, and went from the US 60 corridor to the US 431 corridor. The remainder of the expressway from US 431 to another junction with US 60 on the west side of Owensboro was opened to traffic by 1969–70. Interchanges for the Audubon Parkway and the then-new Green River Parkway (now William H. Natcher Parkway) were opened upon the opening of the two parkways in 1970 and 1972, respectively.
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