Kentucky Route 54 marker

Kentucky Route 54

Map
KY 54 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by KYTC
Length54.329 mi[1] (87.434 km)
Major junctions
West end KY 2831 in Owensboro
Major intersections US 60 / US 231 in Owensboro
East end US 62 in Leitchfield
Location
CountryUnited States
StateKentucky
CountiesDaviess, Ohio, Grayson
Highway system
  • Kentucky State Highway System
← KY 53→ KY 55

Kentucky Route 54 (KY 54) is a 54.329-mile-long (87.434 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Kentucky.

Route Description

The highway, which begins at the intersection of Frederica Street and Parrish Avenue in Owensboro, which is also its junction with Kentucky Route 81 and Kentucky Route 2831 (formerly US 431), begins to follow East Parrish Avenue. With its southeasterly course through Daviess, northeastern Ohio, and northwestern Grayson Counties, KY 54 connects Owensboro to Leitchfield, while also serving the smaller communities of Philpot, Whitesville and Fordsville.

From Leitchfield Road to Kentucky Route 1456 (also known as Thruston-Dermont Road and Millers Mill Road), the highway is five lanes wide and serves as the backbone of the growing retail and service area which has grown up in the area surrounding the highway's interchange with the Wendell H. Ford Expressway (US 60 and US 231). Where between KY 2831 and KY 1456, KY 54 is designated as a state primary road.

Not only does the road's number equal its rounded mileage, each of the three counties through which it passes (Daviess, Ohio and Grayson) have 18 of the 54 miles.

History

Early years

Initially, KY 54 also ran a course from US 41/60 in downtown Henderson[2] to its present-day western terminus in Owensboro via Hebbardsville[3] and Sorgho,[4] and crossing the Green River via a tolled ferry.[5] This alignment included a brief concurrency with KY 81, and a traversal through downtown Owensboro.[6] By 1980, the Henderson County portion of the KY 54 designation was replaced by parts of KY 351 and KY 416 west and east of Hebbardsville, respectively, while the Daviess County portion from the ferry site to Sorgho was mostly transferred to the Daviess County Road Department, with a small portion of that alignment became KY 1554 from the Audubon Parkway interchange to the current KY 56. This event also extended KY 56 to its eastern terminus at a junction with KY 81.[7][8] Today, KY 81 has its northern terminus at KY 54's current western terminus at a junction with KY 2831 (formerly US 431).

At one time, KY 54 traversed the Yeaman community in northwestern Grayson County.[9] KY 54 was rerouted to bypass that area by 1949.[10]

Recent developments

In Owensboro proper, the route has over the years been straightened and widened, particularly toward the eastern reaches of the city.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
DaviessOwensboro0.0000.000
 KY 81 south (West Parish Avenue) / KY 2831 (Frederica Street)		Western terminus; northern terminus of KY 81
0.2600.418
 KY 2262 north (J.R. Miller Boulevard)		Southern terminus of KY 2262
0.5140.827
 KY 2155 south (Triplett Street)
0.7761.249
 KY 2155 north (Breckenridge Street)
2.5664.130
 US 60 / US 231 (Wendell Ford Expressway) to I-165 – Hawesville, Henderson, Nashville		US 60 exit 18
3.3185.340
 KY 3143 south (Fairview Drive)		Northern terminus of KY 3143
Dermont4.5057.250 KY 1456 (Thruston Dermont Road / Millers Mill Road)
​6.44710.375
 KY 142 north		West end of KY 142 overlap
Philpot7.49212.057
 KY 142 south – Habit, Philpot		East end of KY 142 overlap
Whitesville15.17224.417
 KY 764 north		West end of KY 764 overlap
15.24424.533
 KY 764 south (Main Cross Street)		East end of KY 764 overlap
Ohio​20.23032.557
 KY 1414 south (Ralph Lane)		Northern terminus of KY 1414
​21.60834.775
 KY 2671 south		Northern terminus of KY 2671
​23.63738.040
 KY 69 north – Hawesville		West end of KY 69 overlap
Fordsville24.66639.696
 KY 1700 north		Southern terminus of KY 1700
25.02740.277
 KY 69 south (Walnut Street) / Ridge Road – Dundee		East end of KY 69 overlap
Ellmitch26.17742.128
 KY 261 north – Hardinsburg		Southern terminus of KY 261
​26.44042.551
 KY 629 north (Fordsville-Askin Road)		Southern terminus of KY 629
​30.12748.485
 KY 919 south		Northern terminus of KY 919
Shreve32.55952.399
 KY 110 east / Pattiville Loop		Western terminus of KY 110
Grayson​36.50258.744
 KY 878 west (Olaton Road)		Eastern terminus of KY 878
​37.05459.633
 KY 736 south (Yeaman Road)		West end of KY 736 overlap
​37.38660.167
 KY 736 north (Lone Hill Road)		East end of KY 736 overlap
Short Creek43.48469.981
 KY 79 (Falls of Rough Road) to Western Kentucky Parkway – Hardinsburg, Caneyville, Rough River Dam State Resort Park
​
 KY 631 east (Concord Road)
​
 KY 631 west (Duff Road)
​48.70678.385
 KY 2804 west		Eastern terminus of KY 2804
​50.67981.560
 KY 2193 south (Kefaufer Road)		Northern terminus of KY 2193
​51.39882.717
 KY 2777 south (Ray Priddy Road)		Northern terminus of KY 2777
Leitchfield54.32987.434
 US 62 / KY 259 (Main Street) to Western Kentucky Parkway		traffic circle (Public Square) around Grayson County Courthouse
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b Division of Planning. "Official Milepoint Route Log Extract". Highway Information System. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  2. ^ Kentucky Department of State Highways (September 15, 1939). Road Map of Kentucky (PDF) (Map). c. 1:760,320. Frankfort: Kentucky Department of State Highways. Henderson inset.
  3. ^ Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (1937). Henderson County Highway Map (PDF) (Map). 1:62500. Frankfort: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  4. ^ Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (1949). Daviess County Highway Map (PDF) (Map). 1:125000. Frankfort: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  5. ^ Kentucky Department of Highways (1957). Kentucky Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). c. 1:760,320. Frankfort: Kentucky Department of Highways. §§ D4.
  6. ^ Kentucky Department of State Highways (September 15, 1939). Road Map of Kentucky (PDF) (Map). c. 1:760,320. Frankfort: Kentucky Department of State Highways. Owensboro inset.
  7. ^ Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (1983). Kentucky Official Highway Map and Vacation Guide (PDF) (Map). c. 1:760,320. Frankfort: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. §§ D4.
  8. ^ Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (1983). Kentucky Official Highway Map and Vacation Guide (PDF) (Map). c. 1:760,320. Frankfort: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Owensboro inset.
  9. ^ Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (1937). Grayson County Highway Map (PDF) (Map). 1:62500. Frankfort: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  10. ^ Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (1949). Graysonson County Highway Map (PDF) (Map). 1:62500. Frankfort: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
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