Interstate 69 Conference to Focus on Strategic Planning for West Kentucky Communities

MADISONVILLE, Ky. - Community leaders from around western Kentucky are invited to a day-long conference devoted to Interstate 69, scheduled for Oct. 15 at the Ballard Convention Center in Madisonville.

“I-69: Our Road to the Future” will begin at 8:30 a.m. with registration, end at 4 p.m. and include a variety of local, state and regional infrastructure and economic development experts who will address the expectations, opportunities and concerns that surround the arrival of a new interstate highway. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, U.S. senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul and U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield are among the invited speakers. Representatives of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the departments of transportation in Tennessee and Indiana will give updates on the road's construction in all three states.

The conference is being organized by Chamber Leadership Initiatives for Northwestern Kentucky (C-LINK), an alliance of 12 chambers of commerce in 10 counties who've made the completion of I-69 a top priority.

"I-69 is coming to Kentucky, and in some cases it's already here, so cities and counties all along its path need to be thinking right now about how it will impact them," said Lee Lingo, president of the Madisonville-Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce and a staff member of C-LINK. "This conference is designed to give local elected officials, economic developers, chamber members, business leaders and transportation advocates information and perspective on how I-69 could benefit their communities and what issues they should be considering. I-69 is going to be a reality in our state, so as a region we need to start thinking about how we can best leverage this new connection Kentucky will have to the rest of the country."

Interstate 69 is a 2,680-mile project that stretches from its northern terminus in Port Huron, Mich., to its southern end at the Mexican border at Brownsville, Texas. In between, the corridor passes through seven states, including Kentucky. The states along the route are responsible for building I-69, and Kentucky is among the most active. More than $130 million is in Kentucky's current six-year road plan to upgrade parts of the Pennyrile, Western Kentucky and Purchase parkways to interstate standards and rename them as I-69. More than 55 miles of the Western Kentucky Parkway and Interstate 24 in Hopkins, Caldwell and Lyon counties are now designated as I-69.

Also invited to speak at the conference are representatives of Kentucky Economic Development Cabinet, the Federal Highway Administration, Murray State University, the University of Southern Indiana, Hoosier Voices for I-69, the West Kentucky Regional Chamber Alliance, the Alliance for I-69 Texas, Kentuckians for Better Transportation and the Delta Regional Authority.

The cost to attend the conference is $20 per person and includes a light breakfast, lunch and a social hour from 4 to 5 p.m. at the convention center. Those interested in attending are urged to RSVP at (270) 821-3435 or chamber@madisonville-hopkinschamber.com. Seating is limited to the first 300 patrons who make reservations. The Ballard Convention Center is located at 605 E. Arch Street in Madisonville. For updates on the event, visit the I69 Kentucky Development Conference page on Facebook or the web site http://www.buildi69-ky.com.

New developments for I-69 in western Kentucky

On December 19, 2012, Gov. Steve Beshear and several elected officials broke ground for a $5 million reconstruction of the Interstate 69-Kentucky 109 interchange at Dawson Springs. The upgrade is just one of many projects planned to bring the 38-mile section of the former Wendell H. Ford-Western Kentucky Parkway up to Interstate standards. Gov. Beshear and Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez dedicated the section of parkway in October 2011 as the state's first official stretch of I-69.

Workers update the signs on the Breathitt-Pennyrile Parkway-future Interstate 69 corridor to reflect the Ford-Western Kentucky Parkway's designation as I-69.

"It's exciting to see the beginning of this construction because of its great importance to western Kentucky," Gov. Beshear said. "This is a milestone in our long-range plan for turning parts of our parkway system into an I-69 corridor from the Ohio River to the Tennessee border."


The entire western Kentucky region will see economic benefits from the new Interstate, which will eventually stretch from the Canadian to the Mexican border and will provide access to 17 of the nation's top 25 seaports and 15 of the nation's top 25 air cargo airports. According to Chamber Leadership Initiatives for Northwest Kentucky, or C-LINK -- a coalition of 12 Chambers of Commerce in western Kentucky -- per capita income rates are 15-50% greater for counties with Interstate access.

State Sen. Jerry Rhoads said, "I am delighted we are moving forward with this project. The I-69 corridor of western Kentucky offers opportunity for growth in the region. This investment will open not only highways, but much needed economic opportunity for western Kentucky."

Gov. Steve Beshear, seated, listens to Kevin McClearn, Chief Engineer of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 2, during the groundbreaking for upgrades to the 1-69-Kentucky 109 interchange at Dawson Springs.

I-69 Signage marks remarkable progress for region

On October 25, 2011, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, accompanied by federal highway officials and business leaders, unveiled a red, white and blue shield sign designating Kentucky’s newest interstate highway – Interstate 69 in Western Kentucky.

“Today we can say that we have put I-69 on the Kentucky map,” Gov. Beshear said.

Victor Mendez, federal highway administrator, left, and Gov. Steve Beshear unveil a new I-69 sign during a ceremony at Southside Elementary School in Nortonville on October 25, 2011 to officially designate the Western Kentucky Parkway portion of the new Interstate. Photo: Jim Pearson, The Messenger.

Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez was among hundreds of people joining the governor at the sign unveiling at Southside Elementary School, at Nortonville in his native Hopkins County – a site that looks upon the newly designated I-69.



Gov. Steve Beshear and Southside Elementary principal Steve Eakins with students of Southside Elementary following the Interstate 69 sign unveiling, October 25, 2011  Photo: Lori Harrison/Hopkins County Schools



Interstate 69 will eventually run from the Ohio River at Henderson to the Tennessee border at Fulton.  The full I-69 corridor – a new mid-continent interstate highway – will travel from the Michigan border with Canada to the Texas border with Mexico.

The initial, designated segment in Western Kentucky is 55 miles long, running from Eddyville to Nortonville. It includes 38 miles of the Wendell Ford/Western Kentucky Parkway, which will be upgraded to federal interstate standards in several areas, and 17 miles of current I-24, which will bear duals signs for both interstate routes.

“This is a milestone in Kentucky transportation, but our job is not finished,” Gov. Beshear said. “Now we turn to the work of completing the entire I-69 corridor from the Ohio River to the Tennessee border.” Key to that completion is upgrading the Pennyrile Parkway from Nortonville to Henderson, and a link around Henderson to a new Ohio River Bridge connecting to I-64 east of Evansville.

In 2007, Chambers of Commerce in 12 Western Kentucky counties organized into a group called Chamber Leadership Initiatives for Northwest Kentucky (C-LINK) to work with state and federal officials to secure the designation of portions of the Pennyrile, Western and Purchase parkways as Interstate 69. In the summer of 2009, Gov. Beshear named retired Transportation Cabinet district engineer Ted Merryman to direct the state’s efforts toward gaining federal approval for upgrades to the parkways to meet interstate standards.

The designation of an interstate corridor through Hopkins and adjacent counties has tremendous potential to impact economic development in the region since improved and more accessible transportation routes are critical to attracting new business and industry and retaining existing  ones. In addition, statistics document that counties with an interstate highway experience significantly higher per capita income than those with more restricted transportation access.

I-69 advocacy groups hire lobbyist

Bi-State Advocacy Effort for I-69 Bridge Announced - Feb. 15, 2011

Two groups credited with helping move the Interstate 69 project forward have joined forces to hire a federal lobbyist to further their work. C-LINK and Hoosier Voices for I-69 will employ the lobbying services of Appian Advisors starting March 1st.

“Hiring a lobbyist represents a major step for us,” says Joe Miller, chair of C-LINK. “We believe it’s time to take that next step with our I-69 advocacy on the federal level.”

“There’s been a lot of I-69 progress in both Indiana and Kentucky the past three years,” adds Jeff Mulzer, chair of Hoosier Voices for I-69. “We’re excited about this new partnership with C-LINK, while maintaining our advocacy efforts in Indiana under the leadership of Steve Schaefer, our executive director since 2006.”

This spring, more than 60 miles of construction of I-69 will be underway in Indiana with the plan to have the project completed between Evansville and Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center by the end of 2012. In Kentucky, legislators added eight I-69 projects to the state’s road plan in 2010. A project manager was named for the project for the first time, and the state is currently working with the FHWA to determine what upgrades will be required for the three parkways in western Kentucky that will become I-69.

According to Miller and Mulzer, Appian Advisors will focus primarily on the new Ohio River bridge that will connect I-69 between the two states. Legislation enacted in 2009 by the Kentucky General Assembly creating an infrastructure authority has provided a framework for constructing “mega-projects” like the I-69 bridge.


“We need someone like Appian who knows the right people in Indianapolis, Frankfort and Washington D.C. to start ‘connecting the dots’ for the new bridge,” adds Miller. “The sooner that happens, the sooner the bridge can be designed and built.”

Dennis Faulkenberg, formerly the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Financial Officer of the Indiana Department of Transportation and a nationally-recognized transportation funding advisor, is the principal of Appian Advisors. Both C-LINK and Hoosier Voices will be meeting with government and private industry and business to raise funds for the lobbying arrangement.

C-LINK (Chamber Leadership Initiatives for Northwestern Kentucky) was formed in 2007 and is an alliance of 12 chambers of commerce in northwestern Kentucky. Hoosier Voices for I-69 is a public advocacy coalition comprised of citizens, businesses and organizations from across Indiana that was originally formed in 1991.

For more information on C-LINK, please visit www.buildi69-ky.com.

For more information on Hoosier Voices for I-69, please visit www.buildi69.com.

I-69 Corridor Planning Study public meeting set for Nov. 15th in Mayfield

I-69 continues to move forward in Kentucky! The state transportation cabinet has set a public hearing for SIU6 of I-69 which consists of I-24 and the Purchase Parkway on Monday, Nov. 15th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the PADD office in Mayfield.

A handout containing project information, plans and exhibits for the project will be displayed at the meeting as well as an environmental justice study. Representatives from the transportation cabinet and their consultants will be available to answer questions.

Oral and written statements will be accepted during the meeting. Written statements will be accepted, and information made available, for a period of fifteen (15 days) after the Public Meeting at the District One office, 5501 KY Dam Road, Paducah, KY. All written and oral comments will become part of the official record.

The public hearing follows a scoping study being done on SIU6 to determine what improvements will be necessary to upgrade the section to meet federal Interstate standards. A similar study and public hearing was done in 2006 on SIU5, a 70-mile section between Henderson and Eddyville.

New Kentucky road plan includes eight I-69 projects

Eight Interstate 69 projects totalling $50.72 million are included in the Kentucky road plan approved by Governor Steve Beshear and the Kentucky General Assembly in early 2010. This is the first time I-69 projects have been specifically included in the road plan, which serves as the guideline for which road projects move forward over the next 2-6 years.

The eight projects include a variety of upgrades to the I-69 corridor including reconstructing elements of the existing Pennyrile and Western Kentucky parkways, three interchange upgrades and project financing review for the alignment of the new construction required in eastern Henderson County.