The Kentucky Turnpike was built from Louisville south 40 miles
to Elizabethtown to avoid traffic congestion on US 31 W. It was
built as part of the Kentucky Parkway System as a toll road. When
it was completed in 1956 it was a state of the art highway with two
island service plazas, one located just south of Lebanon Junction
and one just north of Shepherdsville. My late mother had told me
that people would take weekend day trips out of Louisville to the
Shepherdsville service plaza where they would dine at the
Glasshouse restaurant. Also located at the Shepherdsville plaza
were a Kentucky Welcome Center and a DOT transportation
headquarters. There was a large toll plaza under the Shepherdsville
exit and another large toll plaza located at the beginning of the
Turnpike in Elizabethtown. My own memories of this highway are of
the large Kentucky Turnpike sign across the roadway in
Elizabethtown as you entered the toll plaza and the many stops that
we would make to the service plazas to get a bite to eat. I also
remember the unmanned 10-cent toll machines on the northbound ramps
of Fern Valley Road. One odd memory that I have is of the large
round community sink that was located in the restrooms of the
service plazas.
The interstate system took over the highway in the early
70’s and extended it south to Nashville. The highway
gradually fell into disrepair. Operations of the service plaza
restaurants were taken over by the Jerry’s restaurant chain
in the late 70’s. The tollbooths were removed in 1975. In
1982 the Interstate highway system started a rebuilding program to
bring the highway up to interstate standards. The service plazas
were removed and the lanes were expanded to 6 lanes. Also the ramps
were improved for better flow. Because I travel this highway daily
I am glad for all the improvements, but today it is just a strip of
highway in the national interstate highway system. Sometimes I miss
the grand highway that was the old KY Turnpike.
I have tried to find as much history as I can about this section
of roadway but there are very little records about the old roadway.
I would welcome any historical facts or any memories that you might
have. This is a bit of history that I would hate to lose.
The Welcome Center that is here now is a far cry from the one
that was located in the old service plaza, but there is plenty of
useful information available.
The cache vitamin bottle.
This cache placed and maintained by a
member of Heartland Geocachers, GEOCKY and InKy
