Kentucky Route 79 is a north–south state highway that traverses five counties in west-central Kentucky. It can be seen as an extension of U.S. Route 79, as they have the same number; KY 79 begins in the same city that US 79 ends, and both travel on a northeast–southwest diagonal.
Route description
KY 79 starts at an intersection with KY 3519 in downtown Russellville, while US 79's end is currently at an intersection with US 68 and KY 80 on the eastern side of Russellville. KY 79 has an intersection with the new US 68/KY 80 alignment, and then it goes into the northern half of Logan County. It passes through mainly rural areas northeast of Russellville, and then enters Butler County. KY 79 has intersections with KY 626 and KY 1153. It then joins US 231 just south of Morgantown. US 231 and KY 79 together go into downtown Morgantown after their interchange with I-165, the former William H. Natcher Parkway, and then meets KY 403 in downtown, and then KY 70 on the north side. KY 70 joins KY 79 and US 231 and all three routes are carried over the Green River to Aberdeen. KY 79 departs at the Aberdeen Grocery, but KY 70 does not break up until reaching an intersection one mile north on US 231. After the split from US 231 and KY 70, KY 79 has an intersection with KY 1328 not more than 1/4 of a mile from the Aberdeen Grocery. Kentucky Route 79 crosses KY 70 for a final time, and becomes known as Caneyville Road. KY 79 passes through the Butler County area's northern communities of Welcome and Welch's Creek, where it meets up with KY 340. KY 79 enters Grayson County and has access to the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway on the south side of Caneyville and would also intersect KY 185, and immediately after that, US 62 in downtown Caneyville. Highway 79 then goes north to Pine Knob and Short Creek, where it intersects KY 54, bypasses the town of Falls of Rough, and then passes the Rough River Dam State Park, and crosses into Breckinridge County where it intersects with KY 105, and then meets up with KY 259. KY 79 joins KY 259 from the lake area until they both reach the intersection with US Highway 60 at Harned, southeast of Hardinsburg. While KY 259 makes a left turn to join US 60 westbound, KY 79 joins the eastbound lane of US 60, and stays with US 60 until reaching Irvington. Irvington is where KY 79 enters Meade County, and heads for Brandenburg. On the southwest side of Brandenburg, KY 79 ends at an intersection with KY 313 and KY 448.
History
KY 79 previously ran around the west side of Brandenburg to the Matthew E. Welsh Bridge across the Ohio River, where it terminated at Indiana State Road 135 on the Indiana state line. However, in 2018, the designation was replaced by KY 313, truncating KY 79 to its current terminus.
Major intersections
Special routes
Kentucky Route 79 Truck
Kentucky Route 79 Truck is a truck route in Morgantown, Kentucky. It runs concurrently with the entire route of US 231 Truck as the main KY 79 alignment runs concurrently with US 231's main alignment throughout the city. It serves as a by-pass route around Morgantown. Its component routes include I-165 from the Main Street interchange to the KY 70 interchange, and KY 70 from the I-165 junction to the US 231/KY 79/KY 403 junction on the north side of town.
