Kentucky Route 80 is a state highway in the southern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. The route originates on the state's western border at Columbus in Hickman County, and stretches across the southern portion of the state, terminating southeast of Elkhorn City on the Virginiastate line. It is the longest Kentucky State Highway, though the official distance as listed in route logs is much less due to multiple concurrencies with U.S. Route 68 and U.S. Route 23. The route was split into two segments from 2003 to November 2009. Construction and relocation of Kentucky Route 80 in Graves, Calloway, and Marshall counties during this time caused the route to be split. A new, four-laned section of Kentucky Route 80 opened in Calloway County on November 25, 2009. The route is now four-lanes from Mayfield to Aurora with plans to complete the four-laning from Aurora to Cadiz over the next few years.
Route description
Jackson Purchase region
From Columbus, the road passes through Hickman, Carlisle, and Graves Counties to Mayfield. Before 2003, the road passed through Mayfield and into Marshall County before converging with U.S. Route 68 in Aurora. The two-lane segment of former Kentucky Route 80 from Mayfield to Aurora now has two separate designations. From Mayfield to Brewers in Marshall County, the road retains its former co-designation as Kentucky Route 58. The segment from Brewers to Aurora is now designated as Kentucky Route 402. From Mayfield, Kentucky Route 80 travels along a new four-lane corridor into Calloway County and on to Murray. The route continues through eastern Calloway County and into Marshall County before converging with U.S. Route 68 near the eastern terminus of Kentucky Route 402 in Aurora.
Between Somerset and London, Kentucky Route 80 is again the primary route. The state's I-66 proposals call for Kentucky Route 80 to again be bypassed in this area, with the new road sharing only the crossing over the Rockcastle River gorge. This proposal has met with controversy, with area residents preferring that the new Interstate be built on the existing Kentucky Route 80 right of way. From London to Hazard, Kentucky Route 80 is again supplanted, this time by the former Daniel Boone Parkway, renamed the Hal Rogers Parkway in 2003. Kentucky Route 80 serves rural portions of Clay, Leslie, and Perry counties before rejoining the Parkway near Hazard.
Hazard to Pikeville and the Virginia border
Kentucky Route 80 is a modern four-lane highway from Hazard through Knott County to Watergap in Floyd County where it converges with U.S. Route 23. This section of Kentucky Route 80 was completely new construction, with the old highway's segments renamed with several designations, primarily Kentucky Route 550. Kentucky Route 80 continues, concurrent with U.S. Route 460 until reaching Belcher in Pike County and continues into Virginia from Elkhorn City as Virginia State Route 80.
History
Pre-1960s
KY 80's original western terminus was on the east side of Bowling Green during the 1930s and early 1940s. It was extended to its current length, including the concurrency with US 68, in around the late 1940s or early 1950s. Originally, westbound Kentucky Route 80 continued via ferry across the Mississippi River to Belmont, Missouri, where it connected with Missouri Route 80, which traveled west to US 61/US 62 near Sikeston, Missouri. That ferry has long since been discontinued.
KY 80's original alignments in Knott and Perry Counties were renumbered to KY 550 at some point around 1979–80. Several other segments of KY 80 were rerouted in various areas between Somerset and Prestonsburg between 1977 and 1984. When the US 68/KY 80 four-lane realignment was completed in the late 1990s, several of the route's old alignments were kept intact, notably in areas between Hopkinsville and Bowling Green. In towns like Fairview, Elkton, Russellville, and Auburn, the old alignments were converted into business routes of US 68.
Rerouting in the Purchase area
The KY 80 alignment from Brewers to Aurora was renumbered as KY 402 at some point during the 2002/03 fiscal year. In the late 2000s, KY 80 was re-routed onto a four-lane highway from Mayfield to Aurora via the northern outskirts of Murray. The segment from US 641 to US 68 was completed in 2006, while the remainder was built during the 2008/09 fiscal year.
On January 26, 2012, the Eggner's Ferry Bridge carrying KY 80 and US 68 over Kentucky Lake near Aurora collapsed because a cargo ship crashed into one of the bridge's support pillars. The bridge re-opened to traffic in May 2012, but it was replaced by a four-lane bridge that was built more than three years afterwards. A new bridge with similar design over Lake Barkley was completed in 2018 to replace the old bridge there.
Kentucky Route 80 Business is a business route of KY 80 located in Mayfield, in Graves County. The main alignment of KY 80 has a gap within the city from the Purchase Parkway interchange to US 45 in downtown Mayfield. KY 80's main alignment resumes beyond the US 45 junction.
Kentucky Route 80 Connector is a roadway in Pulaski County that connects KY 80 with KY 3261. It is located on the west side of Somerset just outside of the city limits.
Somerset business route
Kentucky Route 80 Business is a business route of KY 80 located in Somerset, the Pulaski County seat. It begins on the west side of Somerset at KY 80's junction with the KY 914 bypass. It intersects US 27 and KY 1247 in downtown. Its eastern terminus after intersecting KY 912 is at mile point 21.161 of the main route of KY 80 on the east side of Somerset.
Floyd County spur route
Kentucky Route 80 Spur is a spur route of KY 80 in southern Floyd County. It connects KY 80 with KY 1428 at Martin.
