U.S. Route 31E

Tennessee

US 31E begins as the Ellington Parkway at the corner of Main Street and US 31, US 31W, US 41 and US 431 (Spring Street) just east of Interstate 24 (I-24). The freeway's interchanges in the middle of the route mainly includes locally maintained streets such as Cleveland Street, East Trinity Lane, Hart Lane, and Broadmoor Drive.^[4]

Ellington Parkway ends at an interchange with SR 155 (Briley Parkway), about 0.56 miles (900 m) east of the Briley's I-65 junction. A ramp directing Ellington Parkway's northbound traffic to I-65 north is provided at the Briley/Ellington junction. Access to Ellington Parkway southbound is also provided by a ramp from I-65 south via exit 90A. The road is named for former Tennessee governor Buford Ellington, who served two non-consecutive terms from 1959 to 1963, the other from 1967 to 1971. Ellington encouraged lots of road building throughout the state during his second term as governor.

After Nashville, the highway passes through Hendersonville and Gallatin, Tennessee.It never intersects Interstate 40.

Kentucky

Junction of U.S. Route 31E and Interstate 265

U.S. Route 31E is the easternmost of two parallel routes for U.S. Highway 31 in Kentucky, in between each is Interstate 65 in Kentucky. At the north end is Louisville, Kentucky, starting at the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge. Going south, it goes through the towns of Mount Washington, Bardstown, New Haven, Hodgenville, Glasgow, and Scottsville before arriving at the Tennessee border. In the 19th century the same route was a stagecoach path between Louisville and Nashville, Tennessee, and before that a postal route at least by 1820.^[5] Originally part of the Jackson Highway, the Works Progress Administration measured the total distance on 31E in Kentucky as 147.8 miles (237.9 km).^[6]

Junction of U.S. Route 31E and Interstate 264

Its only interchanges with interstates are in Jefferson County; both of which are beltways: Interstate 264 (Watterson Expressway) and the I-265/Gene Snyder Expressway. However, it has intersections with the state freeways of Martha Layne Collins Blue Grass Parkway (in Nelson County) and with the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway in Barren County.

There are various historical sites along 31E in Kentucky. Among them are Cave Hill Cemetery and Farmington Historic Plantation in Louisville, My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown, and Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site just south of Hodgenville. Also, five historic monuments to the Civil War are along the path: three in Louisville, one in Bardstown, and one in Glasgow.^[7]

31E has been known as a dangerous road, with many risky spots. A historic one was at Coxs Creek in Nelson County, where a post office had to be relocated so traffic could see each other.^[8] Other dangerous spots in Nelson County where emergency personnel consider notorious are Gobel Lake Curve, Hibbs Lane, and High Grove.^[9] As of Aug 23, 2017, the Hibbs Lane and High Grove reroute sections are almost complete and are in service. Minor work is still being done to some intersections and signage.

When the rerouting of 31E in Nelson and Spencer Counties was being planned, a survey of historic sites that could have been affected by the new route was studied, especially if the sites could one day become listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[10]

Glasgow business route

U.S. Route 31E Business
Location	Glasgow, Barren County, KY
Length	3.24 mi (5.21 km)

U.S. Route 31E Business starts near the Southgate Shopping Center 0.379 mile north of the Exit 11 interchange of the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway, and intersects Kentucky Routes 249 and 63 before reaching the Barren County Courthouse at the Public Square. It then joins US 68 Business for only 0.123 miles before right-turning onto North Race Street. US 31E Business then follows North Race Street, passes the T.J. Samson Hospital, and ends at an intersection with the regular US 31E alignment on the north side of town about one mile south of the Veterans Outer Loop.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Glasgow, Barren County.

mi[11]	km	Destinations	Notes
0.000	0.000	US 31E / S L Roger Wells Boulevard	Western terminus
1.001	1.611	KY 249 south / Black Street	Northern terminus of KY 249
1.269	2.042	KY 63 east / East College Street	Western terminus of KY 63
1.406	2.263	KY 80 / KY 90 / US 68 Bus. / West Washington Street	Begin concurrency with KY 80/KY 90/US-Bus 68
1.516	2.440	KY 80 west / KY 90 / US 68 Bus. / West Main Street	End concurrency with KY 80/KY 90/US-Bus 68
2.118	3.409	To KY 90 / Happy Valley Road	Old KY 90; previously KY 90 Alternate
3.240	5.214	US 31E / Glasgow Bypass	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

U.S. Route 31E Truck

U.S. Route 31E Truck
Location	Bardstown, Nelson County

U.S. Route 31E Truck (US 31E Truck) is the truck route of US 31E in the Nelson County seat of Bardstown.

The truck route consists of the following designations:

• Bluegrass Parkway between exits 21 and 25.
• U.S. Route 150 between the Bluegrass Parkway and KY 245, and
• Kentucky Route 245 bypass from US 150 east of downtown to US 31E/150 north of downtown.

U.S. Route 31EX

U.S. Route 31EX (US 31EX) is the business route of US 31E in the Bullitt County town of Mount Washington. The only major intersection it has besides the main alignment is with KY 44 in the town's business district. The route is 2.487 miles (4.002 km) long.^[11]