U.S. Route 421 in Kentucky

U.S. Route 421 (US 421) in the U.S. state of Kentucky is a 250.536-mile-long (403.199 km) north–south United States highway that traverses twelve counties in the central and eastern parts of the state. It travels in a southeast-to-northwest path from the Virginia state line near Pennington Gap to the Indiana state line, on the Ohio River at Milton, Kentucky and Madison, Indiana.[2]

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 421 in Kentucky. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 421.

U.S. Route 421
Route information
Maintained by KYTC
Length250.536 mi[1] (403.199 km)
Major junctions
South end US 421 at the Virginia state line near Pennington Gap, Virginia
 
North end US 421 at the Indiana state line near Madison
Location
CountiesHarlan, Leslie, Clay, Jackson, Rockcastle, Madison, Fayette, Scott, Woodford, Franklin, Shelby, Henry, Trimble
Highway system
← KY 420KY 422 →

Route description

Virginia state line to Manchester

US 421 enters Harlan County from Lee County, Virginia, and meets US 119 near Harlan. At Hyden, US 421 turns westward towards Clay County, and crosses the Hal Rogers Parkway via an overpass without access near Manchester.[3]

Manchester to Richmond

At Manchester, US 421 turns northwestward towards Jackson County, through McKee. It traverses the far northeastern corner of Rockcastle County before entering Madison County where it joins U.S. 25 south of Richmond near the Blue Grass Army Depot. US 25 and US 421 runs concurrently through Richmond, and all the way to the I-75 junction.[4]

Metro Lexington to Frankfort

US 25/421 also runs concurrently with I-75 between Exits 97 and 99. After Exit 99, the two U.S. routes continue to run concurrently until downtown Lexington just after crossing US 27/60/68. While US 25 makes a right turn onto Georgetown Road, US 421 continues straight northwestward, as Leestown Pike, towards Midway and Frankfort.[5]

Frankfort to Ohio River

In Frankfort, US 421 has concurrencies with US 60 on the east side of town, and US 127 on the north side. US 421 continues northwestward into Henry and far northern Shelby counties before crossing the Exit 34 exit of I-71. US 42 in Bedford is the last major intersection in Kentucky before US 421 crosses the Ohio River from Trimble County into Jefferson County, Indiana.[6]

History

Kentucky Route 50
LocationFrankfort-Lexington, Kentucky
Length20.5 mi (33.0 km)
Existed1929–1952?

US 421 did not have any presence in Kentucky until it was extended into Kentucky and Indiana at one point between 1939 and 1957, probably in the late 1940s or early 1950s.[7] When US 421 was designated into Kentucky, it was routed onto the following existing routes:

  • KY 66 from the Virginia state line to Harlan,[8]
  • KY 257 from Harlan to Hyden,
  • KY 80 from Hyden to Manchester,
  • KY 21 from Manchester to Big Hill,
  • KY 169 from Big Hill to Richmond (including US 25 concurrency),
  • KY 50 from downtown Lexington to Frankfort,[8] and
  • KY 37 from Frankfort to the Indiana state line at Milton.[9]

Current statuses for original assignments of pre-existing routes
  • KY 37 now runs from Gravel Switch to Junction City to Danville, in Marion and Boyle Counties in Central Kentucky.
  • The remainders of KY 21, KY 169, and KY 257 still retained their original alignments off the current US 421.
  • KY 50 no longer exists in the state route system.
  • KY 66 is now assigned to a road in Bell, western Leslie and eastern Clay Counties in southeast Kentucky from Middlesboro to US 421/KY 80 near Big Creek

Major Intersections
CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Harlan​0.0000.000 US 421 south – Pennington GapContinuation into Virginia
​1.3512.174 KY 3462 north (Garrett Hollow Road)Southern terminus of KY 3462
Cranks2.7834.479 KY 568 northSouthern terminus of KY 568
​3.7956.107 KY 3001 north (Old US 421)Southern terminus of KY 3001
​4.0346.492 KY 1138 westEastern terminus of KY 1138
​6.41010.316 KY 978 westEastern terminus of KY 938
​8.00812.888 To KY 1556Connector road
​10.78417.355 KY 3001 south (Old US 421)Northern terminus of KY 3001
​10.97417.661 KY 2074 northSouthern terminus of KY 2074
​12.90120.762 KY 2428 southNorthern terminus of KY 2428
Harlan14.96624.085 KY 72 westSouthern end of KY 72 concurrency
15.12724.345 KY 72 east (South Main Street) / KY 3459 northNorthern end of KY 72 concurrency; southern terminus of KY 3459
15.70425.273 KY 3459 southNorthern terminus of KY 3459
15.96725.696 KY 38 eastWestern terminus of KY 38
​16.76126.974 KY 840 westEastern terminus of KY 840
​17.00327.364 KY 72
​17.10727.531 US 119 south – PinevilleSouthern end of US 119 concurrency
​17.84628.720 US 119 north – Cumberland, Kingdom Come State Park, Kentucky Coal Mining MuseumNorthern end of US 119 concurrency
​17.93628.865 KY 413
​21.80035.084 KY 1679 east (Little Shepherd Trail)Western terminus of KY 1679
Bledsoe23.89338.452 KY 221 westSouthern end of KY 221 concurrency
​24.94240.140 KY 221 eastNorthern end of KY 221 concurrency
Leslie​30.54349.154 KY 2058 westEastern terminus of KY 2058
Asher38.35261.722 KY 1780Northern terminus of KY 1780
Hoskinston41.84867.348 KY 2009 southNorthern terminus of KY 2009
Stinnett42.82768.923 KY 406 southNorthern terminus of KY 406
Hyden49.11379.040 KY 80 east – HazardSouthern end of KY 80 concurrency
49.61979.854 KY 257 north (Dryhill Road)Southern terminus of KY 257
50.14080.693 KY 118 westEastern terminus of KY 118
Bobs Fork60.74797.763 KY 1482 north (Bullskin Road)Southern terminus of KY 1482
​62.375100.383 KY 3428 north (Ulysses Creek Road)Southern terminus of KY 3428
Clay​64.752104.208 KY 66 north to Hal Rogers Parkway – OneidaSouthern end of KY 66 concurrency
​65.527105.455 KY 66 south – Peabody, BeverlyNorthern end of KY 66 concurrency
​73.337118.024 KY 2443 west to KY 1524Eastern terminus of KY 2443
​73.525118.327 KY 1524 eastWestern terminus of KY 1524
​76.619123.306 KY 149 eastWestern terminus of KY 149
Garrard78.234125.905 KY 1999 east (Paces Creek Road)Western terminus of KY 1999
​78.654126.581 KY 11 southSouthern end of KY 11 concurrency
Manchester79.842128.493 KY 80 west / KY 2076 north (Muddy Gap Road) to Hal Rogers ParkwaySouthern end of KY 80 concurrency; southern terminus of KY 2076; 80 and the parkway to the south, 2076 to the west
80.896130.189 KY 2438 east (2nd Street)Western terminus of KY 2438
80.947130.272 KY 2440 north (Main Street)Southern terminus of KY 2440
81.043130.426 KY 687 west (Town Branch Road)Eastern terminus of KY 687
81.380130.968 KY 2442 west (Maple Street)Eastern terminus of KY 2442
81.453131.086 KY 2440 south (Cool Springs Road)Northern terminus of KY 2440
81.507131.173 KY 3472 east (Memorial Drive)Western terminus of KY 3472
81.774131.602 KY 638 westEastern terminus of KY 638
​83.140133.801 KY 3560 westEastern terminus of KY 3560
​83.741134.768 KY 3473 west (Charlie Sizemore Road)Eastern terminus of KY 3473
​85.779138.048 KY 3477 east (Jacks Branch Road)Western terminus of KY 3477
​86.943139.921 KY 11 north – Oneida, Oneida Baptist InstituteNorthern end of KY 11 concurrency
​87.333140.549 KY 472 west (Fogertown Road)Eastern terminus of KY 472
​91.420147.126 KY 1350 northSouthern terminus of KY 1350
​92.703149.191 KY 3478 west (Robinson Creek Road)Eastern terminus of KY 3478
​94.359151.856 KY 577 westSouthern end of KY 577 concurrency
​95.134153.103 KY 577 eastNorthern end of KY 577 concurrency
Jackson​97.305156.597 KY 3443 westEastern terminus of KY 3443
​99.265159.752 KY 30 westSouthern end of KY 30 concurrency
​99.417159.996 KY 1431 eastWestern terminus of KY 1431
Tyner99.550160.210 KY 3630 westEastern terminus of KY 3630
​100.364161.520 KY 30 east – BoonevilleNorthern end of KY 30 concurrency
​103.251166.166 KY 1071 eastWestern terminus of KY 1071
​105.717170.135 KY 3445 east (Soaptown Road)Western terminus of KY 3445
Deer View106.542171.463 KY 587 northSouthern terminus of KY 587
McKee109.951176.949 KY 290 south (Annville Road)Southern terminus of KY 290
110.001177.029 KY 89 north (2nd Street)Southern end of KY 89 concurrency
110.548177.910 KY 89 southNorthern end of KY 89 concurrency
​117.303188.781 KY 3446 eastWestern terminus of KY 3446
​117.878189.706 KY 2004 northSouthern terminus of KY 2004
​121.950196.260 KY 1955 southNorthern terminus of KY 1955
​124.669200.635 KY 3447 eastWestern terminus of KY 3447
Morrill125.260201.586 KY 1912 south (Climax Road)Northern terminus of KY 1912
Rockcastle
 No major junctions
Madison​128.085206.133 KY 21 east (Owsley Creek Road)Southern end of KY 21 concurrency
Big Hill128.250206.398 KY 21 west (Big Hill Road)Northern end of KY 21 concurrency
​129.480208.378 KY 594 east (Red Lick Road)Western terminus of KY 594
Bobtown133.205214.373 KY 1016 southNorthern terminus of KY 1016
​135.058217.355 KY 3376 east (Dreyfus Road)Southern end of KY 3376 concurrency
​135.549218.145 KY 3376 west (Old Kingston-Berea Road)Northern end of KY 3376 concurrency
​136.162219.131 KY 499 west (Crooksville Road)Southern end of KY 499 concurrency
​136.196219.186 KY 499 east (Crooksville Road)Northern end of KY 499 concurrency
​138.579223.021 US 25 south (Berea Road)Southern end of US 25 concurrency
​139.580224.632 KY 2872 west (Duncannon Lane)Eastern terminus of KY 2872
Richmond141.994228.517
KY 876 west (Eastern Bypass) / US 25 Bus. north / US 421 Bus. north (Big Hill Avenue) – Eastern Kentucky University		Eastern terminus of KY 876; southern terminus of US 25 Bus. and US 421 Bus.; EKU to the west via KY 876
142.751229.735 KY 52 (Irvine Road) – Irvine, Ravenna
145.250233.757 KY 1986 north (Trooper Cunningham Memorial Highway) to KY 388Southern terminus of KY 1986
​146.426235.650
US 25 Bus. south / US 421 Bus. south (Lexington Road)		Northern terminus of US 25 business route; unsigned KY 2876 to the north
Richmond146.730–
146.939		236.139–
236.475		 I-75 – Lexington, KnoxvilleI-75 exit 90
147.516237.404 KY 1156 north (Jacks Creek Road)Southern terminus of KY 1156
​149.009239.807 KY 2878 north (Colonel Road)Southern terminus of KY 2878
​151.925244.500 KY 627 east (Boonesborough Road) / KY 3005 south (White Hall Shrine Road)Western terminus of KY 627; northern terminus of KY 3005
​154.348248.399 KY 2328 north (Lexington Road)Southern terminus of KY 2328
​154.547248.719 I-75 south – KnoxvilleI-75 Exit 97
​154.691–
154.713		248.951–
248.986		 I-75 north / KY 2884 east (Igo Road) – LexingtonSouthern end of I 75 concurrency; KY 2884 straight ahead
FayetteLexington155.828250.781 KY 2328 / I-75 southExit from I-75 south; northern terminus of KY 2328
155.028249.493 I-75 northNorthern end of I-75 concurrency; I-75 exit 99
158.573255.199 KY 1973 north (South Cleveland Road)Southern terminus of KY 1973
158.820255.596 KY 1975 north (Jacks Creek Pike)Southern terminus of KY 1975
159.336256.426 KY 418 east (Athens-Booneburg Road)Western terminus of KY 418
165.762266.768Man o' War Boulevard
166.763–
166.864		268.379–
268.542		 New Circle Road (KY 4)Interchange. KY 4 exit 15
169.461272.721 US 60 eastSouthern end of US 60 concurrency; begin one-way split of east/west lanes
170.197273.906 US 27 / US 60 west / US 68 (South Broadway)North end of US 60 concurrency; 27 and 68 both ways, 60 continues to the south
170.226273.952 US 25 south / US 421 south (West Vine Street)North end of one-way split
170.660274.651 US 25 north / KY 922 (Newtown Pike)North end of US 25 concurrency; 25 continues to the north, 922 both ways
172.380–
172.524		277.419–
277.650		 New Circle Road (KY 4)Interchange; KY 4 exit 7
172.956278.346 KY 1978 north (Greendale Road)Southern terminus of KY 1978
173.541279.287 Citation Boulevard (KY 1878 west)Eastern terminus of KY 1878
176.371283.842 KY 1977 east (Yarnallton Road)Western terminus of KY 1977
Scott​179.580289.006 US 62 east (Paynes Depot Road)Southern end of US 62 concurrency
WoodfordMidway180.512290.506 KY 341 north (Georgetown Road) to I-64Southern terminus of KY 341
182.747294.103 US 62 west (Midway Road)Northern end of US 62 concurrency
​186.122299.534 KY 1685 (Woodlake Road)
FranklinFrankfort190.750306.982 KY 676 west (East-West Connector) / US 60 east (Versailles Road) to I-64 – VersaillesInterchange; KY 676 straight ahead, ramp to US 60; eastern terminus of KY 676; southern end of US 60 concurrency
192.202309.319 US 60 west / US 460 east (East Main Street)Northern end of US 60 concurrency; western terminus of US 460
193.653311.654 US 127 north / KY 2261 south (Holmes Street) – Owenton, FrankfortSouthern end of US 127 concurrency; interchange
195.448314.543 KY 420 south (Clinton Street)Northern terminus of KY 420
195.592–
195.736		314.775–
315.007		Robert C. Yount Memorial Bridges over the Kentucky River (one bridge for each direction of travel)
195.856315.200 US 127 south (West Frankfort Connector) / KY 1211 south (Taylor Avenue)Northern end of US 127 concurrency; northern terminus of KY 1211
​198.083318.784 KY 1570 north (Saint Johns Road)Southern terminus of KY 1570
​200.290322.336 KY 1665 south (Bark Branch Road)Northern terminus of KY 1665
​202.465325.836 KY 12 (Dry Ridge Road/Flat Creek Road)
​208.280335.194 KY 561 north (Gest Road)Southern terminus of KY 561
Henry​213.652343.840 KY 1922 south (Cedarmore Road) – JacksonvilleNorthern terminus of KY 1922
Shelby​215.900347.457 KY 43 south (Cropper Road) – CropperNorthern terminus of KY 43
HenryPleasureville217.863350.617 KY 22 north (Bethlehem Road) – BethlehemSouthern end of KY 22 concurrency
217.878350.641 KY 241 south (Main Street) – ShelbyvilleNorthern terminus of KY 241
​220.435354.756 KY 3222 north (Point Pleasant Road) / KY 22 south (Elm Street)Northern end of KY 22 concurrency; southern terminus of KY 3222
​223.267359.313 KY 55 south (Eminence Road) – EminenceSouthern end of KY 55 concurrency
New Castle224.611361.476 KY 573 west / KY 146 east (Cross Main Street)Eastern terminus of KY 573; western terminus of KY 146
​225.110362.279 KY 202 north (Drennon Road)Southern terminus of KY 202
​226.871365.113 KY 193 north (Port Royal Road)Southern terminus of KY 193
​231.478372.528 KY 574 east (Turners Station Road)Western terminus of KY 574
Campbellsburg231.551372.645 KY 55 north (Carrollton Road) – CarrolltonNorthern end of KY 55 concurrency
232.538374.234 KY 997 south (Hillsboro Road)Northern terminus of KY 997
​234.046–
234.195		376.661–
376.900		 I-71 – Louisville, CincinnatiI-71 exit 34
​234.719377.744 KY 1606 south (Fallen Timber Road)Northern terminus of KY 1606
Trimble​238.188383.326 KY 316 eastWestern terminus of KY 316
Bedford241.686388.956 US 42 west (Main Street)Southern end of US 42 concurrency
241.857389.231 US 42 east (Main Street)Northern end of US 42 concurrency
242.933390.963 KY 625 north (Mt. Pleasant Road)Southern terminus of KY 625
​245.425394.973 KY 2870 west (New Hope Road)Eastern terminus of KY 2870
​246.031395.949 KY 1226 east (Palmyra Road)Western terminus of KY 1226
​247.820398.828 KY 1492 east (Mt. Carmel Road)Western terminus of KY 1492
Milton251.507404.761 KY 625 south (Mt. Pleasant Road)Northern terminus of KY 625
253.228407.531 KY 36 east (Ferry Street) to I-71 northWestern terminus of KY 36
Ohio River253.933–
254.351		408.666–
409.338		Milton–Madison Bridge
JeffersonMadison0.0000.000 US 421 north (Vaughn Street) to SR 56Continuation into Indiana
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

U.S. roads portal

References
  1. Commonwealth of Kentucky. "Official DMI Route Log". Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  2. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (2016). Kentucky Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Frankfort: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. §§ B9, C9-C11, D11, E11-E13 and F13.
  3. DeLorme (2010). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer (Map) (4th ed.). Yarmouth, ME: DeLorme. Pages 70-71 and 88.
  4. DeLorme (2010). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer (Map) (4th ed.). Yarmouth, ME: DeLorme. Pages 52-53 and 70.
  5. DeLorme (2010). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer (Map) (4th ed.). Yarmouth, ME: DeLorme. Pages 37-38.
  6. DeLorme (2010). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer (Map) (4th ed.). Yarmouth, ME: DeLorme. Pages 24, 25, 36, and 37.
  7. Kentucky Department of Highways (1957). Kentucky Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). c. 1:760,320. Frankfort: Kentucky Department of Highways. §§ G1, G2, G3, H3, H4, I4, I5, J5, I6, and J6.
  8. "H.B.'s Fun Facts About Kentucky Highways". Archived from the original August 27, 2002. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  9. Kentucky Department of State Highways (September 15, 1939). Road Map of Kentucky (PDF) (Map). c. 1:760,320. Frankfort: Kentucky Department of State Highways.
U.S. Route 421
Previous state:
Virginia		 Kentucky Next state:
Indiana
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