As the calendar changed from May 31 to June 1, two toll roads across southern Kentucky became toll-free highways. Tolls were removed on the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway and the Daniel Boone Parkway. This came about when U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (R-Somerset) successfully introduced legislation in Congress, making an appropriation to pay off the bonds on these two toll roads ahead of schedule. Both these roads slice through the heart of Rogers' district.

At a ceremony held on Monday, June 9 at the London toll plaza, Rogers climbed aboard a bulldozer and knocked down one of the booths. During the ceremony, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials announced that the Daniel Boone Parkway was being renamed the Hal Rogers Parkway. A sign was unveiled and state officials said the remainder of the Daniel Boone Parkway signs along the route would be changed within 60 to 90 days.

The removal of the tolls leaves only two toll roads in Kentucky -- the William H. Natcher Parkway, connecting Bowling Green to Owensboro, and the Audubon Parkway, connecting Owensboro to Henderson.

Kentucky originally had 10 toll roads. As the bonds were paid off, all of them except the remaining two toll roads. They were:

• The Kentucky Turnpike, connecting Louisville to Elizabethtown, later incorporated into Interstate 65.
• The Mountain Parkway, linking the Winchester-Lexington area to eastern Kentucky (Salyersville-Prestonsburg-Paintsville). The highway is now known as the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway, in honor of the late former governor who pressed for construction of the highway and lived along its corridor at the time of his death.
• The Blue Grass Parkway, connecting the Versailles-Lexington region to Elizabethtown.
• The Western Kentucky Parkway, running from Interstate 24 in the Land Between the Lakes area and Elizabethtown. The road is now called the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway in honor of the former governor and United States senator.
• The Purchase Parkway, connecting Fulton to I-24 in the Land Between the Lakes area. It's now named the Julian Carroll Purchase Parkway after the former governor.
• The Pennyrile Parkway, connecting Henderson and Hopkinsville. It is now signed as the Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway in honor of the former governor.
• The Green River Parkway, between Bowling Green and Owensboro. It was renamed the William H. Natcher Parkway in honor of the late U.S. congressman who was famous for a long streak in which ne hever missed a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• The Audubon Parkway, linking Owensboro to Henderson and named for noted artist John James Audubon, an area resident who also has a state park named after him near Henderson.
• The Cumberland Parkway, connecting I-65 north of Bowling Green to Somerset. It is now called the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway, in honor of the former governor.
• The Daniel Boone Parkway, connecting London to Hazard and originally named after the famous pioneer explorer who holds an important part in the state's history. After the June 9 ceremony, the road is now known as the Hal Rogers Parkway.

All of Kentucky's toll roads are four-lane roads except for the easternmost 32 miles of the Mountain Parkway and the Daniel Boone Parkway. These two roads are limited-access two-lane routes, called "Super-2's" in the vernacular.

On Saturday, June 7, 2003, two days before the ceremony at London, I checked out some of the old tollbooths on the Cumberland and Daniel Boone Parkways.

Choose the appropriate road to see the photos: