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Nashville meet trip
Oct. 22-24, 2010

These photos are from my trip to the Nashville road meet on Oct. 23, 2010. Photos are from Kentucky and Tennessee and include photos from the trip to Nashville, the meet tour, and the trip home, including construction of the Natcher Parkway extension in Bowling Green. Thumbnails for the 398 photos span three pages. Use the arrow buttons in the upper left corner of the page to navigate the thumbnail pages. To view the full-sized photos, click on one of the thumbnails on this page. You will then be able to view the images on individual Web pages.


A new alignment of KY 30 has opened in Jackson and Laurel counties. This electronic message board instructs drivers westbound on KY 30 that they need to make a left turn to get on the access road that leads to the new highway. The other message in the cycle said "New KY 30 Traffic."

Advance turn sign for KY 30 traffic.

Old KY 30 has been renumbered KY 3630, but is only signed at either end. Along the old route, KY 30 signs remain.

The route to KY 30 follows what will eventually be an access road to an industrial park in Jackson County.

The access road meets the current limits of the new KY 30 route.

New KY 30 is a high-speed route, two lanes with wide shoulders and truck climbing lanes on the hills.

A number of state routes intersect the new highway.











Crossing from Jackson County into Laurel County. The new route replaces a crooked, narrow route that passes through several small communities.

The new alignment meets an older reconstructed segment near Green Mount in Laurel County, where old KY 30 ties in.

Heading back east along the old route, KY 30 is still signed. The markers have not yet been changed to KY 3630 signs.

This is a photo of the stub ending of the new KY 30 alignment near Annville in Jackson County. Eventually the route will be extended to the northeast through Jackson County and into Owsley County.

Fast-forward to KY 80 westbound near Somerset, where new guide signs have been installed for the southern bypass.



Approaching US 27 at Somerset.

This intersection used to be the eastern terminus of the Cumberland Parkway, but that route has been relocated to the north as part of the nothern Somerset bypass/I-66 project. This is how signage appears now.


The old alignment of the Cumberland Parkway now has an at-grade intersection with KY 914, the Somerset bypass.



KY 80 is signed along the old segment of the Cumberland Parkway. The bypass extends north to the new alignment, where it intersects the Cumberland Parkway at a trumpet interchange.

East KY 914 runs around the southwestern, southern and southeastern sides of Somerset to connect back with KY 80 at the intersection previously photographed.

At old KY 80, The route turning to the left is actually Business KY 80.

This is in the opposite direction from the previous photo, and is westbound on KY 914.

This photo is westbound on Business KY 80 at the bypass.


Approaching the old routing of the Cumberland Parkway on KY 914.



The Cumberland Parkway's old alignment has been truncated and the new alignment tied in. This results in a short four-lane stub that ends at an at-grade junction that provides access to a piece of property.

Westbound on the stub of the old Cumberland Parkway, which has a new coat of asphalt.

This is where the pavement ends, and the old surface is being taken up. Beyond this spot is where the new Cumberland Parkway transitions into the old route, and beyond that, the hill down to the Fishing Creek bridge.





Looking east.

Eastbound on the old alignment of the parkway, looking at the Somerset bypass.


The old Cumberland Parkway spur is signed as KY 80.

Westbound at the junction.

Another shot of the stub looking west.

The Somerset bypass heading toward the new Cumberland Parkway alignment.



This is on the new Cumberland Parkway, which will eventually form a northern bypass of Somerset and be a part of the I-66 routing.






This is the current end of the Cumberland Parkway, which will be extended eastward to KY 80 east of Somerset.



North on US 27.


Now south on US 27.



Back north on US 27.


A look at the Cumberland Parkway/Future I-66 overpass from northbound US 27.



This is westbound on the Cumberland Parkway. That sign should probably say KY 80 instead of KY 27 since you just entered the parkway from US 27.



This is where the new route of the Cumberland Parkway transitions to the old route, looking west.

That's the bridge crossing Fishing Creek (part of Lake Cumberland) in the background.

Fast-forward again to I-65 southbound at Franklin.

Nashville is just a short drive from the area near the state line.

US 31W heading south from I-65 toward the Tennessee state line.

These Tennessee route markers are actually located in Kentucky.

A look at the state line on US 31W.









A new alignment of TN 109 northwest of Gallatin.











Some fierce backlighting.












Tennessee is getting better about notifying drivers which lane they need to be in for interstate access. On TN 174.

Southbound on I-65 north of Nashville.








Heading west on TN 155 (the Briley Parkway).






An unusually thick font on this route shield.





The Briley runs through some hilly territory on the northwest side of Nashville.

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