As the calendar changed fromMay 31 to June 1, two toll roads across southern Kentucky becametoll-freehighways. Tolls wereremoved on the LouieB. Nunn Cumberland Parkwayand the DanielBoone Parkway. Thiscame about when U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (R-Somerset)successfullyintroduced legislation in Congress,making an appropriation to pay off the bonds on these two toll roadsahead of schedule. Both these roads slice through the heart ofRogers' district.

Ata ceremony held on Monday, June 9at the London toll plaza, Rogers climbed aboard a bulldozer andknocked down one of the booths. During the ceremony, KentuckyTransportation Cabinet officials announced that the Daniel BooneParkway was being renamed the Hal Rogers Parkway. A sign was unveiledand state officials said the remainder of the Daniel Boone Parkwaysigns along the route would be changed within 60 to 90days.

The removal of the tollsleaves only two toll roads in Kentucky -- the William H. NatcherParkway, connecting Bowling Green to Owensboro, and the AudubonParkway, connecting Owensboro to Henderson.

Kentucky originally had 10toll roads. As the bonds were paid off, all of them except theremaining 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 roadsare four-lane roads except for the easternmost 32 miles of theMountain Parkway and the Daniel Boone Parkway. These two roads arelimited-access two-lane routes, called "Super-2's" in thevernacular.

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

Choose the appropriate roadto see the photos: