Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said prep work on the Julian Carroll-Purchase Parkway will begin in December.
“Completion of I-69 from the Ohio River to the Tennessee border has been a long-held dream for the people of Western Kentucky,” Gov. Beshear said. “This upgrade will further support our business and industry growth and improve travel for everyone visiting the Jackson Purchase.”
The project, part of Beshear’s Better Kentucky Plan, would extend Interstate Highway 69 from Mayfield to Fulton, will modernize Kentucky Highway 339 Wingo Exit 14 to a diamond interchange with extended ramps suited for an interstate. Previously, the intersection was a cloverleaf design to accommodate a toll booth, the governor’s office said.
“The project includes converting the old toll booth cloverleaf at Wingo to a modern diamond ramp interchange,” said KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Kyle Poat. “The contractor will also be widening culverts, upgrading guardrails, working on drainage, and completing other improvements required to bring the existing parkway up to full interstate standards over the next two construction seasons.”
The governor’s office said crews will be making improvements to exits 1 and 2 at Fulton as part of the two-year project. The improvements will enable the extension of I-69 along 21 miles of the existing parkway. The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2024 and cost just under $34 million.
Officials said the project is a major step toward completing I-69 through Kentucky and will join ongoing construction to complete a new I-69 Ohio River crossing between Henderson, Kentucky, and Evansville, Indiana. The project goes through parts of Graves, Hickman, and Fulton counties.