Kentucky Completes Improvements to U.S. Route 641
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Kentucky officials lauded completion of a wider final strip of U.S. Route 641 linking the state’s north-south truck route on Interstate 69 to Tennessee in a developing rural freight corridor.
“Folks in western Kentucky have been waiting for this improvement of U.S. 641 for decades, and we got it done. This $37.6 million investment is going to make a real difference in Calloway County and beyond,” Gov. Andy Beshear noted during an Oct. 12 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The new 5.6-mile roadway along U.S. 641 expands into four lanes between Murray and Hazel. It marks the completion of Kentucky’s rural freight corridor at the Tennessee border along U.S. 641 that links to I-69. When it was a two-lane road, that stretch of U.S. 641 carried 6,000 vehicles a day.
State Rep. Mary Beth Imes said the new highway strengthens Murray’s traditional north-south trade connections. “The completion of this new four-lane road helps to enhance U.S. 641 as a major corridor for commerce and economic development,” Imes said.
The project, totaling $37.6 million, received a $23 million federal grant awarded in 2018 and $500,000 from the town of Murray, whose mayor, Bob Rogers, spoke at the ceremony. “This is perfect example of what happens when people work together,” he said. “We don’t see a lot of those examples around the country anymore, but certainly we need more of it because that’s how you get things done.”
U.S. Route 641 stretches across the Kentucky-Tennessee border and is 165 miles long, running north of Murray, Ky., to Interstate 69. (Google Maps)
Calloway County Judge Kenny Imes said the new U.S. 641 corridor will have a big impact on the local area and region. The goal of the project was to provide safe and efficient movement of traffic and freight in the region, particularly between I-24, I-40 and I-69.
“We’re celebrating the realization of a dream that has taken over 60 years to come to full fruition,” Kenny Imes said. “U.S. 641 will improve connectivity within our county [and] also enhance the accessibility to neighboring regions. It will contribute to economic development, providing far safer transportation routes and new opportunities for the people of Calloway County.”
The new freight corridor turned a two-lane highway in rural western Kentucky into a four-lane divided highway on a parallel alignment to provide better and safer transportation for Calloway County’s agricultural and manufacturing operations as well as freight movements between the state and rural Tennessee. U.S. 641 spans 165 miles across Kentucky and Tennessee.
“Our Kentucky families deserve safe and smooth roads and the great jobs that come with great infrastructure,” Beshear said.
Before construction, the roadway had geometric deficiencies and needed modern safety improvements. It had narrow driving lanes with narrow shoulders that quickly dropped into ditches, which created dangerous driving conditions, especially in poor weather. Other problems included frequent road access points and insufficient sight distance for pulling onto or off U.S. 641.
The region’s dependence on an agricultural economy translated into farmers driving large machinery often on the two-lane road to access fields, especially during planting and harvesting seasons, which slowed traffic and created hazards for vehicles since there were few safe passing areas.
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