Kentucky Route 21 (KY 21) is a west-east highway in Madison County, running from the Garrard County line near Paint Lick to Bighill, east of Berea. It begins at

KY 52 Kentucky Route 52 (KY 52) is a long east–west state highway in Kentucky, United States, managed by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Its western terminus is at US 62 near Boston, Kentucky. It goes through Nelson, LaRue, Marion, Boyl ...

at the Garrard County line at the Paint Lick Creek Bridge. The road passes through Wallaceton and traverses over

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

in Berea, where KY 21 shortly runs along with US 25. After US 25 breaks away and goes north toward the

Blue Grass Army Depot Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) is a U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command storage facility for conventional munitions and chemical weapons. The facility is located in east central Kentucky, southeast of the cities of Lexington and Richmond, Kentucky. ...

, KY 21 continues to the east and intersects

US 421 U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway runs for from Fort Fisher, North Caro ...

in Bighill before ending at the Jackson County line.

Route description

KY 21 begins at an intersection with

near Paint Lick in Madison County, heading southeast as two-lane undivided Paint Lick Road. The road passes through farmland with some trees and homes, curving south before heading back to the southeast. The route continues south and then southeast through more rural areas and comes to an intersection with the eastern terminus of KY 954. Following this, KY 21 heads east into wooded areas with some fields and residences, curving to the northeast. The road heads into Berea and enters commercial areas, curving east and coming to an interchange with

I-75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

, at which point it is five lanes wide with a

center left-turn lane A reversible lane (British English: tidal flow) is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions. Typically, it is meant to improve traffic flow during rush hours, by having overhead traffic lights and li ...

. Past this interchange, the route becomes Chestnut Street and becomes a four-lane

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

, intersecting US 25. At this point, US 25 joins KY 21 for a concurrency and the two routes pass through residential areas as a two-lane undivided road. The road passes over a

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

railroad line and heads northeast into the downtown area of Berea before it passes more homes. KY 21 splits from US 25 by heading east on Prospect Street and immediately intersects KY 595. The road runs through more residential areas with some businesses and curves to the southeast. The route becomes Big Hill Road and curves east to leave Berea, heading through farmland with some homes and crossing KY 1617. KY 21 turns to the southeast and continues east through dense forests with some fields and residences. The route continues east to

in Bighill, where it turns south to form a short concurrency with that route on McKee Road before heading east on Owsley Fork Road. KY 21 passes through more farmland and woodland and winds southeast to its eastern terminus at the county line between Madison County and Jackson County.

Major intersections

References

{{Reflist 0021 Transportation in Madison County, Kentucky