Kentucky Route 321 (KY 321) originates at a junction with
U.S. Highway 23 north of
Paintsville, Kentucky
Paintsville () is a home rule-class city along Paint Creek in Johnson County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 3,459 during the 2010 U.S. Census.
History
A Paint Lick Station was referred to in ...
in
Johnson County, Kentucky
Johnson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,680. Its county seat is Paintsville. The county was formed in 1843 and named for Richard Mentor Johnson, War of 1812 general, Unite ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The route continues through Johnson County to terminate at
KY 1428 in
Prestonsburg in
Floyd County.
Route description
Floyd County
KY 321 begins at an intersection with
KY 1428 in
Prestonburg,
Floyd County, heading north on North Lake Drive, a three-lane road 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 ...
. The road passes businesses with some nearby woodland and homes. The route passes to the east of Prestonburg Community College and narrows to a two-lane unnamed road, curving northeast through woods and running to the east of
Levisa Fork. KY 321 passes more rural development and intersects the western terminus of
KY 3024. The road turns to the north and winds through forested areas with occasional residential development. The route curves to the northwest and comes to an intersection with
KY 3. At this point, KY 321 turns east to form a
concurrency with KY 3, passing through more rural areas with some development including
Highlands Regional Medical Center
Highlands ARH Regional Medical Center is a hospital in Prestonsburg, Kentucky. A 184-bed, nonprofit healthcare facility operated by Appalachian Regional Healthcare. it serves the counties of Floyd, Johnson, Martin, and Magoffin, a combined popul ...
. The road forms a short concurrency with
KY 3051 before it curves to the north. KY 3 splits by heading to the east near
Auxier. KY 321 continues northwest through forests and crosses into
Johnson County.
Johnson County
In Johnson County, the road intersects the southern terminus of
KY 2381 before it passes to the northeast of
Paintsville-Prestonsburg Combs Field, where it intersects
KY 2559. The route heads north into residential areas and curves to the northeast. KY 321 continues north into dense forests, where it makes a turn to the west. The road heads northwest and intersects the southern terminus of
KY 1107 before it crosses Levisa Fork and 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. The route curves north and gains a second northbound lane as it passes through wooded areas of development. KY 321 narrows back to two lanes and turns northwest to come to a grade-separated junction with KY 1428. The road runs through more forested areas and curves to the north, where it gains a second northbound lane. The route heads northeast, where the northbound direction narrows back to one lane and the southbound direction becomes two lanes. KY 321 turns to the north before it heads northwest into
Paintsville
Paintsville () is a home rule-class city along Paint Creek in Johnson County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 3,459 during the 2010 U.S. Census.
History
A Paint Lick Station was referred to in ...
. At this point, the road becomes four lanes total and passes businesses. The route curves to the west and narrows to two lanes, intersecting the southern terminus of
KY 321 Bus. KY 321 heads into wooded areas and curves to the north, coming to a junction with the western terminus of
KY 2378. The road continues past commercial development and heads northwest, gaining a center left-turn lane and passing several shopping centers. The route crosses
Paint Creek and intersects
KY 40. KY 321 continues north as 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 ...
through wooded areas with some development and comes to its northern terminus at
US 23
}
U.S. Route 23 or U.S. Highway 23 (US 23) is a major north–south U.S. Highway between Jacksonville, Florida, and Mackinaw City, Michigan. It is an original 1926 route which originally reached only as far south as Portsmouth, Ohio, and has sinc ...
.
Major intersections
KY 321 Business
Kentucky Route 321 Business (KY 321 Bus.) is a
business route of KY 321 in Paintsville. The route begins at KY 321 by heading north as a two-lane undivided road. KY 321 Bus. immediately intersects the western terminus of
KY 2333 and becomes Broadway. The road passes by businesses and crosses Paint Creek, where the name changes to College Street. The business route heads through the downtown area and intersects the western terminus of
KY 2561 before it comes to its northern terminus at KY 40.
References
Further reading
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{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
0321
0321
Transportation in Floyd County, Kentucky