Kentucky Route 55 (KY 55) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. The route originates at a junction with

U.S. Route 127 U.S. Route 127 (US 127) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the eastern half of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at US 27 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The northern terminus is at Interstate 75 (I-75) near G ...

Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...

, Russell County. The route continues through

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

in Adair County to

U.S. Route 68 U.S. Route 68 (US 68) is a United States highway that runs for from northwest Ohio to Western Kentucky. The highway's western terminus is at US 62 in Reidland, Kentucky. Its present northern terminus is at Interstate 75 in Findlay, Ohio, though ...

Campbellsville Campbellsville is a city in central Kentucky founded in 1817 by Andrew Campbell. It is known for Campbellsville University, Taylor Regional Hospital health care system, its historic downtown, and the proximity to Green River Lake State Park. C ...

, Taylor County, where KY 55 joins US 68 east to Lebanon in Marion County. In Lebanon, KY 55 separates from US 68 and proceeds northward through

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

in Washington County, Bloomfield in Nelson County, and Taylorsville and Elk Creek in Spencer County. In Shelby County it passes through Finchville and Shelbyville and continues north through

Eminence Eminence may refer to: Places * Eminence, Arkansas, a place in Arkansas, U.S. * Eminence, Indiana, U.S. * Eminence, Kansas, U.S. * Eminence, Kentucky, U.S. * Eminence, Mississippi, in Covington County, Mississippi, U.S. * Eminence, Missouri, ...

in Henry County. Roughly three miles south of New Castle, KY 55 intersects U.S. Route 421. The two routes run concurrent for eight miles (13 km) before splitting near Campbellsburg. KY 55 continues north to Prestonville, where it ends at an intersection with

U.S. Route 42 U.S. Route 42 (US 42) is an east–west United States highway that runs southwest–northeast for from Louisville, Kentucky to Cleveland, Ohio. The route has several names including Pearl Road from Cleveland to Medina in Northeast Ohio, Readin ...

and Kentucky Route 36 on the bank of the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

Route description

Russell County through Taylor County

The route originates at a junction with

in the southern Russell County community of

. The route continues into Adair County through

. In the 2010s, KY 55 was rerouted onto the Columbia Bypass, while the original KY 55 alignment, which went through town and provided Cumberland Parkway access, was re-designated as KY 55 Business. The route continues northward, bypassing the

Green River Lake State Park Green River Lake State Park is a park located near Campbellsville, Kentucky in Taylor County. The park itself encompasses , while Green River Lake Green River Lake is a reservoir in Adair, Taylor, and Casey counties in Kentucky lying in the ...

, and on to

, Taylor County, where KY 55 joins US 68 east, and also runs concurrently with

KY 70 Kentucky Route 70 (KY 70) is a long east-east state highway that originates at a junction with U.S. Route 60 (US 60) in Smithland in Livingston County, just east of the Ohio River. The route continues through the counties of Crittende ...

for the remaining of that route's concurrency with US 68. US 68 and KY 55 continues north into Marion County.

Marion County through Spencer County

At Lebanon, KY 55 splits from US 68 and continues to

, Washington County, running into downtown Springfield and crossing US 150. It continues north-northwestwardly into eastern Nelson County, providing access to the Bluegrass Parkway and US 62 at Bloomfield. KY 55 goes further north to Spencer County, and goes through Taylorsville.

Shelby County through Carroll County

From Spencer County, KY 55 runs northeast into Shelby County. The route runs through open fields with occasional houses lining the road. into Shelby County, KY 55 intersects with KY 148 and enters the community of Finchville. In Finchville the route is lined with houses and a few businesses, and the speed limited is reduced to 35 MPH. After meeting the eastern terminus of KY 1848, KY 55 leaves Finchville and heads north toward Shelbyville. In Shelbyville, KY 55 crosses Interstate 64 at Exit 32. Currently, KY 55 widens to 4 lanes with a center turning lane a few tenths of a mile north of the Interstate. However, construction is currently going on to widen the road to 4 lanes starting just south of the interstate as part of the I-64 widening project. North of I-64, many businesses line KY 55 as well as 3 industrial parks. north of the interstate, KY 55 intersects with US 60 / KY 55 Business and becomes the Shelbyville Bypass (Freedom's Way). The Shelbyville Bypass opened up in November 2010, and is a 4.5 mile 4-lane divided highway. The Shelbyville Bypass runs north then curves east, crossing KY 53 near Shelby County West Middle School. The route continues east, crossing over Clear Creek and ends north of Shelbyville at an intersection with KY 55 Business. North of the Shelbyville Bypass, KY 55 becomes Eminence Pike and narrows to two-lanes as it heads north passing open fields and houses before entering into Henry County roughly further north. In Henry County, KY 55 enters the city of

and forms a concurrency with KY 22 for . It continues north out of town and forms a concurrency with US 421 north of KY 22. After passing by Henry County High School and traveling through New Castle, US 421 and KY 55 split in Campbellsburg. Roughly north of US 421, KY 55 passes over Interstate 71 and enters into Trimble County, where it travels for a short distance. The route intersects KY 316 at its eastern terminus and continues northward into Carroll County just over from the Trimble County-Henry County line. In Carroll County, KY 55 curves toward the northeast, passing KY 549 and KY 389 in rural sections of the county. After the intersection with KY 389, the route turns toward the northwest and travels along the Kentucky River on the east, with mainly woods on the west. As it nears Presntonville, KY 55 turns toward the west, then northeast, then north at New Castle Pike. In Prestonville, it passes by a few homes before it ends at an intersection with

US 42 U.S. Route 42 (US 42) is an east–west United States highway that runs southwest–northeast for from Louisville, Kentucky to Cleveland, Ohio. The route has several names including Pearl Road from Cleveland to Medina in Northeast Ohio, R ...

KY 36 Kentucky Route 36 (KY 36) is a state highway in Kentucky that runs from US 421 in Milton to US 460 U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is a spur route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at ...

, just west of the Kentucky River and south of the

. The entire route remains two-lanes throughout Henry, Trimble, and Carroll counties.

Major intersections

Special routes

Columbia business route

Kentucky Route 55 Business (KY 55 Business) is a business route of KY 55 in

. The highway runs between junctions with KY 6177/KY 55 south of Columbia and KY 55 north of Columbia. The route runs north from its southern terminus and passes over the

Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway The Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway is a east–west controlled-access highway in the U.S. state of Kentucky, extending from Barren County in the west to Somerset in the east. It is one of seven named highways designated in Kentucky's park ...

as it enters Columbia. from KY 55 south of Columbia, the route forms a concurrency with

KY 80 Kentucky Route 80 (KY 80) is a state highway in the southern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. The route originates on the state's western border at Columbus in Hickman County and stretches across the southern portion of the state, ...

and turns northwest as it passes through the heart of town. At an intersection with KY 80 and KY 439, it turns toward the north. KY 55 Business intersects KY 206 as it continues its northward path out of Columbia. A little over north of KY 206, KY 55 Business ends at an intersection with KY 55 (Columbia Bypass).

Lebanon spur

Kentucky Route 55 Spur (KY 55 Spur) in Lebanon is long and connects KY 55 to US 68 in the heart of downtown Lebanon.

Shelbyville business route

Kentucky Route 55 Business (KY 55 Business) is a business route of KY 55 in Shelbyville. The highway runs between junctions with US 60/KY 55 west of Shelbyville and KY 55 north of Shelbyville. The route was formed in 2010 with the completion of the Shelbyville Bypass (Freedom's Way), which re-routed KY 55 around Shelbyville. The old route that passed through Shelbyville became KY 55 Business. For the first 3.074 miles, the route forms a concurrency with US 60 and is a four-lane highway. From its origin, it passes through a commercial area of Shelbyville with many businesses and shopping centers lining the roadway. Roughly from its origin, KY 55 Business splits into two one-way routes, Main Street going west to east, and Washington Street going east to west. Here it also forms a concurrency with KY 53. The route passes through downtown Shelbyville and the one-way routes join together just east of downtown. The route then departs with US 60 and KY 53 and turns north and becomes a two-lane highway, passing by multiple businesses and subdivisions. After intersecting KY 43 and KY 2268, it continues north for roughly before ending at KY 55 north of Shelbyville.

References

External links

KentuckyRoads.com KY 55
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