U.S. Route 127 (US 127) in Kentucky runs from the

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

state line in rural

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

to the

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

state line in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. The southern portion of the route is mostly rural, winding through various small towns along the way. It later runs through the state capital of Frankfort before continuing north, eventually passing through several Cincinnati suburbs in

Northern Kentucky Northern Kentucky is the third-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, and its cities and towns serve as the de facto "south side" communities of Cincinnati, Ohio. The three main counties ...

, joining US 42 near

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and US 25 in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

before crossing the Ohio River via the

Clay Wade Bailey Bridge The Clay Wade Bailey Bridge is a cantilever bridge carrying U.S. Route 42 and U.S. Route 127 across the Ohio River, connecting Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky. This also marks the termination of U.S. Route 25. The bridge's main span is ...

Route description

US 127 enters the state at

Static Static may refer to: Places *Static Nunatak, a nunatak in Antarctica United States * Static, Kentucky and Tennessee *Static Peak, a mountain in Wyoming **Static Peak Divide, a mountain pass near the peak Science and technology Physics *Static el ...

on the state line separating

Pickett County, Tennessee Pickett County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,001, making it the least populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Byrdstown. The city of Byrdstown and the Kentucky town of ...

, from

Clinton County, Kentucky Clinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky in the Pennyrile Region along the southern border with Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,272. Its county seat is Albany. The county was formed in 1835 and ...

, where it intersects Tennessee State Route 111 (SR 111, formerly SR 42) and Kentucky Route 1076 (KY 1076). It passes through Albany with a business route and bypass. After that it briefly runs concurrently westward with KY 90 for , then heads generally northward and crosses into Russell County, where it goes onto Wolf Creek Dam, which impounds

Lake Cumberland Lake Cumberland is a reservoir in Clinton, Pulaski, Russell, Wayne, and Laurel, counties in Kentucky. The primary reasons for its construction were a means for flood control and the production of hydroelectric power. Its shoreline measures ...

, and passes State Resort Park. It passes through Jamestown with a business route and bypass, and then through Russell Springs, where it has a junction with the

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 par ...

. The highway then traverses Casey, western

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

, and Boyle Counties, including the communities of

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

, Hustonville, and Danville, respectively. After Danville, where it has a bypass with US 150, it goes north to

Harrodsburg Harrodsburg is a home rule-class city in Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 9,064 at the 2020 census. Although Harrodsburg was formally established by the House of Burgesses after Boonesbo ...

( Mercer County), Lawrenceburg ( Anderson County), both with bypasses and business routes, and then Franklin County, the home of the state capital city of Frankfort. After the capital, US 127 then passes through Owen and Gallatin counties, including the city of Owenton. After its junction with Interstate 71 (I-71), US 127 joins US 42 east of

. The highway then travels into Boone County, where it has a junction 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 ...

/I-71 before entering the city of

, and then enters

Kenton County Kenton County is a county located in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,064, making it the third most populous county in Kentucky (behind Jefferson County and Fayette County). It ...

, and goes through the cities of Erlanger and then Covington before it (during its concurrency with US 25) leaves the state by crossing the Ohio River into downtown

, Hamilton County, Ohio.

History

In 1958, US 127's southern terminus was relocated from

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

. The highway's extension into Kentucky and Tennessee resulted in the decommissioning of the following roadways: *The original KY 239 from US 42 to Glencoe, * KY 16 from Glencoe to its junction with US 227 (now KY 227), and * KY 35 from Owenton to the Tennessee state line.

Major intersections

Business and bypass routes

References