U.S. Route 31W

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U.S. Route 31W
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap US 31W highlighted in red
Route information
Length	179.2 mi[1][2][3] (288.4 km)
Major junctions
South end	US 31 / US 31E / US 41 / US 431 in Nashville, TN
	I-65 in Nashville US 41 in Goodlettsville, TN I-65 in Goodlettsville I-165 in Bowling Green, KY US 231 Bowling Green US 68 / KY 80 in Bowling Green I-65 in Munfordville, KY
North end	US 31 / US 31E / US 60 in Louisville, KY
Location
States	Tennessee, Kentucky
Counties	TN: Davidson, Sumner, Robertson KY: Simpson, Warren, Edmonson, Barren, Hart, LaRue, Hardin, Meade, Jefferson
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Highways in Kentucky Interstate US State Parkways Tennessee State Routes Interstate US State ← US 31E KY → KY 32 ← US 31E TN → US 31A ← US 41A → US 43

U.S. Route 31W (US 31W) is the westernmost of two parallel routes for U.S. Route 31 from Nashville, Tennessee to Louisville, Kentucky. At one time, it split with U.S. Route 31E at Sellersburg, Indiana, crossing into nearby Louisville via the Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Bridge. Tennessee State Route 41 (SR 41) is its unsigned companion route in Tennessee.

Route description[]

US 31W begins in Nashville, at an interchange with Ellington Parkway and US 31/US 31E. The route continues west as Spring Street, concurrent with US 41/US 431/SR 11. The four highways continue north onto Dickerson Pike, closely paralleling Interstate 24 (I-24) through Nashville. At an intersection with Trinity Lane, all the routes but US 41 and SR 11 split from US 31W and continue west, while US 31W continues north, away from I-24. The roadway has an interchange with I-65 and SR 155 before an intersection with SR 45 in . The highway passes through Goodlettsville, where US 31W splits from the other two routes and crosses I-65; it also passes through White House. Before it enters Kentucky, it junctions the recently completed SR 109. ^[4]

After several miles, the highway enters the state of Kentucky and crosses I-65 again, where it passes through Franklin and intersects KY 100. From here, the highway is known as Bowling Green Road (Nashville Road) once it enters Warren County, and passes through fields, as well as giving access to the town of Woodburn. Entering the city of Bowling Green, the route intersects the William H. Natcher Parkway as well as US 231 as the route passes east of downtown Bowling Green. On the eastern side of town, Louisville Road carries US 31W, US 68, and KY 80 east and then northeast, where US 68 and KY 80 split off to the east. US 31W passes within 0.5 miles (0.80 km) on an entrance to Mammoth Cave National Park near Park City, after crossing I-65 again, this time without direct access to the freeway. The highway travels through Cave City as Duke Highway while crossing two major state routes, KY 90, and then KY 70.^[4]

In the city of Horse Cave, US 31W intersects KY 218; the Dixie Highway then continues on to Munfordville before crossing I-65 for a fifth time at the interstate's exit 65 interchange, and paralleling it closely to the west and later, the east. Between Upton and Sonora, it crosses over I-65 for a sixth time. In Elizabethtown, US 31W intersects with the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway before crossing I-65 for a seventh time. The route continue through the heart of Elizabethtown, intersecting US 62, before it goes on to enter Radcliff. It also passes through Fort Knox near Radcliff, within sight of the United States Bullion Depository. US 31W overlaps with US 60 from Muldraugh to Louisville, paralleling the Ohio River briefly before an interchange with I-264 (Watterson Expressway) in Louisville. US 31W continues as a one-way pair consisting of 22nd and Dr. W. J. Hodges streets, and later Main and Market streets in downtown Louisville. At 2nd Street, US 31W ends at US 31E, and the two routes continue north as US 31 before crossing the Ohio River into Jeffersonville, in Clark County, Indiana.^[4]

History[]

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Most of US 31W's route was part of the old Dixie Highway from the National Auto Trail program, the predecessor to the United States Numbered Highways system. Many of the cities through which US 31W traverses still give it a local street name of "Dixie Highway" or "Dixie Avenue." Some portions date back further, to the Louisville and Nashville Turnpike, which began construction in the 1830s.^[5]

US 31W once terminated in Sellersburg, Indiana. It went into New Albany, Indiana, crossing the Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Bridge into Louisville, concurrent with U.S. Route 150. When the K&I Terminal Bridge was closed to traffic in 1979, US 31W and US 150 were rerouted onto the Sherman Minton Bridge, being concurrent with Interstate 64 until Exit 121. In 1980, AASHTO truncated both termini of US 31E and US 31W to Louisville. In Indiana, US 31W was replaced by SR 311.

31W Treasure Hunt[]

The 31W Treasure Hunt is an outdoor second-hand sale held annually for three days beginning the second Thursday in September. It takes place along the alignment of U.S. Route 31W in its entirety from Nashville to Louisville.^[6]

Major intersections[]

This section contains a table that is missing mileposts for one or more junctions. Please help by .

State	County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Tennessee	Davidson	Nashville	0.00	0.00	US 31 south / US 41 south / US 431 south (James Robertson Parkway/SR 6/SR 11) / US 31E north (Ellington Parkway/SR 6) to South 5th Street/Main Street / I-24	Interchange; US 31 splits into US 31W and US 31E; south end of US 41/US 431/SR 11 overlap
			0.5	0.80	To I-24 / I-65 / Spring Street
			2.6	4.2	US 431 north (West Trinity Lane/SR 65) to I-65	North end of US 431 overlap; southern terminus of unsigned SR 65
			4.8– 5.0	7.7– 8.0	I-65 – Nashville, Louisville	Southbound off-ramp from SR 155 off-ramp; I-65 exit 90A
			5.1– 5.2	8.2– 8.4	SR 155 (Briley Parkway) – Nashville, Knoxville	No eastbound on-ramp (must use northbound I-65 on-ramp); SR 155 exit 16B
			7.1	11.4	SR 45 (Old Hickory Boulevard) – Whites Creek, Old Hickory, Madison
		Goodlettsville	11.2	18.0	Rivergate Parkway east to I-65 – Madison	Western terminus of Rivergate Parkway; provides access to Rivergate Mall
			11.7	18.8	SR 174 east (Long Hollow Pike)	Western terminus of SR 174
	Sumner		13.1	21.1	US 41 north (Dickerson Pike/SR 11) – Springfield, Greenbrier, Ridgetop SR 41 begins	Interchange; north end of US 41/SR 11 overlap; southern terminus of unsigned SR 41; south end of SR 41 overlap; former US 43 north
			13.4– 13.6	21.6– 21.9	I-65 – Louisville, Nashville	I-65 exit 98
		Millersville	18.3	29.5	SR 257 west (Bethel Road) to I-65 – Ridgetop	Eastern terminus of SR 257
	Sumner–Robertson county line	White House	22.6	36.4	SR 258 (Raymond Hirsch Parkway) to I-65 – Hendersonville
			23.3	37.5	SR 76 west to I-65 – Springfield	South end of SR 76 overlap
			23.5	37.8	SR 76 east (Portland Road) – New Deal, Portland	North end of SR 76 overlap
		Cross Plains	27.5	44.3	SR 25 (Main Street) to I-65 – Cross Plains, Springfield, Gallatin
		Portland–Orlinda line	32.6	52.5	SR 52 to I-65 – Orlinda, Portland
		Portland	35.5	57.1	SR 109 (N Broadway) to I-65 – Portland, Gallatin
			36.0	57.9	SR 259 east – Mitchellville	Western terminus of SR 259
Tennessee–Kentucky line			36.08– 0.000	58.07– 0.000	SR 41 ends
Kentucky	Simpson	​			I-65 – Louisville, Nashville	I-65 exit 2
		​			KY 1008 / KY 100 Truck to I-65
		​			KY 100 east to I-65	South end of KY 100 overlap
		Franklin			KY 383 south (Madison Street)
					KY 73 east / KY 100 west (Cedar Street)	North end of KY 100 overlap; south end of KY 73 overlap
					(North Street)
					KY 73 west (Morgantown Road)	North end of KY 73 overlap
					(Patton Road)
					KY 1008 south to I-65 – truck route to KY 100
		​
		​			KY 621 (Stevenson Road)
	Warren	Woodburn			KY 240
		​			KY 242 – Rockfield,
		Bowling Green			I-165 to I-65 – Owensboro, Scottsville	Former Natcher Parkway; I-165 exit 6
					US 231 (Campbell Lane)
					US 231 Bus. north (University Drive) to US 68 / KY 80	South end of US 231 Bus. overlap; roundabout
					US 231 Bus. south (Broadway Avenue) to I-65	North end of US 231 Bus. overlap
					KY 234 (Fairview Avenue) to I-65
					KY 3225 (Old Louisville Road)
					US 68 west / KY 80 west (Kentucky Street) to I-65 south	South end of US 68 / KY 80 overlap
					KY 3225 (Old Louisville Road)
					KY 1402 east (Porter Pike) to Plum Springs Loop / KY 957
					To I-65 (via KY 446 east) – Louisville, Nashville, Corvette Museum	Interchange
					KY 957
		​			KY 526 west to KY 1320
		​			US 68 east / KY 80 east	North end of US 68 / KY 80 overlap
		​			KY 3145 south to I-65	Northern terminus of KY 3145; intersection opened July 2017.[7]
		​			KY 743 north
		Tuckertown			KY 2326 (Otter Gap Road)
		​			KY 101 north – Brownsville	South end of KY 101 overlap
		​			KY 101 south – Smiths Grove	North end of KY 101 overlap
	Edmonson	​			KY 422 north
		​			KY 259
	Barren	Park City			KY 255 south	South end of KY 255 overlap
					KY 255 north (Mammoth Cave Parkway) to I-65 – Mammoth Cave, Brownsville
		​			KY 2189 south (Park City-Glasgow Road)
		​			KY 2143 south (Old Happy Valley Road)
		Cave City			KY 90 (Happy Valley Road) to I-65 / KY 70 – Mammoth Cave, Glasgow
					KY 70 (Broadway Street / Griderville Road) – Business District, Hiseville
					KY 335 north
	Hart	Horse Cave			KY 218 (Main Street) to I-65 / US 31E
		​			KY 1846 south
		Rowletts			KY 335 south
		Woodsonville			KY 571 south
					KY 88 east – Hardyville	South end of KY 88 overlap
		Munfordville			KY 357 north (Union Street) – Hodgenville
					KY 88 west (Center Street) – Clarkson, Nolin Lake	North end of KY 88 overlap
					I-65 – Nashville, Louisville	I-65 exit 65
					west
		​
		Bonnieville			KY 728 east to I-65	South end of KY 728 overlap
					KY 728 west	North end of KY 728 overlap
	LaRue	Upton			KY 224 east to I-65 – Hodgenville	South end of KY 224 overlap
	LaRue–Hardin county line				KY 224 west (Grayson Street) – Clarkson, Nolin River, Nolin Lake	North end of KY 224 overlap
		​			(Murrieltown Road)
		Sonora			KY 84 to I-65 – Sonora, Hodgenville
		​
	Hardin	​			north
		​			KY 1136 west
					KY 222 to I-65
		Elizabethtown			Western Kentucky Parkway west / US 31W Truck north / KY 61 south to I-65 / Bluegrass Parkway – Lexington, Louisville, Nashville, Paducah, Hodgenville	south end of KY 61 overlap
					KY 210 east
					KY 1136 west (New Glendale Road) to US 31W Byp.
					Main Street	traffic circle around Hardin County Courthouse
				US 62 / KY 61 north (Mulberry Street)	north end of KY 61 overlap
				KY 251 north (North Miles Street)
				south (St. John Road)
				north (Woodland Drive)
				US 31W Byp. south to I-65 / Western Kentucky Parkway – thru trucks
				KY 3005 (Ring Road)
				KY 447 north
				south (W.A. Jenkins Road)
Radcliff				KY 220 west – Rineyville
				KY 434 east – Lebanon Junction
				KY 313 to I-65 – Vine Grove, Lebanon Junction
				west (Millcreek Road)
				KY 144 west (East Vine Street) – Vine Grove
				south (West Lincoln Trail Boulevard)
				North Wilson Road	interchange
Fort Knox				To  / Bullion Boulevard – Fort Knox	Interchange
				Chaffee Avenue	interchange; entrance ramps only
	Meade			US 60 west – Hardinsburg, Owensboro	South end of US 60 overlap
see US 60
Jefferson	Louisville	179.2	288.4	US 31 north (Second Street / Clark Bridge) / US 31E south / US 60 east (West Market Street)	US 31W and US 31E merge to form US 31; north end of US 60 overlap
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Route transition

Tennessee State Route 41[]

State Route 41 (SR 41) runs as a secret, or hidden designation, throughout US 31W’s routing from the US 41 (SR 11) junction in Goodlettsville to the SR 259 junction at the Kentucky state line near Mitchellville.

Special routes[]

Elizabethtown bypass[]

US Route 31W By-Pass is a four-lane expressway in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. It starts at an at-grade intersection with Kentucky Route 1136, bypasses the west side of town and it ends at another at-grade intersection with US Route 31W on the northern side of Elizabethtown. The southern end can be reached via either KY 1136 on the south side, or following the Western KY Parkway from the at-grade intersection with US 31W/KY 61to the interchange after the WK Parkway/I-65 junction.

Major intersections include:

• Kentucky Route 1136 (Glendale Road)
• Western Kentucky Parkway (exit 135)
• U.S. Route 62 (Leitchfield Road)
• Kentucky Route 361 (Patriot Parkway)
• U.S. Route 31W (Dixie Highway)

Elizabethtown Truck Route[]

U.S. Route 31W Truck is a truck route in Elizabethtown. Its component highways include the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway west from the US 31W/KY 61 junction to exit 135, and the final 3.512 miles (5.652 km) of the US 31W Bypass from the WK Parkway exit 135 interchange to US 31W on the north side of town.

West Point Business Route[]

U.S. Route 31W Business is a business route located in West Point, Kentucky, in northern Hardin County. It is 1.988 miles (3.199 km) long and does not intersect any other highways outside of the main alignment of US 31W (which runs concurrently with US 60 in that area).^[8]

See also[]

• Roads in Louisville, Kentucky
• Roads in Nashville, Tennessee

References[]

External links[]

Media related to U.S. Route 31W at Wikimedia Commons

External links[]