| State: | KY |
| Type: | I |
| Route: | 75 |
| Map Custom: | yes |
| Map Notes: | I-75 highlighted in red |
| Length Mi: | 191.78 |
| Length Ref: | [1] |
| Established: | 1960s[2] |
| Direction A: | South |
| Terminus A: | at Tennessee state line near Williamsburg |
| Terminus B: | at Ohio state line in Covington |
| Junction: | |
| Direction B: | North |
| Counties: | Whitley, Laurel, Rockcastle, Madison, Fayette, Scott, Grant, Boone, Kenton |
| Previous Type: | KY |
| Previous Route: | 74 |
| Next Type: | KY |
| Next Route: | 76 |
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs 1786.47miles from Miami Lakes, Florida to the Canada–United States border at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. In the U.S. state of Kentucky, I-75 runs through the eastern half of the state, from the Tennessee state line near the city of Williamsburg to the Ohio state line near Covington. The Interstate serves the state's second-most populous city, Lexington. Outside of it, the route is mostly rural or suburban in nature, mainly providing access to other cities via state and U.S. Highways. The major landscapes traversed by I-75 include the rolling hills and mountains of the Cumberland Plateau, the flat Bluegrass region, the urban core of Lexington, and the highly urbanized suburbs of Northern Kentucky; it also very briefly crosses through the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield at its southernmost stretch and passes near the Daniel Boone National Forest in London.
Of the six states which I-75 passes through, the segment in Kentucky is the second-shortest, at 191.78miles long. I-75 parallels the older U.S. Route 25 (US 25) and U.S. Route 25E (US 25E) corridors for its entire length in Kentucky. The Interstate was part of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, with a section of it from the Ohio River at Covington to an unknown location north of Richmond being the first segment of the Interstate Highway, opened in 1957. Unfinished portions of the highway were eventually completed in increments, with the very last section being opened in 1970. Due to the rapid growth and high traffic volume in the Lexington metropolitan area and Northern Kentucky, many widening projects and renovations have been undertaken on I-75 since then. The Interstate has one auxiliary route, I-275, a beltway encircling Cincinnati.
As with all other Interstate, US, and state highways in Kentucky, I-75 is maintained by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for its entire length. Annual average daily traffic counts in 2022 ranged from a peak of 196,929 vehicles per day concurrent with I-71 at the I-275 interchange in Erlanger to a low of 33,001 vehicles per day from Williamsburg to the Tennessee state line.[3] The route is designated as the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Trail for its entire length.[4]
I-75 enters Whitley County, Kentucky from Tennessee near the city of Williamsburg. Skirting the foothills of the Cumberland Plateau, the Interstate briefly parallels Clear Fork and crosses it before reaching the welcome center.[5] [6] Curving left, I-75 crosses Clear Fork again near Saxton and begins paralleling US 25W. 8miles later, I-75 reaches its first interchange in the state with KY 92 for downtown Williamsburg.[7] I-75 then meanders through more mountainous terrain and passes by a water plant before straightening out and crossing the Cumberland River.[8] The Interstate then directly intersects with US 25W containing a roundabout at the interchange.[9] It continues on for 10miles and reaches the city of Corbin where it once again meets US 25W (Cumberland Falls Highway) providing access to the Corbin campus of Eastern Kentucky University. I-75 bypasses Corbin to the west and heads slightly to the east through forests to cross the Laurel River, a branch of the Laurel River Lake, and enters Laurel County.[10] [11] From here, it reaches an interchange for access to US 25 for the first time and US 25E near Corbin. North of the interchange, the Interstate crosses the Laurel River once more. Beyond this, I-75 continues for about 1mile or so before crossing over the Little Laurel River, a tributary of the Laurel River and reaching a truck weigh station.[12] Another 4miles pass by before I-75 reaches London and intersects with KY 192. From here, I-75 avoids London to the west and briefly after that, intersects KY 80 (which carries a part of the Hal Rogers Parkway). Just after this interchange, I-75 closely parallels US 25 from East Bernstadt. The Interstate makes a sharp turn to the west and nears the Daniel Boone National Forest. Near the Wood Creek Lake reservoir, I-75 approaches Livingston and provides indirect access to US 25 via KY 909.Continuing northwest, I-75 crosses the Rockcastle River, entering Rockcastle County.[13] [14] The Interstate turns a bit north and parallels a small stream for 9miles before reaching a direct interchange with US 25. I-75 then turns northwest again and meets US 25 a second time. Bypassing Mount Vernon to the north, I-75 passes along the shoreline of Lake Linville and continues to parallel US 25. Approximately 10miles after this, the Interstate enters the rocky Pottsville Escarpment to reach Madison County and from here, descends into the flat Bluegrass region.[15] I-75 has an interchange with KY 21 (Paint Lick Road) near the city of Berea. After avoiding Berea to the west, I-75 passes through rural fields before milepost 83, where it reaches the city of Richmond and has an exit for KY 2872 (Duncannon Lane) and passes right near a Buc-ee's truck stop.[16] As it approaches the downtown area of Richmond, I-75 avoids it and passes off the flagship campus of Eastern Kentucky University. The route then hits suburban development and intersects with US 25/US 421 (Robert R. Martin Bypass). Here, I-75 curves northwest and then back north as it parallels US 25/US 421. At milepost 97, it meets US 25/US 421 (Lexington Road) again, but this time starts a brief concurrency with the U.S. Highways. The three routes turn northwest to cross the Kentucky River on the Clays Ferry Bridge and enter Fayette County.[17] [18] I-75 then separates from both U.S. Highways and turns slightly northwest to enter Lexington.
As it approaches Lexington, I-75 gradually begins entering the commercial developments of the city. After passing the neighborhood of Autumn Ridge, its first interchange in downtown is with Man o' War Boulevard.[19] It then stays in a northwest direction as it also passes near a hospital part of Baptist Health. The Interstate turns to the north and has an interchange with US 60 (Winchester Road), which leads to downtown. I-75 curves northwest again and has an interchange with I-64, which merges with I-75, beginning a concurrency and retaining I-75's exit numbers. The highways jog northwest through more of the city's commercial developments before reaching a parclo interchange with US 27/US 68 (North Broadway). I-64/I-75 stays northwest passing some of Lexington's neighborhoods such as Radcliffe, Joyland, and Winburn before meeting KY 922 (Newtown Pike) for the Bluegrass Parkway and Blue Grass Airport. From here, the routes head almost entirely west before I-64 splits from I-75 to head for Frankfort and Louisville while I-75 continues north through rural terrain. Its next interchange roughly 1miles after that is with KY 1973 (Iron Works Pike), providing indirect access to US 25, before entering Scott County a short distance later and crossing a stream known as Cane Run.[20] Exiting the Lexington urban area and meandering its way through farmland, I-75 makes a turn to the northeast, then the northwest as it crosses the north branch of the Elkhorn Creek approaching Georgetown. Its first interchange there is with US 460 (Paris Pike) and then it immediately intersects with US 62 (Cherry Blossom Way). After its interchange with Lexus Way (exit 127), the Interstate reaches a rest area and interchanges with KY 620 (Cherry Blossom Way) a short distance later.[21] The northbound lanes then reach a truck weigh station as I-75 begins paralleling US 25 again.[22] I-75 passes through lush greenery and farmland, then crosses a branch of the Eagle Creek to reach an interchange with KY 32 near Sadieville. As I-75 bypasses Sadieville to the west, it crosses the main Eagle Creek and continues through rural land, entering Grant County and coming very close to the border with Owen County as well.[23] [24] At milepost 144, it intersects KY 330 and passes along the shoreline of a nearby lake and after 8miles, has an interchange with KY 36 for Owenton and Williamstown. The Interstate passes by more lush farmland for another 5miles to Dry Ridge, where it meets KY 22/KY 467 (Broadway Street), which both serve the downtown area. I-75 heads in a relatively straight direction north of the interchange, and passes the side of Boltz Lake for another 7miles to Crittenden, where an interchange with KY 491 (Violet Road) appears. A short distance from here, the southbound lanes have a truck weigh station while I-75 turns back to the northwest. It briefly enters Kenton County then crosses into Boone County in quick succession.[25]
In Walton, I-75 interchanges with KY 16 for the city's district. 2miles after this, it reaches the interchange with I-71, which heads southbound for Louisville. I-71 joins I-75 in a concurrency, with both routes heading due north. Their first junction together is a diverging diamond interchange with KY 338 (Richwood Drive) for Richwood and Union. As I-71/I-75 passes the interchange, it enters Northern Kentucky and the Cincinnati metropolitan area. From here, it passes Florence and interchanges with KY 536 (Mount Zion Road) and rolls by the campus of Gateway Community and Technical College. The route continues through more suburban development and at milepost 180, reaches a parclo interchange with US 42/US 127 for downtown Florence. As it bypasses the city to the west, I-71/I-75 has a southbound interchange for Mall Road, which connects to Florence Mall.[26] Passing near the mall and the Florence Y'all Water Tower, I-71/I-75 makes a turn to the northeast and has an interchange with KY 18 (Burlington Pike). The highway then veers even more northeast for approximately a mile while entering Kenton County again in the process. It has a parclo interchange with KY 236 (Commonwealth Avenue) and reaches a stack interchange with the long I-275 beltway.[27] From here, I-71/I-75 continues for some distance, has a parclo with KY 371 (Buttermilk Pike), and then alternates between northeast and east directions for the next several miles. In the meantime, it bypasses both Fort Mitchell and Fort Wright to the north and has an interchange with US 25/US 42/US 127 upon entering Covington, then parallels them. I-71/I-75 turns back north and descends a steep incline, known as "Cut-in-the-Hill" for an interchange with 12th Street and 5th Street, both heading for the downtown area. After passing the many neighborhoods of Covington, I-71/I-75 crosses the Ohio River via the lower level of the Brent Spence Bridge (southbound traffic uses the upper level) into Hamilton County, Ohio and the city of Cincinnati.[28]
The stretch through Covington originally included hills and curves steeper than those recommended for Interstate Highway standards. As a result, the northbound descent into Cincinnati, known as Cut-in-the-Hill, was nicknamed "Death Hill".[29] It is a steep descent into the valley of the Ohio River between Kyles Lane and the Brent Spence Bridge leading into Downtown Cincinnati.[30] The hill is known for its high number of automobile accidents.[31] [32] In 2006, the Cut-in-the-Hill averaged over seven times more accidents when compared to similar roadways in Kentucky. At the Cut-in-the-Hill, the northbound road takes a sharp left turn into a steep grade down to the Ohio River - about 370feet in 4miles.[33] Accidents are usually attributed to a combination of speeding, curvy lanes, poor weather, longer stopping times for trucks traveling downhill, and traffic congestion. The area earned the sobriquet "Death Hill"[34] shortly after I-75 opened in 1962. By 1968, a total of 23 people died in crashes on the hill, so a concrete wall was installed to separate northbound and southbound traffic. The wall helped reduce fatal crashes, but accidents continued, and, in 1977, the hill averaged 583 automobile accidents per year.
In 1986, a tractor-trailer lost control, leading to an accident that caused a Northern Kentucky University student to burn to death in his car. As a result, Governor Martha Layne Collins banned most northbound tractor-trailer traffic from the hill. From 1989 until 1994, $50 million (equivalent to $ in) in reconstruction was spent to straighten the hill's S-curve and add a fourth lane for southbound traffic, and, in 1995, the truck ban was lifted. Also as part of the reconstruction, ramps were added at Pike Street to give complete access, while an interchange with Jefferson and Euclid avenues was obliterated. In 2006, the hill and the Brent Spence Bridge saw 151 crashes in the northbound direction and 121 crashes in the southbound direction, totaling 272 in all.[35] To help reduce the number of accidents, a flashing "Steep Grade" sign was installed and a Kentucky State Police trooper was assigned to patrol just the Cut-in-the-Hill. Additionally, eight radar speed signs were installed in 2007 to remind motorists to drive a safer speed.[36] The Cut-in-the-Hill was originally designed to carry up to 80,000 vehicles per day, but, in 2006, it carried 155,000 daily. Kentucky officials are reportedly working to raise more than $2 billion to replace the section of highway, but,, no construction is planned.