History
The Breathitt Parkway, as with all nine parkways, was originally a toll road. By Kentucky state law, toll collection ceases when enough toll has been collected or funds received from other sources, such as a legislative appropriation, to pay off the construction bonds for the parkway. In the case of the Breathitt, toll booths were removed in 1992 when bonds were paid off ten years ahead of schedule.
A section near the middle of the parkway, in the Madisonville area, was free from tolls from the road's opening; this section was also signed as U.S. 41. The 41 designation has since been removed and applied to the former U.S. Highway 41A through Madisonville and other nearby cities; this road was the original U.S. 41 before the parkway opened. This redesignation followed a horrendous blizzard on January 17, 1994, which forced the Governor of Kentucky to close all Interstates and limited access highways in the state. Heavy trucks were forced to take U.S. 41-A through downtown Madisonville for a week, snarling local traffic.
Read more about this topic: Pennyrile Parkway
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)