Man o' War Boulevard
Encyclopedia
Man O' War
Man O' War, man o' war or manowar may refer to:* Man-of-war, a warship* Man of war for uses with this spelling - Places :...
, is a 17-mile (27 km) urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
arterial, circling Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
to its south. Its western terminus is at US 60 Versailles Road at Keeneland Race Course's main entrance, from which the highway heads southeast, intersecting with US 68 (Harrodsburg Road), US 27 (Nicholasville Road), and other roads. It then turns east and northeast, intersecting KY 1974 (Tates Creek Road), Alumni Drive, US 25/US 421 (Richmond Road), and I-75, before ending at US 60 (Winchester Road) at Brighton. The majority of the road is a four-lane divided highway
Divided Highway
Divided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...
with curb
Curb
Curb may refer to:* Curb , or kerb, the edge where a raised pavement/sidewalk/footpath, road median, or road shoulder meets an unraised street or other roadway.* Curb Records, a record label started by Mike Curb in 1973....
s and sidewalk
Sidewalk
A sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...
s maintained by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, but the 1.429-mile (2.300 km) portion east of I-75 is maintained by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is Kentucky's state-funded agency charged with building and maintaining U.S...
as Supplemental Road Kentucky Route 1425 (KY 1425), and only carries two lanes.
History
The idea of an outer southern bypass of Lexington first appeared in Lexington city plans in the 1930s as Tiverton Way. However, construction didnot begin on the road until 1973. The following year, the road was renamed Man o' War Boulevard. The first stretch of Man o' War, between Richmond Road
U.S. Route 25
U.S. Route 25 is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Brunswick, Georgia to the Ohio state line in Covington, Kentucky.-Georgia:...
and Palumbo Drive, opened as a two-lane road in 1975. In 1979, the highway was completed between Mount Tabor Road, now known as Alumni Drive, and Armstrong Mill Road. By November 1983, it was completed to Tates Creek Road and extended to Nicholasville Road
U.S. Route 27
U.S. Route 27 is a north–south United States highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 in Fort Wayne, Indiana...
one year later. In January 1985, Man o' War had been extended to Bold Bidder Drive and work was beginning on a segment to extend the road to Todds Road.
By 1986, it stretched from US 68 (Harrodsburg Road)
U.S. Route 68
U.S. Route 68 is an east–west United States highway that runs for from northwest Ohio to western Kentucky. The highway's western terminus is at U.S. Route 62 in Reidland, Kentucky. Its eastern terminus is at Interstate 75 in Findlay, Ohio...
to Armstrong Mill Road, a distance of a little over 10 miles (16 km). The entire facility was four-lanes divided by a raised grass median, except for the segment from Palumbo Drive to the terminus at Armstrong Mill Road, where it was two-lanes with turning lanes on four-lane right-of-way; that portion of Man o' War was widened in 1987 for $3.3 million.
The 2.4 mile (4 km) section from Armstrong Mill Road to Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
would be one of the costliest segments of the highway to be constructed, as it would feature an interchange at the interstate that was projected to cost $8.2 million. The right-of-way purchase from Palumbo Drive to Interstate 75 began in August 1986; construction was completed two years later. The alignment chosen followed south of Todds Road east of Armstrong Mill Road, then cross to the north side of Bryant Road and interchange with Interstate 75 approximately 200 feet north of the Bryant Road overpass.
The completion of the final segment, seven total , signaled the end of road work along Man o' War Boulevard. It was completed at a cost of $45 million, and was jointly constructed by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is Kentucky's state-funded agency charged with building and maintaining U.S...
and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.
When Man o' War Boulevard opened, it featured a 50 mph (80 km/h) speed limit and only a handful of traffic lights. Since suburban development has expanded southward in the past ten years, the number of traffic lights has dramatically increased. It now hosts a 45 mph (70 km/h) speed limit for most of its length, with the exception of KY 1968 (Parkers Mill Road) west to its western terminus.
From KY 1927 (Liberty Road and Todds Road) east to I-75, Man o' War Boulevard paralleled and replaced the existing KY 1425 (Bryant Road). The 0.987 miles (1.588 km) of KY 1927 west of I-75 were transferred to the county on July 6, 1990. Since then, the KYTC has renamed its remaining portion of Bryant Road to Man o' War Boulevard, but it remains a Supplemental Road, the lowest class of state highway, despite its increased importance.
Perceived problems
Dissatisfaction with Man o' War has been widespread in Lexington almost from the road's completion, despite its undeniable usefulness in connecting the rapidly growing suburban areas of southern Lexington to Interstate 75Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
. Common complaints are the number of traffic lights, the presence of high curbs, and the lack of breakdown lanes to prevent stalled or wrecked vehicles from blocking traffic.
Scotty Baesler
Scotty Baesler
Henry Scott Baesler is a Democratic politician and former Representative from Kentucky.Baesler graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1963 and from law school there in 1966. While at the University, Baesler played basketball under legendary coach Adolph Rupp...
, who was mayor of Lexington during most of the construction phase, argued in a 2007 interview with the city's daily newspaper, the Lexington Herald-Leader
Lexington Herald-Leader
The Lexington Herald-Leader is a newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and based in the U.S. city of Lexington, Kentucky. According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the Herald-Leaders paid circulation is the second largest in the Commonwealth of Kentucky...
, that much of this criticism was either unfair or the result of misconceptions. For example, he pointed out that Man o' War was not designed as a limited access freeway like the city's inner beltway, New Circle Road
New Circle Road
New Circle Road, also known as Kentucky Route 4, is a Kentucky state highway that serves as an inner beltway around Lexington, which is part of the consolidated city-county government with Fayette County....
, a highway to which many unfavorably compare Man o' War—it was intended as an urban arterial. He also added,
David Uckotter, who was the engineering director for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government during the road's construction, also noted that Man o' War had to be designed and built around numerous subdivisions that were sprouting throughout south Lexington in that era. He indicated that this dictated a 120-foot right-of-way, which left no room for breakdown lanes. Uckotter also added that at the time Man o' War was proposed, plans were on the table for a southern beltway similar to New Circle Road outside Man o' War, hugging the border between Lexington and Jessamine County
Jessamine County, Kentucky
Jessamine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is within the Inner Blue Grass region, which was the center of farming and blooded stock raising, including thoroughbred horses. It was formed in 1799. The population was 48,586 in the 2010 Census...
. These plans were dropped in the early 1980s, leaving Man o' War as Lexington's only circumferential road outside New Circle, which Uckotter contends has contributed to current problems with Man o' War.