Gov. Ernie Fletcher was on hand Wednesday afternoon for the dedication of the route Interstate 66 will take through Barren County.
I-66, a corridor spanning from the Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia to the Mississippi River Valley, will follow the path of the Louie B. Nunn Parkway.
"I-66 will help us bring in more tourists," he told a group who had gathered for the dedication ceremony at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's maintenance garage on Cavalry Drive in Glasgow. "It will help us open parts of the state that haven't been as open. When I first took office, we had this vision: safe, reliable transportation that supports Kentucky's future, improved economic growth and an overall improved quality of life."
And Fletcher, along with other state officials, believe I-66 accomplishes that goal.
"The I-66 corridor supports the idea to bring new growth to all people of Kentucky," said Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Bill Nighbert.
It will provide "opportunity for the young people of southern Kentucky by creating the potential for new jobs," he said.
It will also improve safety for motorists in reducing travel time and link three major north-south corridors -- I-65, I-75, and I-81, Nighbert said.
USA Today Thursday March 03, 2005 Study Shows Rural Roads Are Most Deadly Study Relating How Travel On Rural Roads Is More Deadly Than Interstate Travel
Bowling Green Daily News Saturday March 05, 2005 Options for I-66 (Bowling Green Bypass) Laid Out Story Regarding Current Studies of the Proposed Beltline Around Bowling Green, KY
Gov. Ernie Fletcher was on hand Wednesday afternoon for the dedication of the route Interstate 66 will take through Barren County.