End of US highway 42 |
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Summa
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As of 2020, US 42 measured 350.1 miles in total length.
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The north end of US 42 is in Cleveland (despite the fact that it is numbered as an east-west highway, it is signed north-south in Ohio). US 42 was an original 1926 highway, but at that time it ran from Cleveland only to Cincinnati. In 1932, the west end of US 42 was extended to Louisville. At the time neither US 60 nor US 31E followed the same routings they do today, so US 42 ended right downtown at its junction with US 31:
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Sanderson, July 2007
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That was looking west on Main Street at 2nd Street, where US 42 ended historically. These shots were both taken looking north on 2nd:
c. 1945 (linked to source)
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Sanderson, July 2007
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Ahead is the US 31 bridge over the Ohio River into Jeffersonville IN. To the right on Main was the historic beginning of US 42 after 1932.
Some later maps, such as the one shown here, suggest that US 42 may have been extended west to 22nd Street, in order to junction US 31W... |
c. 1939, KYDoT
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...but the Jefferson County map from the same timeframe does not show that:
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c. 1937, KYDoT
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So US 42 probably ended at 2nd until sometime in the 1950s, when the designation was extended south from Main via Clay Street. Later this movement was changed to a one-way couplet consisting of Shelby Street (southbound) and Logan/Campbell streets (northbound). That was the situation illustrated on this map:
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c. 1962, KYDoT
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From there (per 1950s USGS topos), US 42 continued west on Breckinridge Street, then south again on 3rd Street, all the way to the University of Louisville campus. The route ended at Eastern Parkway, where it junctioned US 60 Alternate. Not far north of there, northbound traffic shifts one block to the east, on 2nd, and from there, US 42 continued by turning right (east) on Kentucky Street. Sometime in the 1960s (again according to USGS maps), US 42 was removed from the 2nd/3rd couplet, so Kentucky at 2nd became the west beginning of US 42, and Breckinridge at 3rd became the west end.
In the 1970s US 42 was truncated to its current terminus east of downtown: |
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US 42 comes into Louisville from the east on Brownsboro Road. The right edge of that map illustrates how traffic is split into one-ways. At the I-64 underpass, what is now the last US 42 sign is posted:
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Mortell, Mar. 2010
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As drivers continue west on Story Avenue, they would formerly see these signs:
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Elkins
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Elkins
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As of 2015, the 31E sign is still there, but badly faded; all that remains of the 60-42 assembly is the "West" tab. Anyway, in addition to "West US 60", that sign should have included a reference to "North US 31E", as well as "End US 42". That same median is visible in this photo, which was taken looking the opposite direction (east on Main):
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Elkins
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That shows both the west end of US 42 (coming towards the camera at left is Story) and the west beginning of US 42 (heading away from the camera behind the median is Main Street, which becomes Mellwood Avenue). Story is also westbound US 60, and Main/Mellwood is also eastbound US 60. Off to the right side is Baxter. Northbound US 31E traffic on Baxter would be directed to take a left, towards the camera, joining Main. Southbound US 31E traffic joins Baxter via Market Street (one block to the right).
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This last photo shows the first US 42 sign heading east, a little further down Main/Mellwood from the spot shown in the photo above:
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Sanderson, July 2007
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Research and/or photo credits: Nathan Edgars; H.B. Elkins; Robert Mortell; J.P. Nasiatka; Mike Page; Mike Roberson; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa
Page originally created 2000;
last updated June 25, 2020.
last updated June 25, 2020.
