U.S. Route 31E
Encyclopedia
U.S. Route 31E is the easternmost of two parallel routes for U.S. Highway 31 from Nashville
, Tennessee
, to Louisville
, Kentucky
. (At one time, it split with U.S. Highway 31W at Sellersburg, Indiana
, north of Louisville.)
and Gallatin, Tennessee
.
, Glasgow
, Hodgenville
, Bardstown
, New Haven
and Mount Washington, Kentucky
. It passes the entrance to Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site
near Hodgenville, through Barren River Lake State Resort Park
between Scottsville and Glasgow, and near My Old Kentucky Home
in Bardstown.
The highway intersects with the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway at Glasgow, with the Martha Layne Collins Blue Grass Parkway near Bardstown, Interstate 265
(Gene Snyder Freeway) in the outer suburbs of Louisville, and Interstate 264
(Watterson Expressway) in Louisville proper. It crosses U.S. Highway 68 at Glasgow and U.S. Highway 62 at Bardstown.
From Bardstown to Louisville, the highway overlaps with U.S. Highway 150. From Scottsville to a point about five miles (8 km) south of Westmoreland, Tennessee
, the highway overlaps with U.S. Highway 231.
The highway follows the approximate route of the earlier Jackson Highway
.
The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) adopted a resolution against split routes in 1934. In order to eliminate the split in US-31
between Nashville, Tennessee
, and Louisville, Kentucky
, AASHO commissioned U.S. Route 37, replacing US 31E from the Louisville area south to Glasgow, Kentucky
, where it then followed Kentucky Route 63 and several routes in Tennessee to Chattanooga
. The rest of US 31E from Glasgow to Nashville was assigned U.S. Route 143. This proposed route was extended southwest to Centerville
in 1938 and Jackson
in 1944 via State Route 100 and State Route 20. US 31W
would have become the main route of US 31.
Kentucky and Tennessee refused to accept the renumbering and never changed signage for the routes. In 1952, AASHO re-recognized the split, officially restoring the US 31E and US 31W designations.
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, to Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. (At one time, it split with U.S. Highway 31W at Sellersburg, Indiana
Sellersburg, Indiana
Sellersburg is a city located within Silver Creek Township, Clark County, Indiana, United States. It had a population of 6,128 at time of the 2010 census...
, north of Louisville.)
Tennessee
After its Nashville beginning, the highway passes through HendersonvilleHendersonville, Tennessee
Hendersonville is a city in Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 51,372 at the 2010 census. Hendersonville is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located 18 miles northeast of downtown Nashville. The city was settled around 1784 by...
and Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, along a navigable tributary of the Cumberland River. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. Named for U.S...
.
Kentucky
In Kentucky, it enters ScottsvilleScottsville, Kentucky
Scottsville is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 4,327 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Scottsville is located at ....
, Glasgow
Glasgow, Kentucky
Glasgow is a city in and the county seat of Barren County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 14,200 at the 2000 census. The city is well-known for its annual Scottish Highland Games. In 2007, Barren County was named the number one rural place to live by Progressive Farmer magazine...
, Hodgenville
Hodgenville, Kentucky
Hodgenville is a city in and the county seat of LaRue County, Kentucky, United States. It sits along the North Fork of the Nolin River. The population was 2,874 at the 2000 census...
, Bardstown
Bardstown, Kentucky
As of the census of 2010, there were 11,700 people, 4,712 households, and 2,949 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,113 housing units at an average density of...
, New Haven
New Haven, Kentucky
New Haven is a city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 849 at the 2000 census.New Haven was founded as Pottinger's Landing in 1781 and later named New Haven by Samuel Pottinger after the Connecticut town...
and Mount Washington, Kentucky
Mount Washington, Kentucky
Mount Washington is a city in northeast Bullitt County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,485 at the 2000 census. The estimated population as of 2006 was 11,761. It is located at what was once the crossroads of two stagecoach routes, which spurred early population growth and the...
. It passes the entrance to Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park preserves two farm sites where Abraham Lincoln lived as a child.In the fall of 1808, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln settled on Sinking Spring Farm. Two months later on February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born there in a one-room log cabin. Today...
near Hodgenville, through Barren River Lake State Resort Park
Barren River Lake State Resort Park
Barren River Lake State Resort Park is a 2,187 acre park located in Barren County, Kentucky and extending into parts of Allen County and Monroe County. Barren River Lake, its major feature, is an artificial lake created in 1964. It covers approximately 10,000 acres and has of shoreline...
between Scottsville and Glasgow, and near My Old Kentucky Home
My Old Kentucky Home State Park
My Old Kentucky Home State Park is a state park located in Bardstown, Kentucky. The park's centerpiece is Federal Hill, a former plantation built by United States Senator John Rowan in 1795. During Rowan's life, the mansion became a meeting place for local politicians and hosted several visiting...
in Bardstown.
The highway intersects with the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway at Glasgow, with the Martha Layne Collins Blue Grass Parkway near Bardstown, Interstate 265
Interstate 265
Interstate 265 is an Interstate Highway ringing the Louisville, Kentucky metropolitan area, which includes southern Indiana, although the Indiana and Kentucky segments remain separate at the present time. In Kentucky it only runs through Jefferson County, from Interstate 71 in northeastern...
(Gene Snyder Freeway) in the outer suburbs of Louisville, and Interstate 264
Interstate 264 (Kentucky)
The Henry Watterson Expressway, also known as the Georgia Davis Powers/Shawnee Expressway west of US 31W, is one of two Interstate Highways in the United States designated as Interstate 264 . It is 22.93 miles in length, and runs an open circle around central Louisville, Kentucky...
(Watterson Expressway) in Louisville proper. It crosses U.S. Highway 68 at Glasgow and U.S. Highway 62 at Bardstown.
From Bardstown to Louisville, the highway overlaps with U.S. Highway 150. From Scottsville to a point about five miles (8 km) south of Westmoreland, Tennessee
Westmoreland, Tennessee
Westmoreland is a town in Sumner County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,093 at the 2000 census. The town name originates from the historic English county Westmorland, now part of Cumbria.-Geography:...
, the highway overlaps with U.S. Highway 231.
The highway follows the approximate route of the earlier Jackson Highway
Jackson Highway
The Jackson Highway was a National Auto Trail in the United States connecting Chicago and New Orleans via Nashville. It was named after General and U.S...
.
History
U.S. Route 31
U.S. Route 31 is a long north–south highway connecting northern Michigan to southern Alabama, with its northern terminus at Interstate 75 near Mackinaw City, Michigan, and southern terminus at the combined U.S. Route 90 & U.S. Route 98 at Spanish Fort, Alabama...
between Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, and Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, AASHO commissioned U.S. Route 37, replacing US 31E from the Louisville area south to Glasgow, Kentucky
Glasgow, Kentucky
Glasgow is a city in and the county seat of Barren County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 14,200 at the 2000 census. The city is well-known for its annual Scottish Highland Games. In 2007, Barren County was named the number one rural place to live by Progressive Farmer magazine...
, where it then followed Kentucky Route 63 and several routes in Tennessee to Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
. The rest of US 31E from Glasgow to Nashville was assigned U.S. Route 143. This proposed route was extended southwest to Centerville
Centerville, Tennessee
Centerville is a town in Hickman County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,793 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hickman County. It is probably best known for being the hometown of country comedian Minnie Pearl...
in 1938 and Jackson
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...
in 1944 via State Route 100 and State Route 20. US 31W
U.S. Route 31W
U.S. Route 31W is the westernmost of two parallel routes for U.S. Route 31 from Nashville, Tennessee to Louisville, Kentucky. At one time, it split with U.S...
would have become the main route of US 31.
Kentucky and Tennessee refused to accept the renumbering and never changed signage for the routes. In 1952, AASHO re-recognized the split, officially restoring the US 31E and US 31W designations.
Major Intersections
- Interstate 264Interstate 264Interstate 264 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to Interstate 64:*Interstate 264 , a bypass of Louisville, Kentucky...
in Louisville - Interstate 265Interstate 265Interstate 265 is an Interstate Highway ringing the Louisville, Kentucky metropolitan area, which includes southern Indiana, although the Indiana and Kentucky segments remain separate at the present time. In Kentucky it only runs through Jefferson County, from Interstate 71 in northeastern...
in Louisville - Martha Layne Collins Blue Grass Parkway in Bardstown
- Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway in Glasgow
- US 31W in Nashville