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1952 – The first Hydrogen bomb is detonated at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific;
Elizabeth II is proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom;
and the “Today” show premieres on NBC television.
In Kentucky, the General Assembly authorizes funds for the construction of a 4-lane highway
from Louisville to Elizabethtown.
This 40-mile highway is called the Kentucky Turnpike and is the first modern toll road
in the Commonwealth.
Construction of the Kentucky Turnpike begins on July 25, 1954 and opens to traffic on August
1, 1956. The estimated cost for the project is $33.2 million.
Two toll plazas—one near Elizabethtown and the other east of Shepherdsville—collect
a toll of 10 cents per vehicle axle. During its operational lifetime, the Kentucky Turnpike
collects more than $83 million in tolls.
In 1963, the 76-mile Mountain Parkway and the 136-mile Western Kentucky Parkway open.
Eventually, a system of 10 parkways covers Kentucky—the last being the Cumberland Parkway,
which opens in late 1972.
In 1975, tolls are removed from the Kentucky Turnpike—eight years ahead of schedule.
Excess funds of $18 million are transferred to the Transportation fund so that the turnpike
may be upgraded to meet federal interstate standards.
The Kentucky Turnpike is now part of Interstate 65.
Celebrating a century of service and a legacy of leadership, this is the Kentucky Transportation
Cabinet.