724. Signs, signs, everywhere a sign - a test

Entry number 724 could have been about a number of things. It could have been something about my feelings on the demise of the casino bill in the General Assembly, but it isn't. It could have been something on the local Democratic Party reorganization that has, somehow, consumed me in recent days, but it isn't. It could have been about the numbers themselves, 7-2-4, which are significant to me in that my friend Rob died on July 24 and I mention him each year on that date, but it isn't. It could have been about my recent trip to Leitchfield with my friend Elizabeth Sawyer, and her discussion with the Grayson County Democratic Women's Club. I do want to write about that trip - there was a cave I noticed along the northern side of KY 920, the old Salt River Road from Leitchfield to Flaherty, as we took the road less travelled on the way down to the destination. It was aside a bridge over a creek in Grayson County and I have never noticed it before and want to see it again. But, it isn't. That is a story for another day.

So, today's entry will be a test, something we do every now and then here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606. This one is specific to Jefferson County so it may be difficult to those readers outside of what is officially known as Louisville-Jefferson County Metro. The test isn't long, but it probably will prove difficult.

All of us who drive the streets and lanes of our county see a plethora of signs, most of which we summarily ignore as there are so many of them everyone and most of them serve some specific purpose not applicalbe to us at the time. The ones to really watch for are when you can and cannot park on the city's streets. It is useful to know the difference between a "No Parking" sign and a "No Stopping" sign. The latter prohibits parking entirely although one such sign is daily ignored by the LMPD who park their cars on 7th Street just south of Congress Alley in clear violation of the law. Complaints about this illegal parking, which prohibits drivers exitting Congress Alley - for the non-Louisvillians, it should be noted that Congress Alley at this point isn't an alley at all but a three-lane wide artery - westward from seeing cars headed northward on 7th, have gone unheeded by the LMPD's chief's office. I intend to speak to the new chief, Steve Conrad, about this as soon as I get a chance. But, I digress.

The signs that many of us ignore are those that tell us what route we are on, routes such as I-64, US60, or KY 1020. In Jefferson County, with only a few exceptions, we do not officially call streets by their route numbers, something more typical in other counties and especially rural counties. There are, to my knowledge, two excpetions to this rule - one road known by its US highway designation, and one known by its Kentucky highway designations. So, that is our little quiz for the day - identifying highway route intersections by their commonly known names. The first two questions I've already given, but will again below as #1 and #2. See how many you know, but don't cheat by using a map. Again, all answers are somewhere in Jefferson County.

To wit:

1. What is the US highway route number which serves as the name of a street from a point just outside, or northeast, of the Watterson Expressway?

2. What is the Kentucky highway route number for this street which begins with a "real" name in the Highlands area but changes names to a three-digit highway route for its final two miles in the county?

3. What is the single streetname which is applied to roads carrying a US highway designation, a two-digit Kentucky highway designation, and a four-digit Kentucky highway designation, although no two at the same time, and for a while has no highway route designation at all, but did at one time?

The rest are "Identify the Intersection" questions. I will give you two highway routes - you tell me the streets forming their intersection.

4. US 31 and US 60

5. US 42 and KY 3222

6. KY 146 and KY 2050

7. KY 1116 and KY 2053

8. KY 1142 and KY 1931

9. KY 1230 and KY 1849

10. KY 1447 and KY 1932

11. KY 1531 and KY 1819

12. KY 1703 and KY 2860

13. KY 1747 and KY 2052

14. KY 1865 and KY 2055

15. KY 1934 and KY 2054

More Difficult

16. KY 1851 and KY 2317

Much More Difficult

17. What is the name of the road numbered as KY 2803 ?

18. Where is the location of the road numbered as KY 6298 ?

Trick Questions

19. Which is higher - US 31 or KY 3077 ? Regular readers of the blog and/or my Facebook page should at least get part of this answer.

20. Where is US 31 and/or KY 3077 ? Regular readers of the blog and/or my Facebook page should at least get part of this answer.

List your answers in the Comments section of the blog. Thanks.