# AA Highway

The AA Highway is a 135.665-mile-long (218.332 km) state highway maintained by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The mainline route parallels the Ohio River from Interstate 275 (I-275) in Wilder to Vanceburg; it is cosigned as Kentucky Route (KY 9). From Vanceburg, the highway splits into two routes, with the southern spur using the KY 9 designation and continuing to Grayson and I-64, and the eastern spur using the designation of KY 10 and continuing to Greenup. The AA is mostly a two-lane rural highway that provides the only direct connection between Ashland and Northern Kentucky, which includes Cincinnati.
The route name is a contraction of its earlier name of the Alexandria to Ashland Highway, which referenced two cities connected by the highway: Alexandria in Northern Kentucky and (via I-64) Ashland in Eastern Kentucky. The route is officially known as the John Y. Brown Jr. AA Highway, named for politician and entrepreneur.
While the highway passes through terrain that is rolling to hilly, the highway is generally level with moderate grades and no steep grades. Except for Carter County, all counties that the AA Highway passes through border the Ohio River. While the AA Highway is not an expressway, it nonetheless serves as the shortest highway link between Cincinnati and Ashland, Kentucky. As such, it provides a link between Cincinnati and other Midwestern cities such as Chicago, Indianapolis, and Dayton and cities south and east of Ashland such as Huntington and Charleston in West Virginia, Charlottesville and Richmond in Virginia, and Charlotte and Winston-Salem in North Carolina.
The only municipalities on the highway are Vanceburg and Maysville and suburban areas of Cincinnati at its western terminus. Those areas are also the only areas with any services used by motorists such as motels, gas stations, restaurants, convenience stores, etc. The only traffic signals on the AA Highway are near Maysville (along a commercial strip with many retail establishments and restaurants), suburban Cincinnati, and at its eastern terminus just north of Interstate 64 near Grayson. There are no rest areas on the AA Highway. Other than the portions that traverse the edge of Maysville and enter suburban Cincinnati, there are no shopping centers or major retail stores along the AA Highway.
The AA Highway is a rural two-lane highway for most of its length and traverses through some desolate terrain. Driver inattention and speeding, in combination with the numerous side road entrances and at-grade intersections have made it a dangerous and deadly road. To address these issues, guide signs comparable to interstate-styled signs have been installed along the highway at major intersections, along with additional overhead lighting. Other measures to improve safety and increase capacity are under consideration.

## Route description

The AA Highway follows a general northwest–southeast orientation. It begins at an interchange with I-275 in Wilder in Campbell County and is designated as KY 9–AA Highway. The route then passes the outskirts of its namesake Alexandria. Within Campbell County, the road is a four-lane arterial highway. Note that the KY 9 route begins about five miles (8.0 km) north in Newport before it is designated as the AA.
The next segment passes through a remote, hilly region where the road is generally three lanes, with a passing lane present at uphill grades.
A few miles west of Maysville, the highway runs concurrently with KY 10, and the road becomes an arterial highway again. The concurrency ends within Maysville, and upon passing out of the city, the road becomes a two-lane rural highway through an agricultural region.
KY 9 then crosses the Allegheny Escarpment into the Appalachian Mountains at the same time that another concurrency with KY 10 begins. The remainder of KY 9 passes through mountainous terrain and is generally two lanes with periodic passing lanes. After passing through Vanceburg, the AA Highway follows two routes. The first follows KY 9, which turns southeasterly away from the Ohio River and towards Grayson. The KY 9-AA Highway ends at an intersection with KY 1 and KY 7, which provides a short connection to I-64 and access to Ashland.
The second route follows KY 10, which continues to parallel the Ohio River. The AA Highway designation of KY 10 terminates at US Route 23 (US 23), which provides connections to Greenup and Ashland. The KY 10 route continues without the AA designation for about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) before terminating at the Ohio border on the Jesse Stuart Memorial Bridge.

## History

The AA Highway was envisioned as a modern highway from Alexandria to Ashland.
Construction began in 1985 on the first segment of the AA Highway. Estimated to cost $266 million (equivalent to $640 million in 2023) to complete, it was designed primarily as a two-lane controlled-access facility. The first phase included the construction of 86 miles (138 km) of the AA Highway from the junction of I-275 and Licking Pike (existing KY 9) in Campbell County east to Vanceburg. The first phase also included the design of two 25-mile-long (40 km) spurs running east from Vanceburg, one ending at US 23 near Lloyd and the Jesse Stuart Memorial Bridge, the other ending near I-64 in Grayson.
When construction began, the costs for the first phase had risen to $292.7 million; the state had sold $300 million in bonds to pay for it. Segments of the highway, from Clarksburg just west of Vanceburg to Tollesboro was routed on an earlier relocated alignment of KY 10.
It officially opened in 1995; however, it was not formally dedicated until 2003.
* Signage for exit 77 on I-275; northern terminus of AA Highway
* AA Highway in Cold Spring
* AA Highway in Maysville
* Aerial view of the AA Highway southern spur in Carter County

### Numbering changes

The AA Highway including the Greenup spur was originally designated as KY 546, and the Grayson spur was signed as KY 694. On May 26, 1988, the designation, "AA Highway", was proposed to be signed along with KY 546 and KY 694. A few years later, this designation was put in place with the AA Highway being co-signed with KY 546 and KY 694, however, many motorists were soon confused by the ever-changing designations.
To solve this issue, the AA Highway was renumbered in late 1995. The AA Highway including the Grayson spur was renumbered KY 9, and the Greenup spur was renumbered as KY 10. KY 10 also overlaps portions of the AA Highway throughout the entire highway's existence. Old KY 9 in Campbell County was renumbered as KY 915, and old KY 10 between Vanceburg and South Portsmouth was redesignated as KY 8.

## Major intersections
### Mainline AA Highway

| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| Lewis | ​ | 26.310 | 42.342 | AA Hwy (KY 9) south / KY 1149 south to I-64 – Grayson AA Hwy (KY 10) east – South Shore, Greenup, Ashland | Southern terminus of AA Highway mainline; AA Highway continues as southern spur designated KY 9 and eastern spur designated KY 10 |
| Lewis | ​ | 27.265 | 43.879 | KY 1149 north | Northern end of KY 1149 concurrency |
| Lewis | Vanceburg | 29.467 | 47.423 | KY 59 – Olive Hill, Vanceburg | |
| Lewis | ​ | 31.011 | 49.907 | KY 2523 north | Southern terminus of KY 2523 |
| Lewis | Clarksburg | 32.827 | 52.830 | KY 3037 north | Southern terminus of KY 3037 |
| Lewis | Charters | 36.815 | 59.248 | KY 989 south | Northern terminus of KY 989 |
| Lewis | Ribolt | 42.518 | 68.426 | KY 10 west | Northern end of KY 10 concurrency |
| Lewis | ​ | 46.642 | 75.063 | KY 57 – Flemingsburg, Tollesboro | |
| Mason | ​ | 49.685 | 79.960 | KY 1234 east | Southern end of KY 1234 concurrency |
| Mason | ​ | 50.078 | 80.593 | KY 1237 | |
| Mason | ​ | 50.222 | 80.824 | KY 1234 west | Northern end of KY 1234 concurrency |
| Mason | ​ | 50.979 | 82.043 | KY 3161 north | Southern terminus of KY 3161 |
| Mason | ​ | 53.261 | 85.715 | KY 1449 – Orangeburg | |
| Mason | ​ | 55.955 | 90.051 | KY 3313 | |
| Mason | ​ | 56.832 | 91.462 | KY 1448 east | Southern end of KY 1448 concurrency |
| Mason | Maysville | 57.040 | 91.797 | KY 11 / KY 1448 west – Flemingsburg, Maysville | Northern end of KY 1448 concurrency |
| Mason | Maysville | 58.451 | 94.068 | KY 1448 | |
| Mason | Maysville | 59.736 | 96.136 | US 62 / KY 10 – Lexington, Maysville | Southern end of KY 10 concurrency |
| Mason | Maysville | 61.875 | 99.578 | US 68 – Lexington, Aberdeen, OH, Ripley, OH | Interchange |
| Mason | ​ | 65.378 | 105.216 | KY 3056 east | Western terminus of KY 3056 |
| Mason | ​ | 65.606 | 105.583 | KY 10 west – Germantown | Northern end of KY 10 concurrency |
| Mason | ​ | 66.545 | 107.094 | KY 435 – Minerva | |
| Bracken | ​ | 72.799 | 117.159 | KY 2370 (Dutch Ridge Road) | |
| Bracken | ​ | 74.567 | 120.004 | KY 19 – Brooksville, Augusta, Mount Olivet, Augusta Historic District | |
| Bracken | ​ | 76.772 | 123.553 | KY 875 – Chatham, Gertrude | |
| Bracken | Woolcott | 79.280 | 127.589 | KY 1159 – Brooksville, Mount Olivet | |
| Bracken | ​ | 82.606 | 132.941 | KY 1109 – Bradford, Johnsville | |
| Bracken | ​ | 85.877 | 138.206 | KY 1019 – Lenoxburg, Foster | |
| Bracken | ​ | 87.830 | 141.349 | KY 2228 east to KY 8 – Foster | Western terminus of KY 2228 |
| Pendleton | ​ | 89.174 | 143.512 | KY 159 south – Kincaid Lake State Park | Northern terminus of KY 159 |
| Pendleton | ​ | 91.711 | 147.595 | KY 154 to KY 8 – Peach Grove | |
| Campbell | ​ | 93.717 | 150.823 | KY 2828 east (Ivor Road) – Carntown | Western terminus of KY 2828 |
| Campbell | Flagg Spring | 94.941 | 152.793 | KY 735 to KY 10 – Mentor | |
| Campbell | ​ | 99.316 | 159.834 | KY 1996 (Carthage Road) | |
| Campbell | ​ | 101.238 | 162.927 | KY 1997 to KY 10 / KY 547 | |
| Campbell | ​ | 103.405 | 166.414 | KY 547 – Alexandria, Silver Grove | Interchange |
| Campbell | ​ | 105.348 | 169.541 | KY 709 west (East Alexandria Pike) | |
| Campbell | Cold Spring | 107.148 | 172.438 | US 27 | Interchange (exit 14) |
| Campbell | Cold Spring | 109.337 | 175.961 | KY 915 south (Licking Pike) to KY 10 | Northern terminus of KY 915 |
| Campbell | Wilder | 109.755 | 176.634 | KY 1998 east | Western terminus of KY 1998 |
| Campbell | Wilder | 111.037 | 178.697 | I-275 east to I-471 I-275 west to I-71 – Airport KY 9 north – Newport | I-275 exit 77; northern terminus of AA Highway; KY 9 continues north into Newport |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus ||||||

### Southern spur (KY 9 to I-64)

| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| Carter | ​ | 0.000 | 0.000 | KY 1 / KY 7 to I-64 – Grayson, Greenbo Lake State Resort Park, Grayson Lake State Park | Southern terminus of KY 9 and southern spur of AA Highway |
| Carter | ​ | 1.078 | 1.735 | KY 1959 | |
| Carter | ​ | 5.486 | 8.829 | KY 7 south | Southern end of KY 7 concurrency |
| Carter | ​ | 6.498 | 10.458 | KY 7 north – Carter City | Northern end of KY 7 concurrency |
| Carter | ​ | 11.324 | 18.224 | KY 2 / KY 7 – Carter City | |
| Carter | ​ | 12.821 | 20.633 | KY 1773 east | Northern terminus of KY 1773 |
| Lewis | ​ | 22.690 | 36.516 | KY 1149 south | Southern end of KY 1149 concurrency |
| Lewis | ​ | 22.899 | 36.852 | KY 1306 north | Western terminus of KY 1306 |
| Lewis | ​ | 26.310 | 42.342 | AA Hwy (KY 9) north / KY 10 west / KY 1149 north – Vanceburg, Maysville, Alexandria AA Hwy (KY 10) east – South Shore, Greenup, Ashland | Northern terminus of AA Highway southern spur; Mainline AA Highway continues north on KY 9; AA Highway eastern spur continues east on KY 10 |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus ||||||

### Eastern spur (KY 10)

| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| Lewis | ​ | 91.581 | 147.385 | AA Hwy (KY 9) north / KY 10 west – Vanceburg, Maysville, Alexandria AA Hwy (KY 9) south / KY 1149 south to I-64 – Grayson, Carter Caves State Resort Park | Western terminus of AA Highway eastern spur; Mainline AA Highway continues north on KY 9; AA Highway southern spur continues south on KY 9 |
| Lewis | ​ | 93.473 | 150.430 | KY 3020 west (Ronald Reagan Memorial Parkway) – Vanceburg | Eastern terminus of KY 3020 |
| Lewis | ​ | 96.879 | 155.912 | KY 1306 (Kinney Road) – Garrison | |
| Lewis | ​ | 99.158 | 159.579 | KY 3311 (Montgomery Road) | |
| Lewis | ​ | 99.985 | 160.910 | To KY 8 – Quincy, Portsmouth, OH, South Shore | |
| Lewis | ​ | 102.191 | 164.460 | KY 1021 (Briary Road) | |
| Greenup | ​ | 105.178 | 169.268 | KY 784 (Shultz Road) | |
| Greenup | ​ | 108.181 | 174.100 | KY 784 south | Western end of KY 784 concurrency |
| Greenup | Letitia | 108.502 | 174.617 | KY 784 north | Eastern end of KY 784 concurrency |
| Greenup | ​ | 112.916 | 181.721 | KY 7 – South Shore | |
| Greenup | ​ | 116.209 | 187.020 | US 23 – South Shore, Greenup, Ashland KY 10 east to US 52 – Ohio | Terminus of AA highway eastern spur; KY 10 continues east to the Ohio River |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus ||||||