Interstate 264 (Kentucky)

Interstate 264 (I-264) is a partial loop around the city of Louisville, Kentucky, south of the Ohio River. An auxiliary route of I-64, it is signed as the Shawnee Expressway for its first eight miles (13 km) from its western terminus at I-64/U.S. Route 150 (US 150) to US 31W/US 60 and as the Watterson Expressway for the remainder of its length from US 31W/US 60 to its northeastern terminus at I-71. It is 22.93 miles (36.90 km) in length and runs an open circle around central Louisville. The highway begins four miles (6.4 km) west of Downtown Louisville at I-64 just east of the Sherman Minton Bridge, which links Southern Indiana with Kentucky as it crosses the Ohio River. The Interstate ends approximately six miles (9.7 km) northeast of Downtown Louisville, where it connects to I-71. It is the only auxiliary route of I-64 outside of Virginia.

I-264 is Louisville's inner beltway (in conjunction with I-64 and I-71), and the later constructed I-265, the Gene Snyder Freeway, is Louisville's outer beltway. I-264 is currently used as the primary detour route when I-64 is closed through Downtown Louisville. However, in late 2016 with the completion of the Lewis and Clark Bridge, the formerly separate segments of I-265 in Kentucky and Indiana have been connected to provide another detour route.

In discussions about the city, I-264 is often used as a rough line dividing the older areas of Louisville from its suburbs.