Senator Files Resolution to Name KY 7 After Jean Ritchie

State Sen. Brandon Smith filed a Senate Joint Resolution on Jan. 8, 2026, to name a section of Kentucky 7 in Perry County the Jean Ritchie Memorial Highway. The filing designates mile points one through seven in Perry County in honor of Jean Ritchie, a musician and native of the county. The resolution also directs the Transportation Cabinet to install a sign identifying the dedicated portion of the highway within 30 days of the resolution’s effective date.

The filing initiates a legislative process that will determine whether the designation becomes official. As a Senate Joint Resolution, the measure must be considered and adopted by the General Assembly before it can take effect and trigger the signage requirement. The Transportation Cabinet’s role is administrative once the designation is effective: the department is charged with producing and posting the marker that will make the designation visible to residents and visitors.

For Perry County residents, the proposed designation is a symbolic recognition of a local cultural figure and could have practical outcomes. A named highway can strengthen place identity, assist visitors seeking local heritage sites, and become part of community celebrations or educational efforts about local history. The visible recognition along mile points one through seven means the memorial name would be experienced by daily commuters, commercial traffic, and tourists who travel Kentucky 7 through the county.

Institutions involved in the next steps include the legislature and the Transportation Cabinet. The cabinet’s obligation to erect signage within 30 days of the resolution’s effective date creates a clear administrative timeline, but that timeline will only begin if and when the legislature finalizes the designation. Financially, such designations typically require modest outlays for sign production and installation, which are absorbed into routine highway maintenance and signage budgets; any specific funding or timing beyond the 30-day posting requirement will follow normal Transportation Cabinet processes.

Civic engagement can influence the outcome. Residents who wish to support or raise concerns about the designation should contact their state legislators to express views before the resolution is taken up in committee or on the floor. Local cultural organizations and civic leaders may choose to prepare background materials or events that highlight Jean Ritchie’s ties to Perry County and the potential benefits of the highway naming.

The resolution represents a local effort to enshrine cultural heritage in public space. Its ultimate impact will depend on legislative action and the subsequent implementation steps by state transportation officials, which will determine how quickly and prominently the Jean Ritchie Memorial Highway appears on the county’s landscape.