It could be argued that Interstate 65 is the single greatest asset that has helped Bowling Green and Warren County achieve such rapid growth during the past few decades.

Having such an artery flowing tens of thousands of vehicles north and south past Bowling Green each day creates an environment nearly ideal for industrial recruitment and tourist attraction.

The region is already mining that rich vein to a degree, using our location and the access afforded by the interstate to bring in new manufacturers in addition to hotels and restaurants that enhance our quality of life while also helping attract events such as sports tournaments.

The money left behind by the trophy-chasing teams and other visitors that come to our town is not insignificant, but could we profit even more from such tourism-related spending?

Johnny Webb thinks so, and he has done something about it.

A former Bowling Green mayor, Webb has been the impetus behind the “BeautifI-65” initiative that is transforming the five I-65 interchanges that feed traffic into the city.

Webb, through the Operation PRIDE organization he helped create in the 1990s, has raised nearly $2 million for a project aimed at beautifying the five interchanges that are in essence gateways into our community.

The fruits of Webb’s efforts can already be seen. At exits 22, 26 and 28, Louisville-based architectural and engineering firm Luckett & Farley has been planting shade trees like sycamores and tulip poplars and flowering trees like redbuds and crepe myrtles along with evergreens and flowers near the three exits.

More extensive work will be done at exits 20 and 30.

Plans call for gateway signs at those exits, along with raised stone planting beds with free-standing red letters that spell out BOWLING GREEN surrounded by colorful flags. The signs will be lit at night.

Webb’s vision is for those exits to have decorative four-plank horse fencing as well.

It’s not just window dressing. Webb points out that 22 million vehicles per year travel past those exits.

“If we can just pull a few more off the highway to eat at our restaurants and visit our attractions, it will be a win for the city and county,” Webb said in announcing the start of the project in December.

Tourism officials are equally bullish on the idea.

Beth Noffsinger, communications director for the Bowling Green Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, calls the beautification effort “a great opportunity to entice travelers into our community.”

Now local government leaders are getting on board, making investments to maintain the interchanges once they have been transformed by the “BeautifI-65” project.

At a March 5 meeting, Warren Fiscal Court voted unanimously to advertise for two positions – I-65 Beautification Division foreman and I-65 Beautification Division landscape specialist – that will oversee efforts to keep the exits as pristine as the “BeautifI-65” project will make them.

The county is taking the lead on the project, not only creating those positions but approving the purchase of nearly $35,000 worth of equipment to be used to maintain the landscaping at those interchanges.

Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon said those costs would be split equally with the city of Bowling Green. At their annual planning retreat in January, Bowling Green city commissioners expressed their support for providing up to $150,000 per year for mowing and maintenance of the “BeautifI-65” project.

While many expenditures of tax dollars, particularly at the federal level, are dubious at best, this looks like an investment that will pay dividends for our city and county and its residents through tourist spending and the accompanying tax revenue.

As Buchanon said in response to fiscal court’s spending on the interchanges: “These five interchanges are in reality the front doors to Warren County.”

We need to keep those front doors as clean and inviting as possible, and we commend the efforts of Webb and our elected officials for making that happen.