The Louisville and Frankfort was chartered to connect the Ohio port to the state capital, as well as Lexington with any points east.
Surveys directed by Col. Stephen H. Long of the U.S. Topographical Engineers selected a new route, employing some but not all of the stretches previously graded by the Lexington and Ohio.
[1] Near Cherokee Gardens in Louisville, the line ran adjacent to present-day Frankfort Avenue.
[2] On February 6, 1850, the company held a special round trip to LaGrange for the board of directors and their guests.
All the initial track was laid by the spring of 1851 and the completion of a bridge over the Kentucky River near Frankfort permitted the first service along the entire mainline in August.