The Mountain Parkway was built in the early 1960s and opened in January 1963 as Kentucky's second toll road.

In the late 1970s, the road was officaly renamed the Bert T. Combs Parkway name was added.

Auxiliary plates were added above the circular Mountain Parkway signs to mark the designation.

[1] On January 15, 2014, Governor Steve Beshear announced plans to extend the parkway to US 23 in Prestonsburg, which would include widening the highway to four lanes for its entire length.

The project, which would cost more than $750 million and requires approval by the Kentucky General Assembly, would run through 2020, and is expected to lead to the reinstatement of tolls on the highway.