 Scotty Baesler, who was mayor of Lexington during most of the construction phase, argued in a 2007 interview with the city's daily newspaper, the "Lexington Herald-Leader", that much of this criticism was either unfair or the result of misconceptions.For example, he pointed out that Man o' War was not designed as a limited access freeway like the city's inner beltway, New Circle Road, a highway to which many unfavorably compare Man o' War—it was intended as an urban arterial.He also added,

David Uckotter, who was the engineering director for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government during the road's construction, also noted that Man o' War had to be designed and built around numerous subdivisions that were sprouting throughout south Lexington in that era.