Introduction
This post is specifically dedicated toward select routes of regional and national significance within the State of Ohio that are not officially part of the 1956 Interstate Highway System.
Highways
United States Routes 6, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30, 33, 35, 36, 40, 50, 52, 62, 68, 127, 224, 250, 322, and 422 are all associated with traversing the State of Ohio, albeit in different directions. Route 22 is modestly located within the southern side of the State, between the communities of Cincinnati to the west and Steubenville to the east, though also passing through similarly modest communities such as Wilmington, Washington Court House, Circleville, Lancaster, Zanesville, and Cambridge—all related to the Quaker heritage of the region within the State.
Route 23 is effectively located north-to-south along the central spine of the State of Ohio, with the communities of Toledo to the north and Portsmouth to the south, while also passing through the notable communities of (from north to south) Marion, Delaware, Columbus, Circleville, and Chillicothe—the latter all associated with the central portion of the State. Related to Route 23 is the generally more westerly Route 104, often intending to serve the west side of the Scioto River while 23 serves the area further east. The notable exception to this general trend is the Frank-Refugee Connector portion of the highway, positioned between Frank Road to the west and Refugee Road to the east within southern Columbus.
In the northwestern portion of the State of Ohio is Route 24, effectively connecting the communities of Toledo and Defiance with the Fort Wayne area in the State of Indiana and the Greater Detroit area in Michigan. Today, much of the highway in the region has been upgraded to freeway, or at least to expressway, status, bypassing many of the communities of all sizes that the route would otherwise pass through.
In the southwestern portion of the State of Ohio, also ultimately connecting north toward the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is Route 27, the Ohio portion of which is notable for connecting the Oxford community, including Miami University, with the Greater Cincinnati area, passing primarily through western Butler County and west-central Hamilton County in a slight diagonal direction as to parallel the Interstate 75 corridor further south and as to connect to the Indiana communities of Liberty and Richmond further north. Also within the State of Ohio, albeit to a significantly larger extent, is the spur Route 127, connecting nearly every county seat (and every county) along the Indiana state line. The exception is Defiance County, as though the route passes through the county, the City of Defiance is positioned somewhat further to the east within the county.
Within the north-central portion of the State of Ohio is Route 30, a highway largely descended from the Lincoln Highway that has since been upgraded to expressway or even freeway standards in a number of areas. Many of the communities along the highway are related to the westward migration of European settlers particularly from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and especially to the Germans from the region. Even with later waves of German immigration, much of the region would continue to be identified as heavily German, as with much of the Midwest elsewhere, with a largely agricultural region outside the smaller cities and villages somewhat dispersed throughout. Today, the most notable of the locales along Route 30 are the communities of Mansfield, Bucyrus, Upper Sandusky, and Van Wert, the latter of which is notable for having the highway intersect with the otherwise two-lane Route 224, which itself connects to communities within the general area, even if further north and more connected to Amish communities.
Diagonally traversing the State of Ohio from northwest to southeast are Routes 33, 35, and 73, though the latter is merely a state route associated with the direction from northwest to southeast. Of these routes, Route 33 is largely a freeway, particularly from Bellefontaine southeast, while also utilizing city streets within the City of Columbus and inner suburban areas. Route 35, further southwest, is most notable for connecting communities such as Dayton, Xenia, Chillicothe, and Gallipolis with one another and with the States of Indiana and West Virginia on either side. Route 73, even further southwest, is perhaps the most important of these three routes, in spite of being merely a State Route designation rather than a recognized U.S. Route, as the highway connects the Oxford area and Miami University with the communities of Middletown, Waynesville, Wilmington, Hillsboro, and Portsmouth, just to name a few.
Largely superseded by Interstate Highways are U.S. Routes 6, 20, 40, and 42, in particular by Interstates 80 and 90 with regards to Routes 6 and 20, by Interstate 70 for Route 40, and by Interstate 71 for Route 42. However, each listed United States highway provides insights and local amenities not directly accessible on the Interstate highways, including closer access to Lake Erie along select portions of 6 and 20 as well as to particular locations within the cities and villages elsewhere. Also of importance along Route 6 are the communities of Defiance (home to Defiance College) and Bowling Green (home to Bowling Green State University). For Route 20, the communities are often further north, though Norwalk is also a community along the route.
With regard to Route 40, the Madonna of the Trail Statue of the State of Ohio is located within the City of Springfield in Clark County, celebrating the infrastructural history and modernization within the State. Route 42, however, is perhaps more interesting, especially as the highway avoids Columbus and Franklin County entirely while also directly connecting the communities of Cincinnati to the south with Cleveland to the north, as opposed to State Route 3, which passes directly through Columbus, or State Route 4, which generally traverses similar areas south of Marion but continues north in the general direction of Sandusky, well to the west of Cleveland.
In the southern portion of the State of Ohio, Routes 28, 32, 50, and 124 each maintain relatively significant features of importance. For Route 28, the highway is effectively a northern alternate route to the larger Route 50 between the Cities of Cincinnati and Chillicothe, serving the smaller communities slightly north of the Route 50 communities, while Route 32 serves as a more developed highway, specifically the James A. Rhodes Appalachian Highway, further south. Route 124, for which the Route 32 concurrency represents the longest highway concurrency in the entire State of Ohio, also maintains a southern arrangement within the region, albeit to a slightly lesser extent when positioned away from Route 32, such as toward Hillsboro.
Along the Ohio River west from the general Ironton area is Route 52, which continues along to follow the Big Sandy River in West Virginia while also serving the numerous Ohio communities along the river, including, but not limited to, New Richmond, Ripley, and Portsmouth. Within Brown County, the highway also provides connections to Routes 62 and 68, the former of which connects the region to Columbus, Canton, and Youngstown; and the latter of which connects the region north to a number of communities east of Interstate 75, including Wilmington, Xenia, Springfield, Urbana, Bellefontaine, and Kenton.
Within the northeastern portion of the State of Ohio are Routes 7, 250, 322, and 422, although Route 7 also continues south toward the City of Ironton and access to Route 52. While Route 7 largely parallels the Pennsylvania border in the north and the Ohio River in the south, Route 250 connects the Sandusky and Norwalk areas with the Wheeling (WV) area, Route 322 connects the Cleveland area directly east, and Route 422 connects the Cleveland area with the general area associated with Youngstown.
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