This is the exit for Circleville. No, US 23 doesn't shrink to one lane here, but the cloverleaf ramp to Circleville is signed for 15 MPH. Also, there are intersections, both to the north and south of Circleville for the old routing of US 23 through town. They would need to be removed or turned into interchanges to allow an interstate through here.

Once you are south of Circleville, you'll come upon the comercial and industrial strips next to one another along US 23. An obvious problem for limited access aspects.

US 23 between Circleville and Chillecothe. Plenty of crossings that would have to be removed.

This is heading NB on US 23, just north of Oh 159. The signs signify the change from Expressway grade (I think the Chilicothe by-pass could already be interstate grade) back to 4 lane divided highway.

Other non I-73 related pictures along US 23 near Chilicothe are on the SW Ohio Regional Page

This sign is located south of Chilicothe near the interchange for Oh 104. Odd directional.

US 23, once south of Chilicothe, goes from 4 lanes divided to 5 lanes undivided. The center turning lane would have to go and widen those shoulders about a foot.

Photos from Waverly can be found on the SW Ohio Regional page, since plans call for I-73 to bypass this town.

Here is where I-73 and I-74 would meet up if the original plans were carried out. It is currently a diamond interchange with crossflow along Oh 32/124. The pairing of Jackson and Cincinnati as control cities seems odd to me (how about Athens or Parkersburg with Cincy or Seaman or Peables with Jackson?). Also that railroad bridge to the left would be a hindrance to interchange upgrading while leaving the roadways alone.

More hills along US 23 between Piketon and Lucasville

By now I-73 may will have branched of US 23 and headed SE bypassing Portsmouth along the way (if not, it would near this visual point). There is not much room for expansion here, so a new alignment would be needed.

Would this be I-73, east of Portsmouth? Maybe not directly. But much of US 52 from US 23 to Oh 7 would be a contender. This section with it's lack of shoulders and median space would either be bypassed or widened (good luck!). Also is that an old road bed on the far right?
Well, according to Sherman Cahal this portion is not even under consideration for I-73, or the soon to be constructed Portsmouth bypass. He has stated that I-73 would branch off from US 52, to the north, near Oh 140 and meet US 23 north of Lucasville [I personally don't believe I-73 and US 23 would meet up that far north].

Some bridge near Wheelersburg. From Sherman again..."That bridge connects old US 52 (to the far right, not visible) to Green Township to the left. There was an at-grade intersection here until the late-1980's to access the bridge and school (the wide turn-off and stub road gives this away). The bridge has been there since the highway opened in the late-1960's. The Jesse Stuart Bridge is behind you in the photo by about 3 miles."

My better of two attempts at getting an 'Ohio River Senic Byway' sign (though I could of used a different camera with a bigger lens).

Why couldn't ODOT just spring for a newer, bigger sign to encompass all of these?

If the I-280 drawbridge in Toledo is a sticking point in the north, then the Rahall bridge is as much of one in the south. One lane approach (not supposed to have that for interstates) and aren't the route numbers out of order there on the Huntington sign (from left to right it should read East US 52, to US 60, to I-64)?

The Nick Joe Rahall Jr Memorial bridge (named after the West Virginia 3rd district congressman, who ironicly sits on the house transportation committee, info from Howard Swint). Only two lanes wide, one would need a twin bridge or a new wider bridge for I-73 here into Huntington, W Va.

More info concerning the southern terminus of I-73 in Ohio. This time from Brian Milem in January, 2005:
The Proposed I-73 Ohio River Crossing is planned to get a new right of way, leaving U S 52 just east of the Solida Rd exit. The new bridge will run next to the Norfolk Sourthern Railroad bridge. W. Va. is waiting on Ohio to fund the project.

Page created on August 21, 2003/last updated on February 5, 2005

Questions, comments, and submissions can be sent to Sandor Gulyas

Continue on to I-73 in West Virginia | I-73 in Columbus & Delaware County | The Ohio I-73 Page