OH - WVA - PA Road trip
Sandor G
loose ends (in case I end up moving west and loose the chance to do anything
eastern), and sort of accomplished this. Outside of the Dugway Grounds
portion of the Lincoln Highway, the only sections left for me to drive are
from the Golden Triangle to Irwin (part I had hope to take care of today as
well, but didn't drive) and from Bryn Mawr to City Hall in Philly.
Route taken - Clark Rd S to Kilbourne Rd W to North Galena Rd S to US 36 W
to I-71 S to I-270 Clockwise to I-70 E to US 40 through Zanesville back to
I-70 E to Oh 723 N to US 22/40 E to I-77 S to I-70 E to various routes
around Bridgeport, Oh and Wheeling, WVa and end up on I-470 E to I-70 E to
I-79 N to Pa 60 E to Crafton City Limits then back W on Pa 60 to Old US 22 W
to US 30 W to Oh 267 N to US 30 W to I-77 S to US 36 W to Oh 229 W to Oh 61
S to West Liberty-Mt. Vernon Rd W to Clark Rd S.
Notes
I am spoiled having 3 lanes in each direction along I-71 between US 36 and
Columbus. ODOT needs to do the same with I-70 between OH 256 and Oh 79
(Western Licking Co). No hurry with widening I-70 east beyond Gratiot (till
you get to St. Clairsville)
Went through Zanesville (and Cambridge) looking for a sign I saw several
years earlier (A 7up sign selling hearing aids). The sign I was looking was
no longer up, but there were several other things of note.
For Tim Brown, this one is for you...A muffler shop mentions on it's marquee
that you can stop there to take a leak (along US 40 on the near west side of
Zanesville)
For everyone else, Zanesville has tried to remake its streetscape. The
Central Business District (US 40 between the Y bridge and US 22/Oh 93)
appears to have received a new coat of paint and appropriate store signage.
But they still have much more area to cover. US 40 from the Y bridge west
to I-70 still looks like a rural slum, and if you get off the main drag in
downtown Zanesville, you'll still see plenty of empty shops and industrial
sites.
According to my odometer - Oh 723 (I-70 to US 22/40 west of Cambridge) is
1/2 mile long (give or take .1 miles)
Cambridge looks to be halfway through a downtown Streetscape with simular
problems to Zanesville.
Drove across the National Rd suspension bridge in Wheeling. I'm just
waiting for Wheeling and West Virginia to close it to all but pedestrian
traffic. Also got pictures of all the downtown Wheeling bridges (I-70, 470,
and US 40).
Was able to get pictures of the two Evil Kinevil ramps at I-70 and US 250 on
the east side of the Wheeling Tunnel!
You have to approach the interchange going north on US 250 (from I-470 or
WVa 2) and take the exit for McCullough Ave (instead of either direction for
I-70) and you will go underneith the interchange complex. There is plenty
of space underneith I-70 to park and explore.
Confidential to PennDOT - feel free to raise the speed limit on I-79
(between I-70 and I-279 for starters) to 65. If this option is too cheap,
then feel free to widen that part of I-79 to 6 lanes. I found this part to
be very congested with half of the traffic wanting to follow the speed limit
and the other half wanting to go 75 MPH. Not a good combination. Also
noticed alot of traffic going from Wheeling east along I-70.
To the Pittsburgh area roadgeeks; (to ask a question that I had asked before
2 years earlier) what is the story with the 2 miles of 4 lane highway just
north of PA 60 near Grafton? I ventured down to it and got several pictures
of it. It could be put to use as a drag strip or a airport runway.
Found the longest no passing zone. US 30 from US 22 to the Pa/Wva border.
It too could use a speed limit increase to 55 from 40-45 that it holds.
For those who collect (pictures!) of LHA markers, Brian Buiko mentions in
his book about the Lincoln Highway in PA that 3 Concrete markers (from 1928)
still stand in Chester, W Va. and gives directions to them. Unfortunetly,
all 3 are missing (or elsewhere) now.
Lincoln Highway is decently marked from East Liverpool to East Canton. Not
all old routings off of US 30 are marked though.
Found a sporting goods store in Minerva, Oh that had the same name as a
chain of Adult book stores in Central Ohio.
Got some pictures of the new end of the US 30 expressway between Canton and
East Canton. Rate things are going, US 30 will be finally be 4 lanes the
entire length of Ohio by 2050.
How did I-77 get the title of the Buckeye Thruway?
US 36 is the Korean War Veterens Highway in Tuscawrus Co. and in honor of
some indivudual in Coshocton Co.
What is the purpose of OH 621?
Found it interesting that the new development, that is occuring around Mt.
Vernon, is on the eastside and not on the side of Mt. Vernon facing
Columbus.
Got about 50 new pictures that will be up on Roadfan sometime this year.
--
Sandor G
Senior -- Ohio State Geography
www.roadfan.com
Saxdude18287
>2 years earlier) what is the story with the 2 miles of 4 lane highway just
>north of PA 60 near Grafton? I ventured down to it and got several pictures
>of it. It could be put to use as a drag strip or a airport runway.
>
I was actually checking out past posts about that recently, and I think I have
a decent explanation of that roadway. It is called the Industrial Highway. I
believe it was to have connected various industrial parks in the Chartiers
valley. It would have had a southern terminus at PA 60, followed the creek
northeast until connecting with PA 51 (stanhope street i think) which is 4 lane
divided in a short area there in anticipation of this connection.
Anyone who knows more may add...
Doug Weasner
"Saxdude18287" <saxdud...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020127205528...@mb-fq.aol.com...
> >To the Pittsburgh area roadgeeks; (to ask a question that I had asked
before
> >2 years earlier) what is the story with the 2 miles of 4 lane highway
just
> >north of PA 60 near Grafton? I ventured down to it and got several
pictures
> >of it. It could be put to use as a drag strip or a airport runway.
> >
>
> I was actually checking out past posts about that recently, and I think I
have
> a decent explanation of that roadway. It is called the Industrial Highway.
Doug Weasner
Greenwood IN
I want I-69 in MY backyard
Bruce Harper
<bt...@bright.net> wrote:
> To the Pittsburgh area roadgeeks; (to ask a question that I had asked before
> 2 years earlier) what is the story with the 2 miles of 4 lane highway just
> north of PA 60 near Grafton? I ventured down to it and got several pictures
> of it. It could be put to use as a drag strip or a airport runway.
Industrial Highway that was never completed. The other end is at West
Carson Street in McKees Rocks. There have been extended discussions of
this "road to nowhere" over the past several years. Hit Google and
look around April 2000 for the "Columbus to Pittsburgh (and back)"
thread, and in Dec. 1999 for the "Cancelled and Proposed Highways of
Pittsburgh" thread. A search of "Crafton" (not Grafton, which is about
a hundred miles south of there) will return hits about this unused
section of highway.
Bruce in Blacksburg (but a native of the 'Burgh)
--
Bruce B. Harper
bharper at vt.edu
Blacksburg, Virginia