State Route 120 (SR 120) is an east–west
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in the northwestern portion of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. Its western terminus is at the
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
state line, where an unnumbered county highway (Morenci Road, formerly
M-120) continues west-northwest. State Route 120’s eastern terminus is in
Toledo at
State Route 65; the route is, for all practical purposes, a spur of
U.S. Route 20
U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. S ...
, which generally bypasses Toledo to the west and south.
History
In 1940, Route 120’s original route was certified. It began at the
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
state line, connecting with the former M-120 near
Metamora. SR-120’s current alignment from the state line to Metamora is original to the route. East of Metamora, SR-120 used Sylvania-Metamora Road, Erie Street and Monroe Street to enter
Sylvania. The route then turned south on Main Street and Holland-Sylvania Road to leave Sylvania. SR-120 then continued south to
U.S. Route 20
U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. S ...
(Central Avenue) near
Ottawa Hills
Ottawa Hills is a village in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,517 at the 2010 census. The village was developed on both sides of the Ottawa River (Ohio) and serves as a bedroom community and suburb of Toledo. The Ottawa H ...
. SR-120 was co-signed with US-20 from Holland-Sylvania to Reynolds Road, where US-20 turned south. Route 120 continued east from Reynolds Road along Central Avenue. Its alignment along Central Avenue to Cherry Street in
Toledo has been unchanged since its inception. At Cherry Street, the route turned south, traveling through Downtown Toledo and over the Maumee River. SR-120 then used Main Street, Starr Avenue and East Broadway to make its way to current
State Route 51 (Woodville Road). Route 120 then traveled along Woodville Road from Toledo to its eastern terminus east of
Elmore. The section from Sylvania to Toledo replaced
State Route 263 and the section from Toledo to east of Elmore replaced
State Route 102
[Route 120]
(The Unofficial Ohio State Highways Web Site) by John Simpson
In 1946, the route east of Metamora was decertified by the state. The section west of Toledo was renumbered State Route 102, which turned south in Metamora along current
State Route 64 to the village of Assumption, then joined US-20 and ran east into Toledo.
The section from Sylvania to near Ottawa Hills (Main Street/Holland-Sylvania Road) was designated as State Route 333 (now defunct).
[
By 1950, the route extended west to the Michigan border, replacing State Route 102.
The coming of the expressway system in Toledo brought changes to State Route 120 as well. In 1955, the route was added to a stretch of the future Detroit-Toledo Expressway in Northwood. The former routing from Northwood to Elmore certified as State Route 51.
][ SR-120 then went south along the expressway to its new eastern terminus at US-20 near Lemoyne. In 1959, more of the Detroit-Toledo Expressway was completed and SR-120 was added to a longer stretch of the expressway, now designated as Interstate 280. From Cherry Street in Downtown Toledo, the route turned east onto Summit Street (today’s State Route 65). At the expressway, SR-120 joined I-280, using it to its terminus near Lemoyne. By 1962, SR-120 was removed from Cherry Street and Summit Street and extended east along Central Avenue to its interchange with I-280. ][
In 1970, the Route 120 designation was completely removed from I-280. SR-120 was truncated back to the Central Avenue exit (then exit 11) of I-280. The former Summit Street routing of SR-120 was added to US-223 and the old stretch of SR-120 from the Ohio Turnpike (I-80/I-90) south to US-20 was re-designated as State Route 420. ][
The last change to the route occurred in 1989. Route 120 was moved back onto Cherry Street into Downtown Toledo, ending at its present terminus at Summit Street (SR-65). The alignment to Interstate 280 was decertified after the Central Avenue interchange with I-280 removed.][
]
Before 1940
*1923–1939 – Routed along the current alignment of State Route 185 from U.S. Route 127
U.S. Route 127 (US 127) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the eastern half of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at US 27 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The northern terminus is at Interstate 75 (I-75) near G ...
northwest of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
to Piqua; this route certified as State Route 185 in 1940.
Major intersections
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
State Route 120 Endpoint Photos
120
Transportation in Fulton County, Ohio
Transportation in Lucas County, Ohio
Transportation in Toledo, Ohio