State Route 215 (SR 215) is an east–west
state highway in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state 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 ...
. The western terminus of SR 215 is at a T-intersection with
SR 821 just southeast of the
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
of
Belle Valley and SR 821's junction with
Interstate 77 (I-77). Its eastern terminus is at another T-intersection, this time with
SR 285 just outside the village of
Sarahsville.
Created in the middle of the 1920s, SR 215 is a two-lane rural highway that primarily serves as a connector between the
Noble County villages of Belle Valley and Sarahsville. Its routing has changed over the years, but it has always been in or just outside Noble County. The highway passes in the vicinity of
Wolf Run State Park along its way.
Route description
All of SR 215 is situated within the central portion of Noble County. This state highway is not included as a part of the
National Highway System.
SR 215 begins at a T-intersection with SR 821 nearly southeast of Belle Valley and I-77 in
Noble Township. The highway runs northeasterly through rural terrain that starts out as open field but quickly transitions into forest. After meeting Wolf Run Road, SR 215 abuts the southeastern boundary of
Wolf Run State Park. The route passes the Hickory Hill Road (County Road 14) intersection, then turns east and crosses into
Center Township. SR 215 climbs up and down hilly terrain that is generally open field in the foreground, with trees forming a very scenic background. A few homes now appear alongside the highway as it bends to the southeast, and curves back to the northeast just prior to arriving at its endpoint at a T-intersection with SR 285 just west of Sarahsville.
History
Since its creation in 1923, SR 215 has always had a presence in or near Noble County, but in different locations. The original routing of SR 215 consisted of the present
SR 83 from its western junction with
SR 78 to
Cumberland, and the current
SR 146 from Cumberland to its northern junction with SR 821 near
Pleasant City.
Four years later, SR 215 was shortened and re-routed. The portion that followed present-day SR 83 was re-designated as SR 76, while SR 146 and SR 215 swapped alignments. SR 146 took on its present-day routing from Cumberland to Pleasant City, while SR 215 was now routed along what today is known as Noble County Road 20, running from what then became SR 76 south of Cumberland to what was then a part of
U.S. Route 21
U.S. Route 21 or U.S. Highway 21 (US 21) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway in the Southeastern United States that travels . The southern terminus is in Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina, south of the ...
(now SR 821) in Belle Valley.
SR 215 would stay this way until 1965, when the highway was extended on the east end, routed along a previously un-numbered roadway heading east from Belle Valley to its current eastern terminus at SR 285 just outside Sarahsville.
Then, in 1971, the portion of SR 215 west of Belle Valley was removed from the state highway system, with jurisdiction being transferred to Noble County, which renamed the roadway as County Road 20. Consequently, at that point, SR 215 became the connector between SR 821 and SR 285 that it is today.
Major intersections
References
External links
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215
Transportation in Noble County, Ohio