State Route 281 (SR 281) 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

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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

U.S. Route 24 U.S. Route 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is in Independence Township, Mic ...

approximately northeast of downtown Defiance, and its eastern terminus is at

US 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to ...

nearly north of

Bradner Bradner is a village in Wood County, Ohio, United States. The population was 985 at the 2010 census. History Bradner was platted in 1875, and named for John Bradner, proprietor. A post office called Bradner has been in operation since 1876. The ...

. The majority of the route is known as the Defiance Pike.

Route description

The state route begins at a

diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...

with the US 24 freeway (exit 28). The interchange is partially within the city limits of Defiance and partially in Richland Township. Defiance County Route 175 heads north from the interchange while SR 281 heads south along Domersville Road often crossing between Defiance and Richland Township. After a traffic signal at a connector road to Defiance County Route 424, the route crosses the

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on a

plate girder bridge A plate girder bridge is a bridge supported by two or more plate girders. Overview In a plate girder bridge, the plate girders are typically I-beams made up from separate structural steel plates (rather than rolled as a single cross-section), w ...

. A short distance later, SR 281 intersects SR 18 and the two routes form a concurrency and head east out of the city past a

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

factory. After , the SR 18 concurrency ends and SR 281 continues due east. Outside of the Defiance area, the route's surroundings becomes much more agricultural. After exiting Defiance County, it enters Henry County. SR 281 does not pass through any incorporated villages through Henry County, but it intersects State Routes 108, 109, and 65. After crossing into Wood County, SR 281 enters the small village of Custar. SR 281 continues east intersecting SR 235 and SR 25 but also passes over

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

without an interchange. After its intersection with SR 199, SR 281 turns to the northeast and enters the village of Wayne. Through Wayne, the route has the road names of Main Street and Church Street. northeast of Wayne, SR 281 then passes through the village of Bradner first on Church Street, then due north on Main Street. SR 281 ends at as stop-controlled intersection with US 6 about north of Bradner. The road continues north as the Freedom Township-maintained Bradner Road.

History

SR 281 was first designated on its current alignment in 1930, but only on the segment between SR 109 and SR 65 in Henry County. In 1934, the route was extended east into Wood County to end at then-

US 25 U.S. Route 25 (US 25) is a north–south United States Highway that runs for in the southern and midwestern US. Its southern terminus is in Brunswick, Georgia, from where it proceeds mostly due north, passing through the cities of Augusta, Georg ...

and

US 68 U.S. Route 68 (US 68) is a United States highway that runs for from northwest Ohio to Western Kentucky. The highway's western terminus is at US 62 in Reidland, Kentucky. Its present northern terminus is at Interstate 75 in Findlay, Ohio, though ...

in Wood County (modern-day SR 25) and within one year, was extended west to SR 18 near Defiance. The route was extended further east to its current eastern terminus in 1939 when SR 281 was routed over county roads and SR 297 from Wayne through Bradner to US 6. The route would remain unchanged for 33 years except for becoming fully asphalt-paved by 1950. In 1972, SR 281 was extended west on a new bridge over the

and over existing roads to end at the US 24 bypass of Defiance and

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. The road between CR 424 (formerly SR 424) and US 24 had been designated as a part of US 24 during the time the Defiance bypass was complete but the Napoleon portion was still under construction. The at-grade intersection with US 24 was replaced by a diamond interchange in 2007 as a part of the widening of US 24 through northwestern Ohio.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML, display=title,inline 281 Transportation in Defiance County, Ohio Transportation in Henry County, Ohio Transportation in Wood County, Ohio