State Route 65 (SR 65) is a north–south highway in western

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 southern terminus is at State Route 47 near Sidney, and its northern terminus is at its interchange with Interstate 280 in Toledo. From south to north, the route passes through the cities of Jackson Center, Uniopolis,

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

Columbus Grove Columbus Grove is a village in Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,137 at the 2010 census. Etymology and history Columbus Grove was founded in 1842. A large share of the early settlers being natives of Columbus, Ohio cause ...

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, Leipsic, Belmore, McClure,

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

, Perrysburg,

Rossford Rossford is a city in Wood County, Ohio, United States, located along the Maumee River in the Toledo metropolitan area. The population was 6,293 at the 2010 census. The town includes the intersection of Interstate 75 and the Ohio Turnpike. Ross ...

, and Toledo. Route 65 parallels the south bank of the

Maumee River The Maumee River (pronounced ) ( sjw, Hotaawathiipi; mia, Taawaawa siipiiwi) is a river running in the United States Midwest from northeastern Indiana into northwestern Ohio and Lake Erie. It is formed at the confluence of the St. Joseph and ...

for its northernmost 32 miles, from east of

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 ...

to Toledo.

History

State Route 65 is an original state highway. Its original southern terminus was at State Route 15 in Ottawa, and it crossed the

near Liberty Center, continuing northward to

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and terminating 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. In 1931, the route's northern terminus was moved to downtown Toledo along its current route. Most of its former route north of the Maumee River is now that of State Route 109. From 1931 until 1989, State Route 65 did not cross the Maumee River. Until 1964, its route from Perrysburg to Toledo was superseded by

U.S. Route 23 } U.S. Route 23 or U.S. Highway 23 (US 23) is a major north–south U.S. Highway between Jacksonville, Florida, and Mackinaw City, Michigan. It is an original 1926 route which originally reached only as far south as Portsmouth, Ohio, and has sinc ...

. In 1938, State Route 65's southern terminus was extended to its current terminus. It replaced the now defunct State Routes 33 and 318. In 1989, when

U.S. Route 223 US Route 223 or US Highway 223 (US 223) is a diagonal (northwest–southeast) United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway lying in the states of Michigan and Ohio. The southernmost section is completely concurrency ( ...

was truncated back to Sylvania, State Route 65 was extended along its former route (along with State Route 51) across the Maumee on the

Anthony Wayne Bridge The Anthony Wayne Bridge, commonly called the High Level Bridge, was designed by Waddell & Hardesty and constructed by the McClintic-Marshall Company in 1931, and is a downtown Toledo, Ohio landmark named after General Anthony Wayne. It is a suspe ...

. State Route 51 took U.S. Route 223's route on Monroe Street, while State Route 65 took the route of Summit Street from there to Interstate 280. In June, 2007, the

Veterans' Glass City Skyway The Veterans' Glass City Skyway, commonly called the Toledo Skyway Bridge, is a cable-stayed bridge on Interstate 280 in Toledo, Ohio. After many delays, it opened in 2007. The bridge has taken traffic and reduced delays on the Robert Craig ...

opened, taking Interstate 280 across the Maumee. Subsequently, State Route 65 was rerouted onto the Robert Craig Memorial Bridge, the former crossing of Interstate 280 across the river, the week after the new bridge opened, ending at the former Front Street interchange.

Major junctions

References

{{Reflist 065 Transportation in Shelby County, Ohio Transportation in Auglaize County, Ohio Transportation in Allen County, Ohio Transportation in Putnam County, Ohio Transportation in Henry County, Ohio Transportation in Wood County, Ohio Transportation in Lucas County, Ohio U.S. Route 23