State Route 424 (SR 424) was 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 ...

. The route was a former section of

US 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 ...

that ran parallel to 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 ...

and

Miami and Erie Canal The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that ran from Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a cost to the state government of $ ...

between the cities 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 ...

. First designated in 1964, the western terminus of the route for most of its history was at an intersection with US 24 west of Defiance, though between 2008 and when the route was fully removed from the state highway system in 2012, it was at the Defiance County/ Henry County line. Its eastern terminus was at a dead end near the

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 ...

/ US 24 interchange east of Napoleon.

Route description

SR 424 began at an intersection with US 24 inside the city limits of Defiance, though west of the center of the city. At this point, the route was also called Baltimore Street. At the intersection with Deatrick Street, the name of the street that carried SR 424 changed to Holgate Avenue; overheight truck routes for SR 66 and SR 111 were designated along this section of SR 424 as well. Continuing northeast, the route made a sharp curve to the southeast and changed its name to West Third Avenue. Shortly after passing under an

Indiana Northeastern Railroad The Indiana Northeastern Railroad is a Class III short line freight railroad operating on nearly in southern lower Michigan, northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio. The Indiana Northeastern Railroad Company began operations in December 1992 and ...

bridge, the route came to a signalized intersection with South Clinton Avenue which also carries SR 111 in downtown Defiance. SR 424 turned left onto South Clinton Avenue with the last block of SR 111 before coming to the intersection with State Routes 15, 18, and 66. SR 111 ends while SR 424 continued with the three state routes north on Clinton Avenue and over the Maumee River on a bridge. Immediately after the bridge, SR 424 turned right onto River Drive while the three other routes continue on Clinton Avenue. From this point to the eastern terminus, SR 424 closely followed the northern bank of the Maumee River. In the eastern neighborhoods of Defiance, SR 424 passed under the bridge that carries SR 281 over the river; a short connector road provided access to SR 281. In Richland Township, SR 424 passed the entrances to the Independence Dam State Park. Just after the park, the route curved to the northeast and crossed into Henry County. In Henry County, the route continued northeast through Flatrock Township. SR 424 entered the village of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

where the route was also known as High Street. After briefly traveling east to follow the river bank, the route turned north and entered the city limits of Napoleon. Throughout the city, the route name was Riverview Avenue. In the center of Napoleon, SR 424 intersected SR 108 at Perry Street. This intersection is also the western terminus of SR 110. Continuing northeast, SR 424 entered Liberty Township and had a partial interchange with US 6. past the interchange, SR 424-C, a connector route between SR 424 and US 24 provided the access to westbound US 6 and US 24 which was not possible at the previous interchange. The mainline SR 424 continued east along the river past a few houses before coming to a dead end just short of the mainline, two-lane segment of US 24. Since the decommissioning of the route, the intersection at the original western terminus in Defiance has become a

folded diamond interchange A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange. The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also be ...

, exit 22 off of the US 24 freeway. SR 424-C has reverted to a township road (Township Road 10) and instead of an at-grade intersection with US 24, an overpass over the new freeway was built. The dead end before the connector between the original US 24 freeway and the two-lane section east of Napoleon has been removed and is now a continuous route. All the roads on the former SR 424 outside of city and village limits are now known as County Road 424.

History

SR 424 was designated in 1964 on the old section of US 24 through Defiance. At that time, US 24 was routed on a bypass north of the city, but returned to the Maumee River alignment via SR 281. By 1969, when more of the bypass of Defiance and Napoleon opened, SR 424 was extended along the river alignment when US 24 was routed onto the new bypass. SR 424 would remain at this routing until 2008. As the project to bring US 24 up to freeway standards between

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

and Toledo progressed, the SR 424 designation was removed and the road transferred to county engineer departments and cities. The westernmost portion of the route in Defiance County was turned over in November 2008.News Release, Defiance County Commissioners, Monday, November 10, 2008
Defiance County official website. Retrieved 2009-04-07. For about four years, the western terminus of SR 424 was at the Defiance/Henry County line. The eastern portion of the route in Henry County was turned over to county and municipal jurisdiction on December 1, 2012.

Major intersections

Notes

References

{{Reflist, 2 424 Transportation in Henry County, Ohio Transportation in Defiance County, Ohio U.S. Route 24