State Route 73 (SR 73) 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 southern 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 on
U.S. Route 27
U.S. Route 27 (US 27) is a north–south United States Highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 (I-69) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. F ...
in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
at the intersection of
SR 732. SR 73’s eastern terminus is in
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
at
US 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 since ...
; this is also the southern terminus of
SR 104, and the two state routes run concurrently for over from this point north. Once SR 73 enters Scioto County, it is designated as the
Scenic Scioto Heritage Trail by the
Ohio Department of Transportation
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT; ) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for developing and maintaining all state and U.S. roadways outside of municipalities and all Interstates except the Ohio T ...
.
In combination with
SR 32, SR 73's easternmost are part of the quickest route between
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
and
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
.
Route description
The portion of SR 73 between
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 ...
and
SR 741 in
Springboro is designated as the "Officer Bill Johnson Memorial Highway", in honor of William L. "Bill" Johnson, a 48-year-old, eight-year veteran of the Springboro Police Department who was struck and killed by a vehicle around 12:30 a.m. on June 27, 1983 while outside his cruiser on SR 73, investigating two people walking in the roadway.
Points of interest
*
Great Miami River
The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee: ''Msimiyamithiipi'') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accesse ...
- Middletown, Franklin
*
Excello Locks - Historic Remains of a lock on the Miami-Erie Canal near the intersection of 73 and S. Main St. in
Middletown, Ohio
Middletown is a city located in Butler and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, about 35 miles (47 km) north of Cincinnati. The population as of the 2020 census was 50,987. It is part of the Cincinnati metropo ...
. Much of the route between Trenton and Franklin follows the original path of the
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 $ ...
.
*
Middletown Historical Society Canal Museum
*
La Comedia Dinner Theatre - Springboro
*
Little Miami River
The Little Miami River ( sjw, Cakimiyamithiipi) is a Class I tributary of the Ohio River that flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 26, 2011 through five counties ...
- Waynesville
*
Little Miami Bike Trail - Corwin
*
Caesar Creek Lake
Caesar Creek State Park is a public recreation area located in southwestern Ohio, five miles (8 km) east of Waynesville, in Warren, Clinton, and Greene counties. The park is leased by the State from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who ...
- Warren County
*
Caesar Creek State Park
Caesar Creek State Park is a public recreation area located in southwestern Ohio, five miles (8 km) east of Waynesville, in Warren, Clinton, and Greene counties. The park is leased by the State from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who ...
- Warren, Clinton County
*
Serpent Mound
The Great Serpent Mound is a 1,348-foot-long (411 m), three-foot-high prehistoric effigy mound located in Peebles, Ohio. The mound itself resides on the Serpent Mound crater plateau, running along the Ohio Brush Creek in Adams County, Ohio. ...
*
Brush Creek State Forest
*
Shawnee State Forest
Shawnee State Forest, also known as "Ohio's Little Smokies", is a state forest in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is located in western Scioto County and eastern Adams County and encompasses of woodland. It is the largest state forest in Ohio. As wi ...
*
Scioto River
The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets t ...
*
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
History
*1924 – Original route established;
[Explanation of the Ohio State Highway System]
(The Unofficial Ohio State Highways Web Site) by John Simpson originally routed from
Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
to west of
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
(dually certified with
State Route 104 from north of Coles Park to west of Portsmouth before 1926).
[Route 73]
(The Unofficial Ohio State Highways Web Site) by John Simpson
*1926 – Extended to east of
Middletown along the previous State Route 6; State Route 104 certification removed.
[
*March 9, 1932 – Extended to the ]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 ...
about northwest of Seven Mile.
*1936 – Extended to Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
.[
*1952 – Dually certified with State Route 104 from north of Coles Park to west of Portsmouth.][
*1957 – From Excello to Franklin upgraded to 4 lanes.][
*1962 – From north of West Portsmouth to west of Portsmouth upgraded to 4 lanes.][
*1966 – From Franklin to ]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 ...
upgraded to 4 lanes.[
*1972 – Extended to Portsmouth (dually certified with State Route 104)][ along the former alignment of ]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 ...
.
*1979 – From Interstate 75 to Springboro upgraded to divided highway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
.[
*1980 – From Trenton to Excello upgraded to divided highway.][
*2011 – Realigned around Wilmington along a new bypass.]
Major junctions
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
Byways
073
Transportation in Butler County, Ohio
Transportation in Warren County, Ohio
Transportation in Clinton County, Ohio
Transportation in Highland County, Ohio
Transportation in Adams County, Ohio
Transportation in Scioto County, Ohio