U.S. Route 250 (US 250) is a
United States Numbered Highway that runs from
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Erie County, Ohio, Erie County, Ohio, United States. Situated along the shores of Lake Erie in the northern part of the state, Sandusky is located roughly midway between Toledo, Ohio, Toledo ( wes ...
to
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
. Within the state of
Ohio, the route runs from
US 6 in Sandusky to the
West Virginia border at
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...
.
Route description
In Ohio, U.S. 250 is an important cross-state corridor linking Sandusky (on
Lake Erie) to Bridgeport (on the
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 ...
). From a regional/traffic perspective, the route can roughly be divided into five sections linking major regions and routes of the state:
*
US 6 in
Sandusky to
US 20 at
Norwalk
*
US 20 at
Norwalk to
US 30 at
Wooster
*
US 30 at
Wooster to
I-77
Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...
at
Strasburg
*
I-77
Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...
at
New Philadelphia to
US 22
U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at U.S. Route 27, US 27, U.S. Route 42, US 42, U.S. Route 127, US 127, and U.S. Route 52, US 52 to Newark, New ...
at
Cadiz
*
US 22
U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at U.S. Route 27, US 27, U.S. Route 42, US 42, U.S. Route 127, US 127, and U.S. Route 52, US 52 to Newark, New ...
at
Cadiz to
I-70 at
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...
Sandusky to Norwalk
US 250 begins in
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Erie County, Ohio, Erie County, Ohio, United States. Situated along the shores of Lake Erie in the northern part of the state, Sandusky is located roughly midway between Toledo, Ohio, Toledo ( wes ...
at an intersection with US 6 (Cleveland Road). It begins carrying the name Sycamore Line, but US 250 leaves this road shortly for Milan Road. This part of the route carries much traffic connecting to the
Ohio Turnpike, and during the summer, people bound for
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Opened in 1870, it is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the U.S. behind Lake Compounce. Cedar Point is owned and op ...
. It is the most heavily developed section of the road, lined with
big box stores, a
regional shopping mall, an
outlet mall, and numerous
hotels,
indoor waterparks and
restaurants.
US 250 crosses
SR 2 as it travels south and eventually crosses the
Ohio Turnpike on
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...
(I-80) and
I-90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...
. It then picks up
SR 13 before passing west of
Milan. After a short stretch, it enters
Norwalk on Milan Avenue. It turns onto League Street and travels southwest to Whittlesey Avenue, which becomes Benedict Avenue as the street travels southeast through the center of the city.
Norwalk to Wooster
Much of this section of the route is rural and two-lane, but it carries a high level of truck and regular traffic. US 250 exits
Norwalk and crosses
US 20/
SR 18 (Norwalk Bypass) at a diamond interchange. The route heads in a generally southeasterly direction until
Fitchville, where it enters on Wooster Street. SR 13 finally separates from US 250 before the latter turns onto Mill Street Extension, turning south off said road shortly after.
US 250 continues southeast until it meets
SR 60, and the two routes enter
Savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...
on North Main Street and pass straight through town. They continue together toward
Ashland, where it meets an intersection with Cottage Street. SR 60 continues south on Cottage Street, while US 250 turns east, meeting
US 42
U.S. Route 42 (US 42) is an east–west United States highway that runs southwest–northeast for from Louisville, Kentucky to Cleveland, Ohio. The route has several names including Pearl Road from Cleveland to Medina in Northeast Ohio, Readi ...
east of the city and forming an overlap as it turns south. Upon meeting Main Street, US 250 leaves US 42 at an intersection and turns east. It passes through sparse development outside the city until it interchanges with
I-71.
US 250 continues east on Ashland Road in open countryside, passing through small communities. West of
Wooster, US 250 enters
US 30, carrying the name Lincoln Way, and bypasses the city to the south, exiting at a partial cloverleaf interchange which sends it south on
SR 83. US 250 then turns east on Dover Road south of the city.
Wooster to Strasburg
On Dover Road, US 250 follows a two-lane alignment as it passes through mostly open fields on its path to Strasburg. The route forms the main streets of several communities as it passes through them, such as
Apple Creek,
Mount Eaton
Mount Eaton is a village in Wayne County, Ohio, United States. The population was 241 at the 2010 census.
History
Mount Eaton was platted in 1814.
Located near Mount Eaton is the historic James Akey Farm, also known as the "Stark Wilderness C ...
, and
Wilmot. It intersects
SR 21 just before entering town, which it does on Wooster Avenue. This densely populated stretch of US 250 in Strasburg has been proposed for a bypass, but the project has not been selected for further work as of 2008.
After passing through Strasburg, US 250 enters
I-77
Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...
. The two routes then travel south concurrent with one another.
New Philadelphia to Cadiz
I-77 and US 250 travel in a southern direction until reaching New Philadelphia. The two highways form a bypass of the city, with the concurrency forming the west side and US 250 along forming the south side, as I-77 separates from US 250 in the southwest corner of the city.
SR 800 joins the freeway at Broadway outside of New Philadelphia as it follows the
Dennison/
Uhrichsville
Uhrichsville( ) is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,413 at the 2010 census. Claymont City School District is the major education provider for the city of Uhrichsville and for the village of Dennison, Ohio. The ...
freeway bypass of US 250. The two routes follow a four-lane, divided highway toward Uhrichsville, where US 250/SR 800 turns west at an interchange with
US 36. At the end of the dual highway, SR 800 turns south toward
Dennison, and US 250 turns north, following a two-lane, curvy alignment en route to Cadiz.
Approximately halfway between Dennison and Cadiz, US 250 follows
Tappan Lake
Tappan Lake, also known as Tappan Reservoir, is a reservoir in Harrison County, Ohio, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily locat ...
for several miles on a series of causeways built during the construction of the lake by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District in the 1930s. This route is generally of good quality (albeit without shoulders), although ODOT is studying replacement or upgrade through its Macro-Corridors Project. Near Cadiz, it merges onto the Cadiz Bypass, where it runs concurrent with
US 22
U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at U.S. Route 27, US 27, U.S. Route 42, US 42, U.S. Route 127, US 127, and U.S. Route 52, US 52 to Newark, New ...
. It then turns onto Lincoln Avenue and passes through the city of Cadiz. US 250 then turns onto Market Street and follows it south out of town.
Cadiz to Bridgeport
From Cadiz, US 250's name changes to Cadiz–Harrisville Road, heading south-southeast. Shortly after exiting the city, US 250 begins to curve and wind sharply, with several hairpin turns. For much of this distance, the road is surrounded by dense residential areas and runs on ridge tops. After it passes through
Harrisville, the road becomes less curvy but is fronted densely with homes for almost the remainder of its route within the state, save the forest at its south end, where it features another hairpin curve. It continues southeast to
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...
, where it features a partial interchange with
SR 7. US 250 then joins
US 40 and crosses the
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 ...
into
West Virginia.
The poor alignment of this section of the highway, along with the fact that it runs through
Cadiz as opposed to bypassing it, limits the usefulness of this section of the road as a through route. To resolve these issues, the
Ohio Department of Transportation is developing plans to construct a
Super 2 replacement for this route. A bypass of Cadiz was planned for construction in 2004, although it has not been built as of 2017. The new route is to roughly parallel
SR 9 and
SR 331, running from Cadiz to a point near
Saint Clairsville. At this point, it is expected that US 250 will be realigned to follow
I-70 east to
Wheeling, West Virginia.
Major intersections
References
External links
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{{compact state detail browse, type=US, route=250, state=Ohio, stateafter=West Virginia
50-2
Ohio
Transportation in Erie County, Ohio
Transportation in Huron County, Ohio
Transportation in Ashland County, Ohio
Transportation in Wayne County, Ohio
Transportation in Stark County, Ohio
Transportation in Tuscarawas County, Ohio
Transportation in Harrison County, Ohio
Transportation in Belmont County, Ohio