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Along State Route 161 just east of its intersection with Interstate 71.
State Route 161 is an east-west state highway in the state of Ohio. Its western terminus is in Mutual at State Route 29 and its eastern terminus is near Alexandria at State Route 37.
On its path through Department of Transportation regional development districts 5, 6, and 7, State Route 161 passes through greater Columbus, Ohio's Capital, and a variety of towns including Plain City and Dublin, the latter of which is famous as the home of Wendy's International headquarters. At the present time, plans are underway to extend and expand the freeway east of New Albany to reflect increased traffic loads and future development.
[edit] Villages, Towns, and Cities along Route
[edit] Junctions
| County |
Location |
Mile |
Roads intersected |
Notes |
| Champaign |
Mutual |
0.0 |
 SR 29 |
|
| Goshen Township |
5.4 |
 SR 559 |
|
| 7.1 |
 SR 4 |
|
| Union |
Irwin |
8.5 |
SR 4 |
|
| Chuckery |
14.0 |
 SR 38 |
|
| 14.2 |
SR 38 |
|
| Plain City |
20.5 |
 US 42 |
|
| Madison |
21.0 |
US 42 |
|
| Union |
Dublin |
26.0 |
 US 33 |
SR 161 enters (EB) / exits from (WB) US 33 freeway; old US 33 / SR 161 on Post Rd east of this interchange |
| Franklin |
27.5 |
Avery-Muirfield Dr |
Actually Avery Rd (south) and Muirfield Dr (north) |
| 28.7 |
 I-270 |
I-270 Exit 17A-B; US 33 / SR 161 is freeway west of here |
| 29.4 |
Post Rd |
old US 33 / SR 161 |
| 29.8 |
 SR 745 |
SR 745's southern terminus; center of "Olde Dublin" |
| 30.0 |
US 33  SR 257 |
SR 257's southern terminus |
| Worthington |
34.0 |
 SR 315 |
|
| 35.0 |
 US 23 |
|
| Columbus |
36.3 |
 SR 710 |
SR 710's western terminus |
| 36.6 |
 I-71 |
I-71 Exit 117 |
| Minerva Park |
39.8 |
 SR 3 |
Access via folded diamond / service roads. |
| Columbus |
40.9 |
I-270 |
I-270 Exit 30; SR 161 is freeway east of here |
| 41.5 |
Sunbury Rd |
|
| 42.5 |
Little Turtle Way |
old SR 161 follows Dublin-Granville Rd east of this interchange |
| 43.8 |
Hamilton Rd |
|
| 45.5 |
New Albany Rd |
|
| New Albany |
46.2 |
 SR 605 |
|
| 46.9 |
 US 62 |
|
| 48.5 |
Dublin-Granville Rd |
old SR 161 west of this intersection; SR 161 is freeway west of this intersection |
| Licking |
St. Albans Township |
54.2 |
 SR 310 |
|
| Scott Corners |
57.5 |
 SR 37 |
|
[edit] History
1924 – Original route established[2]; Originally ran from Plain City to a junction with State Route 21 5 miles west of Dublin to serve as a more direct connection between Plain City and Dublin.[3].
- 1931 - Expanded west to include a previously unnumbered section from Mutual to Plain City, and east from 5 miles west of Dublin to Granville, significantly increasing the length of the route and expanded the number of counties served from 3 to 5[3].
- 1931 - A large grade separation project allowed 161 to pass underneath the New York Central, Pennsylvania Railroad and Columbus, Delaware and Marion tracks in Worthington (Photos)
- 1938 - Dual designation of cosigned section from 5 miles west of Dublin to Dublin changed from State Route 31 to U.S. Route 33[3].
- 1969 - Five-mile section from Dublin west upgraded to freeway[3].
- 1976 - Section from Interstate 71 to Gould Park upgraded to divided highway[3].
- 1997-2000 - Bypass around New Albany constructed as freeway from Interstate 270 to a point 2 miles east of New Albany[3].
- 2004 - NExT Project begins, modernizing the road from just east of SR-3 to Little Turtle Way. Completion set for end of 2007[4].
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Mileages retrieved from Technical Services Straight Line Diagrams unless otherwise noted.
- ^ Explanation of the Ohio State Highway System (The Unofficial Ohio State Highways Web Site) by John Simpson
- ^ a b c d e f Route 161 (The Unofficial Ohio State Highways Web Site) by John Simpson
- ^ Northeast EXpressway Transformation Official Project Site
