Ohio State Route 2

State Route 2 is an east–west highway crossing most of northern Ohio. Its western terminus is at the Indiana state line near Hicksville where the route becomes Indiana State Road 37 which continues to Fort Wayne, Indiana. The eastern terminus of the route is in Painesville Township at U.S. Route 20.

Route description

It passes through Bryan, Wauseon, and enters greater Toledo west of its interchange with the Ohio Turnpike. It continues east from greater Toledo and soon parallels Lake Erie, becoming a freeway near Port Clinton. From Oregon to Sandusky SR 2 is part of 293 miles (472 km) of the highway designated the "Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail".^[2] and on September 22, 2005 was designated a National Scenic Byway.^[3] From Toledo to Sandusky the highway is also part of and designated the "Lake Erie circle Trail" that is also part of the 6,500-mile (10,500 km) "Great Lakes Circle.^[4] It then passes Sandusky, where it meets U.S. Route 250 and U.S. Route 6, and separates from the lakeshore as a freeway. Near Elyria, it feeds into Interstate 90, whose route it shares to Rocky River, where it follows State Route 254 along Detroit Road into Lakewood. Here it again joins U.S. 6, as well as U.S. Route 20 on Clifton Blvd. It then becomes part of the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway in Cleveland, picking up I-90 again near Burke Lakefront Airport. These two highways split near Euclid, and State Route 2 continues along the Lakeland Freeway to Painesville (a portion to be rebuilt 2009–2012), feeding into U.S. 20 eastbound. State Route 2 serves as an access route to lakeshore attractions on Lake Erie from Toledo and Cleveland and as an alternative to the Ohio Turnpike.

The stretch of SR 2 from Toledo to Sandusky offers a multitude of attractions. Travelers, vacationers and visitors have a wide range of year round activities to choose from. The Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge is just east of SR 19 in the Carroll Township. It sits on 733 acres along with the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station that utilizes 221 acres.

Naming

The section of State Route 2 that runs through Erie County is called the "Jackie Mayer Miss America Highway" and is named for Jackie Mayer, a former Miss America who was born and raised in Sandusky.^[5]

The section of State Route 2 that runs through Willoughby is named "Brian Montgomery Memorial Highway"^[6] in honor of a Marine Lance Corporal that was killed in the Iraq War in August 2005.^[7]

History

• 1923 – Original route established;^[8] follows current US 6 alignment from the Indiana state line to Bryan, and current SR 51 and US 20 from Toledo to the Pennsylvania state line.^[9]
• 1926 – Rerouted from Toledo to Cleveland along previous SR 23 alignment from Toledo to Port Clinton, previously unnumbered route from Port Clinton to 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Sandusky, and previous SR 12 from 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Sandusky to Cleveland. Cleveland-to-Pennsylvania alignment certified as US 20.^[9]
• 1931 – Extended to Wickliffe along previously unnumbered route.^[9]
• 1936 – Rerouted to Indiana state line via the former SR 108 alignment from Hicksville to Bryan, and the former SR 18 alignment from the Indiana state line to Hicksville, with which it was dually certified along this route until 1940.^[9]
• 1940 – SR 18 alignment removed from SR 2 alignment west of Hicksville.^[9]
• 1962 – Extended east to SR 86 in Painesville; Euclid-to-Painesville alignment upgraded to freeway.^[9]
• 1967 – 9 miles (14 km) west of Sandusky to 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Sandusky upgraded to freeway, and rerouted on the bypass around Sandusky on former US 6 alignment.^[9]
• 1968 – From SR 163 to 9 miles (14 km) west of Sandusky upgraded to freeway.^[9]
• 1970 – From 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Amherst to SR 83 (SR 76 at that time) upgraded to freeway; from 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Amherst to SR 83 dually certified with I-90.^[9]
• 1976 – From Ceylon to 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Amherst upgraded to freeway.^[9]
• 1977 – From SR 83 to Rocky River upgraded to freeway and dually certified with I-90.^[9]
• August 30, 1990 – From Huron to Ceylon upgraded to freeway.^[10]

Major intersections

Route 2C

State Route 2C is a connecting road that runs from State Route 163 to State Route 2 and State Route 53 near Port Clinton in Ottawa County, Ohio. State Route 2C was constructed as an access road for the SR2–SR163 intersection because a normal intersection could not be constructed.

References

External links

• State Route 2 Endpoint Photos