Interstate 71

Interstate 71
Route information
Maintained by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Ohio DOT
Length:	343.78 mi[1][2] (553.26 km)
Major junctions
South end:	I-64 / I-65 in Louisville, KY
	I-75 from Walton, KY to Cincinnati, OH I-70 in Columbus, OH I-76 / US 224 in Seville, OH I-271 near Medina, OH I-80 / Ohio Turnpike in Strongsville, OH
North end:	I-90 / I-490 in Cleveland, OH
Location
States:	Kentucky, Ohio
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future ← KY 70 KY KY 72 → ← SR 70 OH SR 71 →

Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north-south (physically northeast-southwest) Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes/Midwestern and Southeastern region of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64 and Interstate 65 (the Kennedy Interchange) in Louisville, Kentucky. Its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 in Cleveland, Ohio. I-71 runs concurrently with Interstate 75 from a point about twenty miles (30 km) south of Cincinnati, Ohio into downtown Cincinnati. Almost three quarters of the route lies east of I-75, thereby putting it out of its proper place in the Interstate grid.

While I-71 is designated a north–south highway, it is a major east–west route for cross-country traffic. It links I-80 and I-90 to I-70, and ultimately (via I-65) links to I-40.

Route description

Kentucky

In Kentucky, I-71 begins east of Downtown Louisville at the Kennedy Interchange, where it meets I-64 and I-65. This interchange is sometimes called the "Spaghetti Junction". From Louisville, it roughly follows the Ohio River in a diagonal path toward Northern Kentucky. Between Louisville and Cincinnati, I-71 is largely a four-lane highway, except for a couple of miles in Sparta in which it runs three lanes each way.

Near the town of Carrollton, there are signs marking the location of a tragic accident that occurred on May 14, 1988, when a drunk driver crossed the median and struck a church bus full of children and teenagers, causing the bus' fuel tank to ignite into flames and killing 27 people on board. It is one of the worst bus accidents in state and national history.

After having run 77 miles (124 km) from Louisville, I-71 merges with Interstate 75 near Walton after which it intersects Interstate 275, the Cincinnati beltway. After passing through Covington, the freeway crosses the Ohio River via the lower level of the Brent Spence Bridge (while the southbound direction uses the upper level) and continues into Cincinnati.

Ohio

A section of the Fort Washington Way in Cincinnati

Heading northbound into Columbus from the south

Northern terminus at I-90 in downtown Cleveland

In Cincinnati, I-71 splits immediately from I-75 and heads due east onto Fort Washington Way, where it continues through downtown Cincinnati concurrently with US-50 for less than a mile. Just east of downtown, US-50 splits from I-71 and continues east; I-71 bends north and receives Interstate 471, a spur from southeast of the city. I-71 then heads in a general northeast direction through urban Cincinnati and into its surrounding suburbs. After another interchange with the Interstate 275 beltway, the freeway leaves the metropolitan area and heads towards Columbus. It continues northeast until it reaches South Lebanon, Ohio, where it begins cutting east across the flat plains of southwest Ohio. The freeway crosses the Little Miami River on the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge, which is a continuous truss bridge and the tallest bridge in Ohio at 239 feet above the river. I-71 heads towards Columbus then intersects with the bypass I-270 before heading north into urban Columbus, where it junctions I-70. About a mile north of the I-70 junction, it intersects with I-670. After another interchange with the I-270 bypass, the highway exits out of Columbus and continues north until near Delaware, where it again turns northeast. Beginning its path to Cleveland, I-71 enters the rolling farm country on the edges of the Allegheny Plateau. It continues in this fashion to Lodi/Westfield Center and its junction with I-76, which provides access to Akron. Heading north to Medina, it meets the terminus of I-271. The highway then continues north into urban Cuyahoga County and Cleveland's suburbs, intersecting the Ohio Turnpike/I-80. Passing Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, I-71 meets I-480 and enters Cleveland's west side, continuing on to downtown. It junctions with State Route 176 and terminates at Interstate 90 on the Innerbelt.

History

Kentucky

The first section of I-71 in Louisville opened in December 1966 between its terminus at Spaghetti Junction and Zorn Avenue, its first exit. Its junction with I-264 opened in July 1968, and the complete Kentucky portion of the interstate was opened to the public in July 1969. At that point, it replaced U.S. Route 42 as the primary link between Cincinnati and Louisville.^[4]

Ohio

Much of Interstate 71 in Ohio was intended to be State Route 1. State Route 1 was originally planned in the 1950s as a second Ohio Turnpike extending southwest to northeast across the state. It was planned to run from Cincinnati to Conneaut and connect with an extension built across the panhandle of Pennsylvania to the New York State Thruway. As the highway was being planned, the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was enacted, and the project was converted from a toll road to a freeway. It was designated as State Route 1, since the Interstate Highway numbering system had not yet been implemented. Portions of the freeway began to be completed and opened in 1959 with the new Interstate Highway funding, and they were marked as State Route 1 as well as with their new Interstate Highway number. Since large gaps existed along the corridor where no freeway had yet been completed, existing two-lane or four-lane highways were also designated as State Route 1 in order to complete the route. The State Route 1 signage was removed in 1966 as the Interstate Highway numbers adequately marked the route by then and the state highway numbering was superfluous.

Columbus-area highway marker designating Interstate 71 and Ohio Route 1 (1965).

In Columbus, the portion of Interstate 71 that bounds Worthington's eastern edge was originally called the North Freeway. Costing US$13.8 million, it was constructed south from Route 161, arriving at 11th Avenue by August 1961. It took another year to construct the portion between 11th Avenue and 5th Avenue, mainly due to the need to construct a massive underpass under the Pennsylvania Railroad's Grogan Yard. Today, only two tracks cross the viaduct, and the rest of the structure supports a large, weedy field. By August 1962, the freeway had reached Fifth Avenue, and it reached downtown in November 1962.

Interstate 71 was originally planned to follow the Innerbelt Freeway northward from its current northern terminus to the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway at Dead Man's Curve when Interstate 90 was planned to continue westward from there along the Shoreway.^[5]

Upon its completion, I-71 replaced State Route 3 as the primary highway link between Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland.

Between 2004 and 2006, the interchange at milepost 121 in the far northern reaches of Columbus was reconstructed to allow access to the eastern extension of Gemini Place.^[6] Before that, it was a simple diamond interchange with Polaris Parkway (Ohio State Route 750).

Rebuilding and widening program

In 1999, the state of Ohio began a 10-year, $500 million project to improve I-71 between Columbus and Cleveland. The plans did not include widening the 25-mile stretch in Delaware and Morrow counties, calling for patching that section instead. At that time, state transportation officials said they didn't plan to widen that section for two reasons: Traffic studies didn't support the widening, and there was no money for the project.^[7] But ODOT officials eventually gave in under pressure from elected officials and business owners to widen the remaining 25-mile stretch of I-71 from just north of the U.S. 36/Ohio 37 interchange in Delaware County to the Morrow/Richland county line.^[8] The reconstruction and widening on the last 25-mile stretch of I-71 in Delaware and Morrow counties began in spring 2012 and the work was completed in summer 2015 at a cost of $144 million.^[8]

Exit list

State	County	Location	mi[1][2]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Kentucky	Jefferson	Louisville	0.000	0.000	1	I-64 / I-65 – St. Louis, Lexington, Nashville, Indianapolis	Signed as exits 1A (west) southbound and 1B (east) northbound; no access from 71 south to 64 east; no number for I-65; I-64 exit 6; I-65 exit 137; southern terminus
			1.724	2.775	2	Zorn Avenue
		Indian Hills	4.966	7.992	5	I-264 (Watterson Expressway)	I-264 exits 23A-B
		Louisville	9.063	14.585	9	I-265 south (Gene Snyder Freeway) / KY 841 to US 42	Signed as exits 9A (south) and 9B (north); I-265 exits 35A-B
	Oldham	​	14.488	23.316	14	KY 329 – Crestwood, Pewee Valley
		​	17.478	28.128	17	KY 146 – Buckner, Crestwood, Pewee Valley
		​	18.507	29.784	18	KY 393 – Buckner
		La Grange	21.869	35.195	22	KY 53 – La Grange, Ballardsville
	Henry	Pendleton	27.840	44.804	28	KY 153 to KY 146 – Sligo, New Castle
		Campbellsburg	33.505	53.921	34	US 421 – Campbellsburg, New Castle, Bedford
	Trimble	No major junctions
	Carroll	​	42.802	68.883	43	KY 389 to KY 55 – Prestonville, English
		​	44.312	71.313	44	KY 227 – Worthville, Carrollton
	Gallatin	​	54.980	88.482	55	KY 1039 to KY 465 – Vevay	Serves Kentucky Speedway
		​	56.673	91.206	57	KY 35 – Sparta, Warsaw	Serves Kentucky Speedway
		Glencoe	61.774	99.416	62	US 127 – Glencoe, Owenton
	Boone	​	72.195	116.187	72	KY 14 – Verona
		​	77.724	125.085	77	I-75 south – Lexington	South end of I-75 overlap; exit numbers switch to follow I-75's mileposts, I-75 exit 173.
		​	79.556	128.033	175	KY 338 – Richwood
		Florence	82.275	132.409	178	KY 536 (Mt. Zion Road)
			84.298	135.664	180	US 42 / US 127 – Union, Florence
			84.694	136.302	180A	Mall Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; serves Florence Mall; former KY 3157
			85.449	137.517	181	KY 18 – Florence, Burlington
			86.652	139.453	182	KY 1017 (Turfway Road)
	Kenton	Erlanger	87.967	141.569	184	KY 236 – Erlanger	Signed as exits 184A (east) and 184B (west) southbound
			88.900	143.071	185	I-275 to I-471 – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport	I-275 exit 84.
		Fort Mitchell	90.539	145.708	186	KY 371 (Buttermilk Pike)
			91.913	147.920	188	US 25 / US 42 / US 127 (Dixie Highway) – Fort Mitchell
		Fort Wright	92.870	149.460	189	KY 1072 (Kyles Lane) – Fort Wright, Park Hills
		Covington	94.707– 94.858	152.416– 152.659	191	12th Street (KY 1120), Pike Street (US 25 / US 42 / US 127) – Covington
			95.414– 95.507	153.554– 153.704	192	5th Street (KY 8) – Covington, Newport
Ohio River			0.00	0.00	Brent Spence Bridge Kentucky–Ohio state line
Ohio	Hamilton	Cincinnati	0.22– 0.50	0.35– 0.80	1A	I-75 north / US 50 west (River Road) / Fifth Street – Dayton	North end of I-75 overlap; south end of US 50 overlap
					1B	Second Street, Third Street – Downtown Cincinnati, Riverfront
			1.11	1.79	1C	US 50 east (Columbia Parkway) to I-471 / US 52	North end of US 50 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
					Lytle Tunnel Sharp turn (40 mph or 64 km/h) in both directions
			1.99	3.20	1D	I-471 south – Newport	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
			2.33– 2.48	3.75– 3.99	2	US 42 (Reading Road) / Florence Avenue, Gilbert Avenue
			3.33– 4.3	5.36– 6.9	3	William Howard Taft Road / Martin Luther King Drive	Two Northbound entrances to I-71 from Taft and Martin Luther King. Southbound entrance to I-71 from Martin Luther King. Southbound exit to Martin Luther King and Taft. Northbound exit to Martin Luther King.
			4.46– 6.03	7.18– 9.70	5	Montgomery Road (US 22 / SR 3), Dana Avenue
		Norwood	6.75– 6.96	10.86– 11.20	6	SR 561 (Edwards Road, Smith Road)
		Cincinnati	8.04	12.94	8A	Ridge Avenue south	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			8.04	12.94	8B	SR 562 – Norwood	Signed as exit 7 southbound
		Columbia Township	8.51	13.70	8C	Ridge Avenue north	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			8.75	14.08	8	Kennedy Avenue, Ridge Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
			9.91– 9.92	15.95– 15.96	9	Red Bank Road – Fairfax
		Silverton	10.68	17.19	10	Stewart Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		Sycamore Township	11.81	19.01	11	Kenwood Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			12.44	20.02	12	US 22 / SR 3 (Montgomery Road)
		Montgomery	14.13	22.74	14	SR 126 (Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway)
			15.80	25.43	15	Pfeiffer Road
			17.51– 17.54	28.18– 28.23	17	I-275 to SR 32 / I-75	I-275 exit 49 eastbound & 49A-B westbound; signed as exits 17A (east) & 17B (west) southbound.
	Hamilton–Warren county line	Symmes–Deerfield township line	19.88– 19.97	31.99– 32.14	19	Mason Montgomery Road, Fields Ertel Road
	Warren	Mason	23.53	37.87	24	Western Row Road, Kings Island Drive – Kings Island	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			25.30	40.72	25	SR 741 north (Kings Mills Road) – Mason
		Lebanon–South Lebanon city line	28.33	45.59	28	SR 48 – South Lebanon, Lebanon
		Turtlecreek Township	32.56	52.40	32	SR 123 – Morrow, Lebanon
		Washington Township	36.74	59.13	36	Wilmington Road
	Clinton	Chester Township	45.11	72.60	45	SR 73 – Waynesville, Wilmington
		Liberty Township	50.74– 50.75	81.66– 81.67	50	US 68 – Xenia, Wilmington
	Greene	Jefferson Township	58.01	93.36	58	SR 72 – Sabina, Jamestown
	Fayette	Octa	65.33	105.14	65	US 35 (SR 435) – Xenia, Washington Court House
		Jeffersonville	69.49	111.83	69	SR 41 / SR 734 – South Solon, Jeffersonville, Washington Court House
		Paint Township	75.03	120.75	75	SR 38 – Bloomingburg, Midway
	Madison	Pleasant Township	84.27	135.62	84	SR 56 – Mount Sterling, London
	Franklin	Pleasant Township	94.15	151.52	94	US 62 / SR 3 – Grove City, Orient, Harrisburg
		Jackson Township	97.16	156.36	97	SR 665 (London-Groveport Road)	Interchange fully opened August 17, 2012[9]
		Grove City	98.85	159.08	99	Hoover Road – Grove City	Proposed
		Grove City	100.60	161.90	100	Stringtown Road – Grove City
		Jackson Township	101.68	163.64	101	I-270 – Dayton, Wheeling	Signed as exits 101A (east) & 101B (west) northbound; I-270 exits 55A-B.
		Columbus	103.86	167.15	104	SR 104 / Frank Road
			105.43	169.67	105	Greenlawn Avenue
			106.33	171.12	106A	I-70 west – Dayton	South end of I-70 overlap; exit numbers switch to follow I-70's mileposts
					106B	SR 315 north – Worthington
			107.07– 107.17	172.31– 172.47	100A	US 23 south (High Street) / Front Street	No northbound entrance; southbound exit is via exit 100B
			107.41	172.86	100B	US 23 north (Fourth Street) / Livingston Avenue (US 33)
			107.90– 108.10	173.65– 173.97	107	I-70 east – Wheeling	North end of I-70 overlap
			108.20	174.13	108A	Main Street	No northbound exit
			108.63	174.82	108B	US 40 (Broad Street)
			108.93	175.31	—	Downtown C/D Roads	Southbound exit and northbound entrance (under construction)
			109.38	176.03	—	Leonard Avenue	Northbound exit only
			109.16– 109.61	175.68– 176.40	109A	I-670 – Port Columbus International Airport, Dayton	Signed as exits 109A (west) and 109B (east, combined with Leonard Avenue exit) northbound
			110.16	177.29	110A	Fifth Avenue	No northbound exit
			110.68	178.12	110B	11th Avenue
			111.15	178.88	111	17th Avenue	Access to the Ohio State Fairgrounds & Expo Center, Ohio History Center & Columbus Crew Stadium
			112.33	180.78	112	Hudson Street	Access to Columbus Crew Stadium
			112.98	181.82	113	Weber Road
			113.46	182.60	114	North Broadway
			114.53	184.32	115	Cooke Road
			115.58	186.01	116	Morse Road, Sinclair Road
			117.53	189.15	117	SR 161 (Dublin-Granville Road)
			119.21– 119.23	191.85– 191.88	119	I-270 – Dayton, Wheeling	Signed as exits 119A (east) and 119B (west) southbound; I-270 west exit 26, east exits 26A-B.
	Delaware		121.45– 121.92	195.45– 196.21	121	SR 750 (Gemini Parking lot / Polaris / Gemini / Ikea) / Ikea Way / Polaris Parkway[10]	Eastern terminus of SR 750, connects using Gemini Place southbound. Access to Polaris Shopping Center.
		Berkshire Township	130.64	210.24	131	US 36 / SR 37 – Delaware, Sunbury
	Morrow	Bennington Township	140.15	225.55	140	SR 61 – Sunbury, Mount Gilead, Galion
		Chester–Franklin township line	151.09	243.16	151	SR 95 – Fredericktown, Mount Gilead
Richland	Washington Township–Bellville village line	165.25	265.94	165	SR 97 – Lexington, Bellville
	Washington Township–Mansfield city line	168.81	271.67	169	SR 13 – Mansfield, Bellville
	Madison Township	172.97	278.37	173	SR 39 – Mansfield, Lucas
	Mifflin Township	176.91	284.71	176	US 30 – Mansfield, Wooster
Ashland	Montgomery Township	186.71	300.48	186	US 250 – Ashland, Wooster
Wayne	Congress Township	196.31	315.93	196	SR 301 – West Salem	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		197.92	318.52	198	SR 539 – West Salem, Congress
Medina	Harrisville Township	203.89	328.13	204	SR 83 – Lodi, Wooster
	Westfield Township	209.51	337.17	209	I-76 / US 224 – Lodi, Akron	Signed as exits 209A (I-76/US 224 east) and 209B (US 224 west); western terminus of I-76 (Ohio), east exit 1, west exits 1A-B
	Medina Township	218.86	352.22	218	SR 18 – Akron, Medina
		220.71	355.20	220	I-271 north – Erie	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		222.91	358.74	222	SR 3 – Hinckley, Medina
	Brunswick	226.03	363.76	226	SR 303 – Brunswick, Hinckley
Cuyahoga	Strongsville	231.26	372.18	231	SR 82 (Royalton Road) – Strongsville, North Royalton	Signed as exits 231A (east) and 231B (west) southbound
		233.06	375.07	233	I-80 / Ohio Turnpike – Toledo, Youngstown	I-80/OH Turnpike exit 161.
	Middleburg Heights	234.21	376.92	234	US 42 – Strongsville, Parma Heights
		235.37	378.79	235	Bagley Road – Berea, Middleburg Heights
	Brook Park	237.53	382.27	237	Snow Road, Engle Road – Cleveland Hopkins International Airport	Signed as exits 237A (east) and 237B (west) southbound
	Brook Park–Cleveland city line	238.77	384.26	238	I-480 – Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Toledo, Youngstown	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Cleveland	239.26	385.05	238/239	I-480 west / SR 237 south – Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Berea, Toledo	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		240.57	387.16	240	West 150th Street
		241.85	389.22	242A	West 130th Street	Signed as exit 242 southbound
	Cleveland–Linndale city line	242.41	390.12	242B	Bellaire Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Cleveland	244.5	393.5	244	Denison Avenue, West 65th Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		245.48– 246.20	395.06– 396.22	245	US 42 / SR 3 / (Pearl Road, West 25th Street) / Fulton Road
		246.6	396.9	246	SR 176 south – Parma	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		246.98	397.48	247A	West 14th Street, Clark Avenue	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		247.56	398.41	247B	I-490 east to I-77	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-490 exit 1A
		247.56	398.41	247B	I-90 west – Toledo	Northbound exit and southbound entrance. I-90 exit 170B.
		247.81	398.81	—	I-90 east – Downtown Cleveland	Northern terminus; I-90 exit 170B.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus             Incomplete access

Auxiliary routes

• I-471 - links downtown Cincinnati with Interstate 275
• I-271 - provides access to Cleveland's eastern suburbs and enables travelers on Interstate 71 to access Interstate 90 east without going through Cleveland proper.

See also

• Carrollton bus disaster, a drunk-driving tragedy involving a school bus that occurred on I-71
• List of unused highways in Ohio
• Roads in Louisville, Kentucky

Sports rivalries involving cities on I-71

• The I-71 Rivalry: Cincinnati Bengals–Cleveland Browns (NFL)
• The Keg of Nails: Cincinnati Bearcats–Louisville Cardinals (NCAA Football)
• Ohio Cup: Cincinnati Reds-Cleveland Indians (Major League Baseball)

References

External links

Route map: Google

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 71.

• I-71 on Cincinnati-Transit.net
• Interstate-guide.com: Interstate 71
• Historic photos: 1963 aerial view of I-71 construction between 17th and 5th avenues in Columbus, Ohio Gasoline tanker crash and fire collapses Cleveland Avenue overpass in Columbus, Ohio 6/28/1966 Rebuilding the Cleveland Avenue overpass after it was destroyed by a gasoline tanker fire in 1966