Existed: 1957 – present Constructed 1957 | Length 340.5 km | |
 | ||
South end: I-71 / I-75 at Kentucky state line North end: I-75 at Michigan state line | ||
Interstate 75 (I-75) runs from Cincinnati to Toledo by way of Dayton in the U.S. state of Ohio. The highway enters the state running concurrently with I-71 from Kentucky on the Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River and into the Bluegrass region. I-75 continues north into the Miami Valley and then passes through the Great Black Swamp before crossing into Michigan.
Contents
Map of I-75, United States
Route description
In Cincinnati, approximately 17 miles (27 km) of the highway will be totally reconfigured by three separate ODOT projects happening simultaneously. The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project will replace the Brent Spence Bridge and continue north to the Western Hills Viaduct. The Mill Creek Expressway project will modernize the Mill Creek Expressway segment of the highway, from the Western Hills Viaduct to the Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway interchange. The Thru the Valley project will continue from the Reagan Highway north to Interstate 275. These projects will improve safety by eliminating all left-hand exit ramps and increasing vehicular capacity.
The segment from West Chester to Middletown was widened in 2010. Construction on the highway continues from Middletown all the way to I-675.
In Dayton, Interstate 75 is currently in the process of total reconfiguration with several projects occurring simultaneously. The intersection of I-75 and I-70 was reconfigured to handle an increased traffic load at the intersection.[1] I-75 through downtown Dayton at the intersections of Ohio State Route 4, US 35, and between are currently under construction for widening and modernization.[2]
Between I-475 in Perrysburg and State Route 15 in Findlay, Interstate 75 is only two lanes wide in each direction, and extremely congested, due to carrying traffic headed towards Dayton via I-75, and Columbus via State Route 15 and US 23. As of July 2014, initial stages of a widening project have begun in order to widen this stretch of road to three lanes in each direction, with an estimated completion date of November 2016. A few miles later, Interstate 75 intersects with I-80/I-90 the Ohio Turnpike. After the interchange, Interstate 75 continues north into Downtown Toledo. Just north of Downtown Toledo, Interstate 475 rejoins with Interstate 75. After continuing northeast, Interstate 75 intersects Interstate 280 (Ohio), which connects to I-80/I-90 the Ohio Turnpike. Following this, Interstate 75 enters Michigan and follows the shore of Lake Erie.
History
In 2005, ODOT considered reconfiguring I-75's existing interchange in Findlay with US 224 and SR 15 west as a diverging diamond interchange to improve traffic flow. Had it been constructed, it would have been the first such interchange in the United States. By 2006, ODOT had reconsidered, instead adding lanes to the existing overpass.
Traffic congestion in the Cincinnati-Dayton corridor has led to proposals for a regional I-75 bypass to divert through traffic.
On January 19, 2015, an overpass north of Hopple Street near Cincinnati collapsed onto the highway below at approximately 10:30pm. The span that failed was the segment of the former northbound ramp to Hopple Street that passed over the southbound lanes of I-75. The overpass had been closed and was in the process of being removed after a replacement ramp was opened on 26 December 2014. The interstate underneath was open at the time of the failure. One construction worker on the overpass was killed during the collapse by a falling steel beam. A truck driver was injured when his semi hit the fallen overpass immediately after the collapse. One other worker was in a backhoe on the bridge but was uninjured.