South end: US 52 at Sciotodale Counties: Scioto County Scioto County, Ohio | North end: US 23 at Lucasville Length 25.7 km | |
Existed: December 2018 (as the S.O.V.M.H.)
April 2019 (as SR 823) – present | ||
The Southern Ohio Veterans Memorial Highway, formerly and more commonly known as the Portsmouth Bypass is a planned four-lane limited-access divided highway rerouting through traffic around the cities of Portsmouth and New Boston in Scioto County, Ohio, United States. In addition to providing better mobility within the local area for residents, the bypass has the potential to increase the economic development of the local area. In September 2013 the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) recommended a Public-Private Partnership to fund and build the Portsmouth Bypass. Construction began in June 2015. The bypass is to carry the State Route 823 (SR 823) designation.
Contents
History
The proposal for a bypass began in the 1960s as the city of Portsmouth was growing at a rapid rate creating backups on numerous city streets along with the width of trucks trying to turn from U.S. Route 23 (US 23) to US 52 and the other way around. It wasn't until the 1990s when the lines were drawn for proposing a bypass. After three proposed routes, the hill alignment was chosen after ODOT conducted numerous studies concerning impact to the environment and local area.
Construction
The bypass will be constructed in three general phases. Funding has been established for the entire project. Phase 1 will connect Lucasville-Minford Road near Rases Mountain Drive to Airport Road (a newly relocated Shumway Hollow Road) adjacent to the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport on SR 335—this phase is scheduled to take approximately three years to complete. Phase 2 will continue the freeway from the Lucasville-Minford Road interchange to US 23 just north of Lucasville. Phase 3 will continue the freeway from the Shumway Hollow Road/Airport Road interchange in Minford to US 52 near Wheelersburg. The freeway will not be open for traffic on completed sections but rather upon completion of the entire project in December 2018. This project has been criticized by the Public Interest Research Group as a highway boondoggle.
Route description
The 16-mile-long (26 km) freeway will bypass the cities of Portsmouth and New Boston by connecting US 23 north of Lucasville to US 52 east of New Boston and west of Wheelersburg. The Portsmouth Bypass, when completed, will go through the communities of Minford, Lucasville, Sciotoville, and Sciotodale with five interchanges constructed in total (including endpoints). The locations of the interchanges are: U.S. Route 52 between New Boston and Wheelersburg, SR 140 near the Portsmouth city limit, Airport Road adjacent to the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport / Access to SR 335 just south of Minford, at Lucasville-Minford Road / County Route 28 near Rases Mountain Drive in Minford, and at US 23 just north of Lucasville.
Exit list
The entire route is in Scioto County.