Ohio State Route 309

(Redirected from Harding Highway (Ohio))

State Route 309 (SR 309) is an east–west highway in central Ohio. Its western terminus is at its interchange with U.S. Route 30 (US 30) near Delphos, and its eastern terminus is at its interchange with US 30 in Mansfield. Its current route takes it through the cities of Lima, Kenton, Marion, Galion, and Ontario; as well as the villages of Elida and Caledonia.

State Route 309 marker
State Route 309
Route information
Maintained by ODOT
Length103.579 mi[1][2] (166.694 km)
Existed1973–present
Major junctions
West end US 30 near Delphos
Major intersections
East end US 30 in Mansfield
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOhio
CountiesAllen, Hardin, Marion, Morrow, Crawford, Richland
Highway system
  • Ohio State Highway System
SR 308 SR 310
SR 30US 30S SR 31

Route description

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Within the city of Lima, SR 309 is officially designated along SR 81 (North Street) from Jameson Avenue to Union Street, south along Union Street (concurrent with SR 65, and east along Elm Street (SR 117).[1][2] The eastbound direction of SR 309 is signed south along Jameson Street to SR 117, then east along it while the westbound direction is signed along Central Avenue and Front Street.[3][4]

In the city of Ontario, SR 309 becomes a four-lane divided highway shortly before a partial interchange with the western terminus of SR 430; all movements are provided by ramps, with the exception of westbound SR 309 to eastbound SR 430, which is accomplished by making a U-turn via a crossroad between the opposing lanes of SR 309. Next, there is a partial interchange providing access to and from Beer Road on the westbound side only of SR 309; westbound SR 309 narrows to a single lane through this junction and widens again beyond it. Following are intersections with Stumbo Road and with Lexington–Springmill Road. Next is a partial cloverleaf interchange at 4th Street. At the Ontario–Mansfield border, Home Road crosses the highway on an overpass. Just after comes the eastern terminus of SR 309 at a partial interchange with US 30; the only movements available are eastbound SR 309 to eastbound US 30, and westbound US 30 to westbound SR 309.

History

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U.S. Route 30S
LocationDelphos-Mansfield, Ohio
Existed1920s–1973

The current alignment of SR 309 follows the original alignment of US 30, established in 1925. In 1931, plans were made to reroute the section of US 30 between Delphos and Mansfield onto the original State Route 5, a more direct east–west route. To satisfy the concerns of business owners along the original route worried about the diversion of traffic and loss of business, divided routes were created with the original route designated as U.S. Route 30S and the new route as U.S. Route 30N.[5][6]

The original western split of US 30S and US 30N was in downtown Delphos at the current intersection of Main Street and Fifth Street, while the eastern split was in eastern Mansfield at the current intersection of US 42 (Ashland Road) and Park Avenue East.[7] By 1961, new highway construction resulted in both ends being moved. The realignment of US 30 to the northern parts of Mansfield and Ontario moved the eastern split to the current junction of SR 309 and US 30 in western Mansfield. The original eastern end of US 30S, along with the part of the original US 30 between Mansfield and Mifflin, was redesignated as State Route 430. In Delphos, the western 30N–30S split was moved to the intersection of Elida Road and Lincoln Highway, then east of the city limits, after a new section of Elida Road was built and US 30S routed onto it. The part of US 30S that ran along Elida Avenue and East Second Street was decommissioned.[8][9]

In November 1973, US 30N became the mainline of US 30 and US 30S was redesignated as SR 309.[10] The only significant change of the route since this certification is its western terminus. The original western terminus was where Elida Road (SR 309) met East Fifth Street and Lincoln Highway (US 30). As part of a new bypass completed in 1981 that routed US 30 around Delphos, SR 309's western terminus was moved to a new interchange with US 30 just east of the Delphos city limits.

 
Route 309 between Marion and Kenton

Prior the current route, the SR 309 designation was used on what is now State Route 541. It was replaced with the now defunct State Route 271 in 1935.[11][12][13]

Harding Highway

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The Lincoln Highway left the present State Route 309, a better-quality road at the time, in favor of the direct DelphosMansfield route now generally followed by US 30. Only two weeks after the official route was announced in September 1913, it had already been redefined to a straighter path between Lima and Galion; the rest of the straightening came later. The towns along the route got together and formed the Harding Highway, named after President Warren G. Harding, who had grown up in the area.

This Harding Highway continued east via the Lincoln Highway to Canton, turning southeast from there to Steubenville via State Route 43. To the west, it was marked along the Lincoln Highway to Van Wert, heading west along the present U.S. Route 224, roughly State Road 114, State Road 10, State Road 8, and State Road 2 through Indiana to the Illinois state line.[14]

Future

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There is a $4.1 million project in eastern Allen County to replace the current intersections at Thayer and Napoleon roads with roundabouts. The project began in April 2022 and is expected to be complete in November.[15][16][17][18]

Major intersections

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CountyLocation[2]mi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
AllenMarion Township0.000–
0.546
0.000–
0.879
 
 
US 30 west – Van Wert, Fort Wayne
Interchange; eastbound US 30 exit / westbound US 30 entrance only; western terminus of SR 309
Lima11.79818.987  SR 81 (West North Street)Western terminus of SR 81 concurrency (westbound only); western end of SR 309 one-way pair
12.16719.581 
 
SR 117 west (West Elm Street) / South Jameson Avenue
Western end of SR 117 concurrency (eastbound only)
13.04420.992 
 
SR 65 south (South West Street)
Western end of southbound SR 65 concurrency (eastbound only)
13.33921.467 
 
SR 65 north (South Central Avenue)
Western end of SR 65 northbound concurrency; eastern end of SR 309 one-way pair
13.55721.818 
 
SR 65 south (South Pine Street)
Eastern end of SR 65 concurrency
14.916–
15.023
24.005–
24.177
  I-75 – Dayton, ToledoExit 125 (I-75)
BathPerry
township line
15.20924.477 
 
  SR 117 east / Willard Avenue – Bellefontaine, Airport
Eastern end of SR 117 concurrency
18.19029.274Thayer RoadIntersection; scheduled for conversion to roundabout November 2022
AuglaizeJackson
township line
22.33335.941Napoleon RoadIntersection; scheduled for conversion to roundabout November 2022
HardinLibertyMarion
township line
27.20543.782 
 
SR 235 south / Klinger Road – Alger
Eastern end of SR 235 concurrency
28.20945.398 
 
  SR 235 north / CR 45 – Ada, Ohio Northern University
Western end of SR 235 concurrency
Marion Township29.56047.572 
 
SR 701 east
Western terminus SR 701
30.33448.818 
 
  SR 195 south / CR 65 – McGuffey
Northern terminus of SR 195
Kenton41.16566.249   US 68 / SR 67 (Detroit Street) – Bellefontaine, Findlay
41.23266.356   SR 31 / SR 53 (Main Street)
MarionGrandMontgomery
township line
53.19185.603  SR 37 – La Rue, Richwood
Big Island Township62.521100.618 
 
SR 203 south / Prospect Upper Sandusky Road N – Prospect
Northern terminus of SR 203
Marion66.941107.731 
 
SR 95 west (West Center Street / Kenton Avenue)
Western end of SR 95 concurrency
68.088109.577 
 
 
 
 
 
SR 4 south / SR 423 south / SR 739 south (South Prospect Street)
SR 4 / SR 423 / SR 739 on a one-way pair; northern terminus of SR 739 (at Center Street)
68.248109.835 
 
 
 
 
 
SR 4 north / SR 423 north / SR 739 north (South State Street)
SR 4 / SR 423 / SR 739 on a one-way pair; northern terminus of SR 739 (at Center Street)
68.395110.071 
 
 
 
SR 95 east (Mouth Vernon Avenue) to South Vine Street / US 23 – Harding Home
Eastern end of SR 95 concurrency
Marion Township70.672–
70.788
113.736–
113.922
  US 23 – Delaware, Upper SanduskyInterchange
Claridon Township73.915118.955  SR 98 / Marion Williamsport Road – Bucyrus, Waldo
77.453124.649 
 
SR 746 south (Whetstone River Road) / South Water Street
Northern terminus of SR 746
Morrow
No major junctions
MarionTully Township83.674134.660 
 
SR 100 north (Ibera-Bucyrus Road) – Bucyrus
Southern terminus of SR 100
MorrowWashington Township85.911138.260 
 
SR 288 east – Mt. Gilead, Lexington
Western terminus of SR 288
86.163138.666 
 
SR 61 south – Mt. Gilead
Southern end of SR 61 concurrency
CrawfordGalion89.860144.616 
 
 
 
SR 19 west (Harding Way) / SR 598 north (Portland Way)
Western end of SR 19 concurrency; southern terminus of SR 598
91.130146.660 
 
 
 
SR 19 east / SR 97 east (Harding Way) / South East Street
Eastern end of SR 19 concurrency; western terminus of SR 97
93.229150.038 
 
 
 
SR 61 north to US 30 – Crestline
Northern end of SR 61 concurrency
RichlandSpringfield Township97.180156.396 
 
SR 181 west – Crestline
Eastern terminus of SR 181
Ontario98.186158.015  SR 314 – Chesterville, Shelby
100.571–
100.821
161.853–
162.256
 
 
SR 430 east
Interchange; westbound SR 309 to eastbound SR 430 via U-turn; western terminus of SR 430
Beer RoadInterchange; westbound SR 309 only
102.104–
102.660
164.320–
165.215
West Fourth StreetPartial cloverleaf interchange
Mansfield103.579166.694 
 
US 30 east – Mansfield, Wooster
Interchange; eastbound US 30 entrance / westbound US 30 exit only; eastern terminus of SR 309
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Data Download - ODOT TIMS (Road Inventory shapefile)". Ohio Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "DESTAPE". Ohio Department of Transportation. August 30, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  3. ^ "Ohio State Route 309" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  4. ^ "Westbound SR 309 in Lima" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  5. ^ "Renaming Of Rt. 30s Draws No Opposition". The Lima News. October 12, 1973. p. 13. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  6. ^ Butko, Brian (2013) [2005]. Greetings from the Lincoln Highway. Stackpole Books. p. 84. ISBN 9780811711746. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  7. ^ Plat Book of Richland County, Ohio (PDF) (Map). Richland County Auditor. 1940. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  8. ^ 1961 Ohio Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Ohio Department of Transportation. 1961. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  9. ^ Delphos Quadrangle (PDF) (Map). United States Geological Survey. 1950. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  10. ^ "Eye U.S. 30 Location". The Times Bulletin. Associated Press. September 20, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  11. ^ Map of Ohio Showing State Highway System (MrSID) (Map). Cartography by O.W. Merrell, Director. Ohio Department of Highways. 1932. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  12. ^ Map of Ohio Showing State Highway System (MrSID) (Map). Cartography by O.W. Merrell, Director. ODOH. 1934. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  13. ^ Official 1935 Ohio Highway Map (MrSID) (Map). Cartography by John Jaster, Jr., Director. ODOH. 1935. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  14. ^ Rand McNally Auto Road Atlas, 1926, accessed via the Broer Map Library
  15. ^ Myers Cook, Stacey (December 7, 2021). "ODOT roundabout projects on Allen County's eastside moving along". WLIO. Block Communications. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  16. ^ Singh, Sartaj (April 7, 2022). "Work begins on two roundabout installation projects on State Route 309 in Allen County". WLIO. Block Communications. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  17. ^ Brown, Dean (April 7, 2022). "ODOT schedules Allen Co. highway improvements". The Lima News. AIM Media Midwest. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  18. ^ "State Route 309 roundabout construction and culvert replacements". Ohio Department of Transportation. Project 110428. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
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