State Route 72 (SR 72) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Ohio. Its southern terminus is at US 62 near Highland, and its northern terminus is at SR 334 just north of Springfield. As it travels through Springfield, Ohio, it is known as Limestone Street.[2]
 State Route 72 | ||||
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by ODOT | ||||
| Length | 53.27 mi[1] (85.73 km) | |||
| Existed | 1923–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 62 near Highland | |||
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| North end |  SR 334 near Springfield | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Ohio | |||
| Counties | Highland, Clinton, Greene, Clark | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
editOn November 29, 2023, the Ohio House of Representatives passed a bill to designate the portion of SR 72 between US 42 and Clifton Road in Greene County as the "Caitlin Renee Preston Memorial Highway",[3] in honor of an 18-year-old who died along that stretch of road in May 2019 in a head-on collision with a semi-truck. This stretch of SR 72, which carries a large amount of semi traffic, had a high number of accidents and fatalities over the years. As a result of the crash that killed Preston, the state widened the roadway and added shoulders. Although the state traditionally only designates roads for military members or first responders who have given their lives in service, Preston, a recent high school graduate, had planned to enter law enforcement and study forensic science in college. As of December 2, 2023, the bill had not yet been passed by the Ohio Senate or signed by the governor.[4]
History
editPrior to receiving the designation of SR 72, the route of what is now SR 72 was included within the state highway system in 1915 along various routes.[5][6] The Penn Township–Springfield routes were unified as SR 72 in 1923 routed mostly along the same roads it runs today.[7][8] The only major change that occurred to the highway's routing happened around 1972 when US 68 was routed out of Springfield on a freeway west of the city. SR 72 was extended north along the former US 68 to end north of the city.[9][10] The interchange that currently serves as SR 334's western terminus was SR 72's northern terminus at first but was truncated to its current terminus by 2003.[11][12]
Major junctions
edit| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland | Penn Township | 0.00 | 0.00 | US 62 – Leesburg, Hillsboro | |
| Highland | 3.98 | 6.41 |   SR 28 west (Main Street) / New Lexington Avenue | Southern end of SR 28 concurrency | |
| Fairfield Township | 4.56 | 7.34 |  SR 28 east | Northern end of SR 28 concurrency | |
| Clinton | Wayne Township | 11.08 | 17.83 |  SR 729 – Sabina | |
| Richland Township | 14.85 | 23.90 |   US 22 / SR 3 – Sabina, Washington Court House, Wilmington | ||
| Greene | Jefferson Township | 21.00 | 33.80 |  I-71 – Columbus, Cincinnati | Exit 58 (I-71) |
| Jamestown | 28.23 | 45.43 |  SR 734 east (Washington Street) | Western terminus of SR 734 | |
| Jamestown–Silvercreek Township municipal line | 29.03 | 46.72 |  US 35 – Washington Court House, Dayton | Interchange | |
| Cedarville | 35.72 | 57.49 |   US 42 south (West Xenia Avenue) – Wilberforce | Southern end of US 42 concurrency | |
| 35.87 | 57.73 |  US 42 north (Chillicothe Street) | Northern end of US 42 concurrency | ||
| Clifton | 39.73 | 63.94 |  SR 343 west (North Street) – John Bryan State Park | Eastern terminus of SR 343 | |
| Clark | Springfield–Springfield Township municipal line | 46.37 | 74.63 |  I-70 – Columbus, Indianapolis | Exit 54 (I-70) |
| Springfield | 48.65 | 78.29 | East Main Street to    US 40 east / SR 4 north / SR 41 south | ||
| 48.83 | 78.58 | US 40 west / SR 4 south / SR 41 north (East North Street) | One-way pair | ||
| Moorefield Township | 52.72– 53.25 | 84.84– 85.70 |    SR 334 to SR 4 / US 68 / CR 68 (Urbana Road) – Marysville | Interchange | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
edit- ^ a b Ohio Department of Transportation. "Technical Services Straight Line Diagrams". Retrieved 2010-04-30.
- ^ "Ohio State Route 72" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ "House Bill 75". 135th Ohio General Assembly. The Ohio Legislature. 2023. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ Kreemer, Avery (November 30, 2023). "Kenton Ridge grad who died in crash honored with road designation". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ Map of Ohio Showing Main Market Roads and Inter-County Highways (MrSID) (Map). Cartography by James R. Marker, State Highway Commissioner. Ohio State Highway Department. 1914. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ Map of Ohio Showing Main Market Roads and Inter-County Highways (MrSID) (Map). Cartography by Clinton Cowen, State Highway Commissioner. Ohio State Highway Department. 1915. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ Map of Ohio State Highways Showing All Improved Roadways (MrSID) (Map). Cartography by E.C. Blosser. Ohio Department of Highways and Public Works. 1922. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ Map of Ohio Showing State Routes (MrSID) (Map). Cartography by L.A. Boulay, Director. ODOH. 1923. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ 1971 Ohio Highway Map (MrSID) (Map). Cartography by J. Phillip Richley, Director. Ohio Department of Highways. 1971. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
- ^ 1972 Ohio Highway Map (MrSID) (Map). Cartography by J. Phillip Richley, Director. Ohio Department of Highways. 1972. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
- ^ "1998 Clark Co. Average 24-Hour Volume" (PDF). ODOT. 1998. p. 5. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ "2003 Clark Co. Average 24-Hour Volume" (PDF). ODOT. 2003. p. 5. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
