Ohio Launches Study for Interstate Highway Project
Ohio is taking steps to become a part of a decades-long project to create a new interstate highway that connects Michigan to South Carolina.
The route connects existing roadways with planned construction across six states. The Interstate 73-74-75 corridor would run almost 1,000 miles from the Upper Michigan Peninsula to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina — and pass through Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina on the way.
The highway project has been considered for almost 30 years, according to the I-73, I-74, I-75 Corridor Association.
The interstate corridor would connect large population centers and industrial hubs. The route also would provide coastal regions with a hurricane evacuation route.
“Whenever developers come in to put in a factory or big development, if interstate access isn’t there, they keep looking and we’re not considered,” Darren LeBrun, an engineer in southern Ohio, told Cleveland.com. “It is a handicap for us.”
Ohio’s section mostly follows U.S. Route 23, running south from Toledo through Columbus, then reaching the Kentucky-West Virginia border near Chesapeake, Ohio.
The Ohio Department of Transportation is conducting a comprehensive feasibility study to determine what it would take to construct the corridor. The final report is due by Dec. 31, 2026.
“It’s important to remember that this is not a commitment to build the interstate — but strictly informational,” ODOT said in a study announcement. “It arms the state’s decision makers with data so they can execute accordingly.”
The study’s findings will help state leaders allocate funding, determine economic and environmental impacts, and consider potential routes.
“An interstate through southern Ohio would not just help connect rural communities to the modern economy but would enhance our national security because of multiple key facilities and defense-related companies along the route,” said U.S. Rep Dave Taylor, R-Ohio, whose district would be served by the highway.
Taylor introduced a congressional resolution in July in support of building Ohio’s portion of the I-73-74-75 corridor.
Sources: Ohio Department of Transportation, Cleveland.com, I-73, I-74, I-75 Corridor Association.