Interstate 280 (Ohio)

Interstate 280
Route information
Maintained by ODOT
Length:	12.41 mi[1] (19.97 km)
Major junctions
South end:	I‑80 / I‑90 / Ohio Turnpike / SR 420 in Lake Township
	SR 2 in Oregon
North end:	I‑75 in Toledo
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Ohio Highways Interstate U.S. State Scenic ← SR 279 SR 281 →

Interstate 280 (I-280) is a 12.41-mile-long highway that connects I-75 in northeast Toledo, Ohio with I-80/I-90 (part of the Ohio Turnpike) southeast of the city in northeastern Wood County, Ohio. Built between 1955 and 1959, the route was originally part of the Detroit-Toledo Expressway. Although first designated in 1959, the highway originally contained several at-grade intersections and other features which left it substandard to the Interstate Highway System until 1990. Further construction in 2007 built a new crossing of the Maumee River, replacing an outdated drawbridge. The highway serves an easterly bypass of metropolitan Toledo, passing through the communities of Northwood and Oregon. It is one of two auxiliary Interstate highways serving Toledo, the other being Interstate 475.

Route description

I-280 northbound at exit 1B (Bahnsen Road) in Lake Township

The southern end of I-280 is an interchange in Wood County with exit  71 along the Ohio Turnpike, which carries Interstate 80 and Interstate 90 at this point. South of this interchange, the I-280 freeway transitions to State Route 420 (SR 420), a divided highway without access control, that also provides access to a truck stop and other businesses. Continuing north, I-280 runs through farm land and through an interchange with Bahnsen Road, which also provides access to other motorist- and trucking-related businesses. North of the SR 795 interchange, the freeway turns to the northwest. At the Walbridge Road interchange in Walbridge, Ohio, I-280 turns back due north. On either side of the Interstate, the surroundings transition from farms to residential subdivisions. I-280 crosses the rail line used by the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited passenger train routes operated by Amtrak. North of this crossing, the freeway passes into Lucas County.^[2][3]

I-280 turns northwesterly again in the city of Oregon. This area is suburban residential neighborhoods as the freeway approaches the Maumee River. The Interstate crosses the river on the Veterans' Glass City Skyway, an 8,800-foot (2,700 m), cable-stayed bridge. On the opposite bank of the river, I-280 turns northward and passes through an intersection with SR 25. There is one final interchange with I-75 where I-280 terminates.^[2][3]

History

The highway that would eventually carry I-280, the Detroit-Toledo Expressway,^[4] opened as a relocated SR 120 between US 20 and SR 51 by 1955.^[5] The highway was extended to Summit Street in Toledo by 1957,^[6] and by 1959 was extended into Michigan.^[7] By this time, the I-280 designation had been added,^[7] but the portion carrying I-280 was not fully converted to Interstate standards until 1990.^[4]

Initially, the freeway had several at-grade intersections with crossroads: Hanley and Latcha roads near Perrysburg; Ayers, Lemoyne, and Walbridge roads near Walbridge; and Curtice Road in Northwood. The Walbridge intersection was later upgraded to a traffic signal, one of the few on the Interstate Highway System at the time, while the interesection underwent study for conversion to an interchange.^[8] Hanley and Latcha roads were truncated to dead-end just before the freeway, but access to both roads was retained by construction of a new interchange and service drives in the early 1970s; the Ayers and Lemoyne crossings were also upgraded to overpasses at this point. The removal of direct access to Hanley and Latcha was originally disputed by business owners who owned motels and gas stations along those roads.^[9] The crossing at Curtice Road was upgraded to an interchange concurrently with the upgrade of the nearby interchange with Woodville Road.^[10]

Originally, I-280 was carried across the Maumee River by the Craig Memorial Bridge, a drawbridge that frequently caused backups along the route. In addition, a ramp leading from northbound Summit Street to southbound I-280 merged directly onto the bridge with no acceleration room, so it was removed in the mid-1990s.^[11] On June 24, 2007, the Veterans' Glass City Skyway opened, replacing the drawbridge. After the Glass City Skyway opened, the Craig Bridge was reconstructed, and it now carries SR 65. Its construction also led to the reconstruction of the Front Street exit, and removal of the Summit Street interchange entirely; access from I-280 to Summit Street is now provided by the Front Street exit and the Craig Bridge.

Exit list

County	Location	mi[12]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Wood	Lake Township	0.000– 0.254	0.000– 0.409	—	SR 420 south	Continuation beyond southern terminus
				1A	I‑80 / I‑90 / Ohio Turnpike – Cleveland, Chicago	Southern terminus; Ohio Turnpike exit 71
		0.724	1.165	1B	Bahnsen Road	To Hanley and Latcha Roads
		2.296	3.695	2	SR 795 – Perrysburg
	Walbridge	4.525	7.282	4	Walbridge
	Northwood	6.065– 6.475	9.761– 10.421	6	SR 51 (Woodville Road) / Curtice Road	Signed as 6A (SR 51) and 6B (Curtice Road) on semi-directional ramps; Curtice Road interchange added to existing Woodville Road interchange c. 1991[13]
Lucas	Oregon	7.853– 8.243	12.638– 13.266	7	SR 2 (Navarre Avenue) – Oregon	To Wheeling Street
	Toledo	8.833	14.215	8	Starr Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		9.873	15.889	9	SR 65 (Front Street) / Summit Street	SR 65 crosses the Maumee River on the Craig Memorial Bridge to connect to Summit Street
	Maumee River	9.453– 11.193	15.213– 18.013	Veterans' Glass City Skyway
	Toledo	10.463	16.839	10	Summit Street	Southbound entrance from northbound Summit Street removed late 1990s; rest of exit replaced by Craig Memorial Bridge connections from exit 9 in 2007; originally Exit 10A before removal of exits 10B and 10C
		10.543	16.967	10B	Huron Street	Former exit with no southbound entrance; northbound exit was via 10A and northbound entrance was via Erie Street; northbound exit removed before rest of exit was removed in 1999[14]
		10.863	17.482	10C	Michigan Avenue	Former northbound exit and southbound entrance via Champlain Street; exit removed 1999[14]
		11.223	18.062	11	SR 25 south – Downtown Toledo	Northbound exit connects to Galena Street; northern terminus of SR 25
		11.523	18.544	11	Central Avenue	Former diamond interchange, eliminated c. 1987; northbound exit and southbound entrance were eliminated before southbound exit and northbound entrance[15]
		12.103	19.478	12	Manhattan Boulevard	No access from Manhattan Boulevard to southbound I-75 or northbound I-75 to Manhattan Boulevard
		12.383	19.929	—	I‑75 – Detroit	Northern terminus; no control city for southbound I-75; exit 208 on I-75
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi             Incomplete access

References

1. Staff (October 31, 2002). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
2. Official Transportation Map (Map). Cartography by ODOT. Ohio Department of Transportation. 2011. Toledo inset.
3. Google (January 11, 2012). "Overview Map of I-280" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
4. Harvey, Hank (October 12, 2000). "Life in the Fast Lane Surrounds Toledo". The Blade (Toledo, OH). Retrieved April 3, 2013.
5. Official Highway Map (MrSID) (Map). Cartography by ODH. Ohio Department of Highways. 1955.
6. Official Highway Map (MrSID) (Map). Cartography by ODH. Ohio Department of Highways. 1957.
7. Official Highway Map (MrSID) (Map). Cartography by ODH. Ohio Department of Highways. 1959.
8. "Walbridge Road to be protected at I-280 crossing". Toledo Blade. 5 July 1969. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
9. "Need for I-280 safety upgrading questioned by business operators". Toledo Blade. 13 December 1972. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
10. "Changes proposed for I-280, Woodville Road". Toledo Blade. 5 August 1976. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
11. Weber, Lauren (June 17, 2007). "Beneath the beams, abutments, and concrete, Toledo's Maumee crossings have a story to tell". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
12. "Roadway Description Inventory Report - DESTAPE". Ohio Department of Transportation. June 24, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
    • Wood County (PDF)
    • Lucas County (PDF)
13. Harvey, Hank (October 12, 1989). "Woodville Road closes to build interchange". The Blade. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
14. Patch, David (19 November 1999). "Road Warrior". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
15. Marrison, Ben (5 January 1987). "Council asked for final OK on Parkway". The Blade. Retrieved 13 September 2014.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• Interstate 280 at Ohio Highway Ends