U.S. Route 68

U.S. Route 68 marker

U.S. Route 68
Route information
Length: 560 mi[1] (901 km)
Existed: 1926[1] – present
Major junctions
West end: US 62 at Reidland, KY
 
North end: I‑75 in Findlay, OH
Location
States: Kentucky, Ohio
Highway system

U.S. Route 68 (US 68) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 560 miles (900 km) from northwest Ohio to Western Kentucky. The highway's western terminus is at US 62 in Reidland, Kentucky. Its northern terminus is at Interstate 75 in Findlay, Ohio. It is signed east–west in Kentucky and north–south in Ohio.

Route description

Kentucky

The KY 9/KY 10 intersection with U.S. 62 and U.S. 68 in Maysville, Kentucky

U.S. Route 68 is designated as a "Scenic Highway" throughout Kentucky. The majority of the route winds through forested, hilly terrain. US 68 is Broadway Street through downtown Lexington, and it is Harrodsburg Road before it leaves Lexington. US 68 goes near or through Maysville, Paris, Lexington, Wilmore, Harrodsburg, Lebanon, Campbellsville, Edmonton, Glasgow, Bowling Green, Auburn, Russellville, Elkton, Hopkinsville, Cadiz, and Reidland.

The route passes several Civil War battle sites. The Battle of Tebbs Bend Historic Civil War Site is located near Campbellsville and the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site is outside Perryville. In addition, the Jefferson Davis State Historic Site is along the highway about 9 miles (14 km) east of Hopkinsville at the small town of Fairview.

There is an annual 400-mile (640 km) yard sale held along the highway for 4 days in early summer.[2]

The sections of the highway through Campbellsville and Lebanon are slated for expansion to begin in 2008. The long-term goal is to widen and make safer the entire US 68 corridor through Kentucky as part of the Heartland Parkway project.[3][4]

US 68 in Mercer County, Kentucky
US 68 in Jessamine County, Kentucky

Sections in Kentucky have been improved in recent years. The Paris Pike which was completed in 2003. Work is currently in progress to make US 68 four lanes through Land Between the Lakes.

Two spans of the US 68/KY 80 Eggner Ferry Bridge over Kentucky Lake collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship on January 26, 2012.[5] The bridge reopened to traffic on May 25, 2012.[6]

Ohio

Highest point on US 68 at the US 33 interchange in Bellefontaine, Ohio

US 68 takes a north-south route throughout Ohio, roughly paralleling Interstate 75 but covering counties one tier to the east of those counties covered by I-75. US 68 begins at an interchange with I-75 in Findlay. From there, it runs south as a 2-lane generally rural highway while passing through Arlington, Kenton, Bellefontaine, West Liberty and Urbana. South of Urbana, US 68 becomes a 4-lane expressway as it bypasses Springfield. a city it originally passed through. The expressway portion of US 68 ends just south of its interchange with I-70. US 68 then continues south as once again a 2-lane generally rural highway, passing through Yellow Springs, Xenia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Mount Orab and Georgetown. US 68 intersects with US 52 at Ripley, and duplexes with US 52 for 5.6 miles while traveling on the north bank of the Ohio River, before crossing the William H. Harsha Bridge into Kentucky.

In total, US 68 traverses 179.1 miles within Ohio.

History

US 68 previously ran to Toledo, Ohio, terminating at the west approach to the High Level Bridge south of downtown, but the Toledo-Findlay segment was decommissioned in the 1950s.[7] It also passed through Springfield, Ohio prior to its realignment onto a four-lane bypass of that city.

Future

In Clark County, Ohio, there is an almost full-access interchange between controlled-access US 68 and US 40/SR 4, which is itself a controlled-access highway until approximately 0.3 mile west of the US 68 interchange. One exit ramp from US 68 ends on Upper Valley Pike, rather than on US 40/SR 4; another entrance ramp includes two-way traffic and an at-grade entrance to a retirement community. On US 40/SR 4 between the controlled-access portion and US 68, there are an at-grade intersection at Upper Valley Pike, other street and driveway breaks in access control and a steep grade on the eastbound approach toward Upper Valley Pike. In September 2013, the Clark County-Springfield Transportation Coordinating Committee (TCC) ranked the US 40/SR 4/Upper Valley Pike intersection as the most hazardous in the county, based on 2010-2012 crash data.[8][9] Because the road design over the years had played a significant factor in the high number of crashes in the area, the TCC conducted a study; in February 2006 it recommended reconfiguring the US 68 interchange and altering nearby traffic patterns. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) the same year approved $5 million to fund the project. However, the TCC soon rejected ODOT's money, concluding that even its recommended fix would not be enough to solve the area road network's underlying problems.[8][10] Instead, the TCC is making small changes, such as improving traffic signal timing and adding signs. ODOT, for its part, is working on reducing the number of driveways near the US 40/SR 4/Upper Valley Pike intersection and on upgrading traffic signals.[8]

Major intersections

StateCountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
KentuckyMcCrackenReidland US 62 – Paducah, Kentucky Dam
  I-24 – Kentucky Dam, Nashville, St. LouisI-24 exit 16
  KY 284 west – Reidland, Symsonia
  KY 787
Marshall  KY 1042 north
Sharpe KY 795 southwest end of KY 795 overlap
KY 795 northeast end of KY 795 overlap
  KY 1610 north
  KY 1396 south
Coy KY 1712 south
  KY 1413 north
Palma KY 3456 north
KY 1422 east
  KY 95 north – Calvert City
  KY 782 west
  Purchase Parkway – Mayfield, Calvert CityPurchase Parkway exit 47
  US 641 north – Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Parkwest end of US 641 overlap
Draffenville US 641 southeast end of US 641 overlap
Briensburg KY 58 west
 Moors Camp Highwayformer KY 963
  KY 1462 west
 Big Bear Highwayformer KY 58 east
  KY 408 west – Benton, Mayfield
FairdealingBarge Island Roadformer KY 962 north
KY 962 south
  KY 1364 south
  KY 1484 north
Aurora KY 402 west – Mayfield
  KY 80 west – Murraywest end of KY 80 overlap
see KY 80
MetcalfeEdmonton KY 80 easteast end of KY 80 overlap
  KY 3524
  KY 1243
  KY 2399
  KY 544
  KY 543
  KY 70 west – Cave Citywest end of KY 70 overlap
  KY 745
Green  KY 729
  KY 487 – Exie
  KY 218 west – Horse Cave
  KY 61 south – Columbiawest end of KY 61 overlap
Greensburg KY 417 (East Columbia Avenue)
KY 61 north / Industrial Park Road (KY 3535 east) – Hodgenvilleeast end of KY 61 overlap
  KY 793
Taylor  KY 2764 (Miller Road)
  KY 883 (Shiloh Road)
Campbellsville KY 323
KY 55 south / KY 210 west – Hodgenville, Columbia, Green River Reservoir State Park, Jacob Hiestand Museumwest end of KY 55 overlap
KY 323 south (Columbia Avenue) – Campbellsville University
KY 70 east / KY 527 north (North Central Avenue)east end of KY 70 overlap
KY 289 north (Lebanon Avenue) – Business District
KY 658 east (Roberts Road)
KY 1799 east – Airport
Arista KY 3211 west (Palestine Road)
  KY 1834 east (Sportsman Lake Road)
  KY 208 north / KY 744 – Calvary
Marion  KY 412 westwest end of KY 412 overlap
  KY 412 easteast end of KY 412 overlap
  KY 289 south
  KY 2741 west
  KY 426 west
  KY 2154
LebanonCemetery Roadformer KY 208 south
KY 55 north – Airporteast end of KY 55 overlap
KY 49 / KY 52 west (Proctor Knott Avenue) – Libertywest end of KY 52 overlap
To KY 55 / Spalding Avenue (KY 55S north)
KY 2154 west (Corporate Drive) to KY 55 north
KY 1404 north
  KY 1195 north
  KY 243 south – Gravel Switch, Bradfordsville
BoyleNorth Fork KY 34 east
  KY 1894 south (Brumfield Road)
Perryville US 150 west (2nd Street West) – Perryville Battlefield State Historic Sitewest end of US 150 overlap
US 150 east / KY 52 east (2nd Street East) / KY 1856 south (Bragg Street South)east end of US 150 / KY 52 overlap
  KY 1941 north
MercerNevada KY 1822 south
  KY 1915 south (Dry Branch Road)
Harrodsburg KY 152 west (Mooreland Avenue) – Springfieldwest end of KY 152 overlap
US 127 south (South College Street) – Danvillewest end of US 127 overlap
US 127 north (North College Street) – Lawrenceburgeast end of US 127 overlap
KY 152 east (Cane Run Street) – Burgin, Herrington Lakeeast end of KY 152 overlap
Stringtown
US 127 Byp.
  KY 1343 north (Curry Pike)
Pleasant Hill KY 33 south – Burgin, Herrington Lake, Danville, Shaker Villagewest end of KY 33 overlap
 Shaker Ferry Roadformer KY 29 north
Kentucky RiverBrooklyn Bridge
Jessamine  KY 33 north – Versailleseast end of KY 33 overlap
  KY 1268 south – Wilmore
  KY 29 south – Wilmore, Asbury Universitywest end of KY 29 overlap
  KY 29 north – Nicholasvilleeast end of KY 29 overlap
  KY 169
  KY 3375 (Catnip Hill Road)
  KY 1980 east (Brannon Road)
FayetteLexington KY 1267 south (Military Pike)
Man o' War Boulevard
KY 4 (New Circle Road)KY 4 exit 2
US 27 south (Bolivar Street)west end of US 27 overlap
US 60 west (West High Street)west end of US 60 overlap
US 25 south / US 60 east / US 421 south (West Vine Street)east end of US 60 overlap; no left turn westbound (left-turning traffic turns right at West Main Street)
US 25 north / US 421 north (West Main Street)
KY 4 (West New Circle Road)
I-75 / I-64 – Cincinnati, Louisville, Knoxville, AshlandI-75 exit 113
KY 3367 south (Johnston Road)
KY 1973 north (Iron Works Pike)west end of KY 1973 overlap
KY 1973 south (Muir Station Road)east end of KY 1973 overlap
BourbonPiper KY 1939 north
Paris KY 1939 (Hume Bedford Road / Bethlehem Road)

US 68 Bus. east (Lexington Road)
US 460 – Georgetown, Paris
US 27 north – Cynthianaeast end of US 27 overlap

US 68 Bus. west (East Main Street) to US 460 east – Paris
KY 1940 north
  KY 1893 west
Millersburg KY 1879 north
Nicholas  KY 386
  KY 648
  KY 36 east – Carlislewest end of KY 32 overlap
  KY 32 west / KY 36 west – Cynthianaeast end of KY 36 overlap; west end of KY 32 overlap
  KY 1244
  KY 32 east – Carlisleeast end of KY 32 overlap
  KY 1455 south – Carlislewest end of KY 1455 overlap
  KY 1455 northeast end of KY 1455 overlap
Ellisville KY 606
  KY 1244
Robertson  KY 165 north – Mount Olivetwest end of KY 165 overlap
Fleming  KY 2505 (Mount Pleasant Road)
Fairview KY 165 south – Flemingsburgeast end of KY 165 overlap
MasonPeed KY 560 (Nepton Road)
  KY 2517 – Mays Lick
  KY 324 – Mayslick, Sardis, Wedonia, Mayslick Historic District
  KY 2517 – Mays Lick
  KY 2514
  KY 2514
Maysville
US 68 Bus. east – Washington
KY 9 (AA Hwy.) / KY 10 – Brooksville, Maysvilleinterchange
KY 3056
KY 8 – Augusta, Maysvilleinterchange
Ohio RiverWilliam H. Harsha Bridge
OhioBrownAberdeen US 52 east / US 62 west – Aberdeensouth end of US 52 / US 62 overlap
Ripley US 52 westnorth end of US 52 overlap
Redoak US 62 east – Russellvillenorth end of US 62 overlap
  SR 125 east – Russellvillesouth end of SR 125 overlap
  SR 125 west – Georgetown Business Districtnorth end of SR 125 overlap
GeorgetownMount Orab Pike (C-30A) - Georgetown Business District
Mount Orab SR 774 west
SR 32 – Cincinnati, Jacksoninterchange
Fivemile SR 286
Chasetown SR 131
Fayetteville US 50
  SR 123 – Blanchester
Clinton  SR 251 south – St. Martin, Chatfield College
  SR 28 – Blanchester, New Vienna, Martinsville
  SR 350 – Clarksville, Cubainterchange
Wilmington SR 134 south / to Airborne Road – Martinsville, Lynchburgsouth end of SR 134 overlap
SR 730 south (West Truesdell Street)
US 22 east / SR 3 east (East Main Street) to SR 73 east – Wilmington College
US 22 west / SR 3 west (West Locust Street) to SR 73 west / I‑71 south
SR 134 north (Lorish Avenue)north end of SR 134 overlap
  SR 73 to I‑71 – Waynesville, Hillsborointerchange
  I‑71 – Cincinnati, ColumbusI-71 exit 50
GreeneXenia US 35 – Dayton, Washington CHinterchange
SR 380 south (South Detroit Street)south end of SR 380 overlap

US 42 / US 35 Bus. (Main Street)		north end of SR 380 overlap
  SR 235 north – Fairborn, WPAFB
Yellow Springs SR 343 east – Clifton, John Bryan State Park
Clark  SR 794 east – Springfield Airport
 Fairfield Pikeat-grade intersection; south end of freeway
  I‑70 – Dayton, ColumbusI-70 exit 52
Sugar Grove US 40 / SR 4 – Dayton, Springfield
  SR 41 – Troy, Springfield
  SR 334 east / River Road – Springfield
Clark
Champaign		BowlusvilleCounty Line Road
Champaign Springfield-Urbana Pikeat-grade intersection; north end of freeway
Urbana SR 55 west
US 36 / SR 29 (Miami Street / Scioto Street)traffic circle
  SR 296
  SR 507 east – Ohio Caverns
LoganWest Liberty SR 245 – Ohio Caverns
  SR 508 west – DeGraff
Bellefontaine SR 47 east (North Madriver Street) / SR 540 east (Sandusky Avenue)
SR 47 west (Sandusky Avenue)south end of SR 47 west overlap (southbound only)
To SR 47 east / Rush Avenuenorth end of SR 47 west overlap (southbound only)
US 33 – Huntsville, Russells Point, Marysvilleinterchange
  SR 638 north – Belle Center
  SR 274 – Huntsville, Rushsylvania
  SR 273 – Belle Center, Mount Victory
HardinKenton SR 53 north / SR 67 west (West Espy Street)south end of SR 67 overlap
SR 309 (West Franklin Street)
SR 67 east (West Columbus Street)north end of SR 67 overlap
SR 31 south (West Carrol Street)
  SR 701 west – Blanchard
Dunkirk SR 81
Hancock  US 30 – Fort Wayne, Mansfieldinterchange
Arlington SR 103 (Main Cross Street)
  SR 15 east / South Main Street – Findlay, Careysouth end of SR 15 overlap
FindlayLima Avenue - Findlay, Airportinterchange; former US 25
I‑75 / SR 15 west – Dayton, Toledonorth end of SR 15 overlap; I-75 exit 156
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Related routes

References

  1. 1 2 Droz, Robert V. U.S. Highways : From US 1 to (US 830). URL accessed 02:55, 4 July 2006 (UTC).
  2. ↑ "400 mile sale across Kentucky's scenic byway historic highway 68". Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  3. ↑ "US 68". KentuckyRoads.com. 2012-02-29. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  4. ↑ "Heartland Parkway Project". Retrieved 2013-08-13.
  5. ↑ "US 68/Ky 80 Eggner's Ferry Bridge sections collapse after cargo ship strike". WPSD. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  6. ↑ "US 68/KY 80 Kentucky Lake Bridge Reopens". KentuckyRoads.com. 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
  7. ↑ U. S. G. S. Topographic Maps, Toledo 7.5 ' Quadrangles edited 1934 and 1951 and Dept. of Highways Map of Ohio, 1959.
  8. 1 2 3 Heffner, Jessica (September 20, 2013). "Money to fix road rejected". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  9. ↑ "High Hazard Location List for Clark County" (PDF). Clark County-Springfield Transportation Coordinating Committee. September 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  10. ↑ "US 40/Upper Valley Pike Study". Clark County-Springfield Transportation Coordinating Committee. February 2006. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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