Ohio State Route 7

State Route 7
Major highways in Ohio with OH 7 in red.
Route information
Maintained by ODOT
Length:	292.20 mi[1] (470.25 km)
Existed:	1912[2] – present
Major junctions
South end:	US 52 near Chesapeake
	US 35 in Gallipolis US 33 / SR 833 near Pomeroy I-77 in Marietta I-470 near Bellaire I-70 / US 40 / US 250 in Bridgeport US 22 in Steubenville US 30 / SR 11 from E. Liverpool to Rogers I-76 / Ohio Turnpike near Youngstown US 62 near Youngstown I-80 near Hubbard I-90 in Conneaut
North end:	SR 531 in Conneaut
Location
Counties:	Lawrence, Gallia, Meigs, Athens, Washington, Monroe, Belmont, Jefferson, Columbiana, Mahoning, Trumbull, Ashtabula
Highway system
Ohio Highways Interstate U.S. State Former Scenic ← SR 6 SR 8 →

State Route 7 (SR 7), formerly known as Inter-county Highway 7 until 1921^[3] and State Highway 7 in 1922,^[4] is a north–south state highway in the southern and eastern portions of the U.S. state of Ohio. At just over 292 miles (470 km) in length, it is the longest state route in Ohio.^[1] Its southern terminus is an interchange with U.S. Route 52 (US 52) just west of Chesapeake. Its northern terminus also serves as the eastern terminus of SR 531 in Conneaut. The path of SR 7 stays within five miles (8.0 km) of the Ohio River (Ohio's border with West Virginia) for the southern portion, with the river being visible from much of the route. The road also remains within 10 miles (16 km) of the Pennsylvania state line for the northern portion.

Route description

SR 7 starts in Chesapeake and for about 100 miles (160 km) it runs along the Ohio River. Then it heads north along SR 11 & US 30 from East Liverpool to Rogers. After it turns north in Rogers, it heads up to Youngstown. Then the highway heads east overlapped with US 62. After that shared alignment, the highway then heads north again in Hubbard through a lot of small towns to its northern terminus in Conneaut.

History

In 1912, Intercounty Highway 7 ran from Elizabethtown to East Liverpool along the Ohio River^[5]

In 1923, the route was at its greatest extent, the northern terminus of the route was extended from East Liverpool to Conneaut.^[6]

In 1927, the southern segment running from Chesapeake to the Indiana state line near Elizabethtown was deleted to make way for US 52 and a small segment of US 50^[7]

Chesapeake and Proctorville bypass

Historical map of the Chesapeake Bypass

The Chesapeake bypass was first proposed in 1953.^[8]

In 1961, the US 52 expressway opened from Chesapeake westward towards Sheridan. The original eastern terminus of the four-lane divided highway was at the current Chesapeake northbound-only exit ramp east of Tallow Ridge Road.^[9] US 52 originally crossed at the present-day Robert C. Byrd Bridge that connects Chesapeake to Huntington, West Virginia. In 1979, the US 52 designation moved to the Nick Joe Rahall II Bridge as tolls on that span were removed that year; the segment east of the Rahall Bridge to the Chesapeake interchange was renumbered to SR 7.

Ten years later, the four-lane expressway was extended eastward to an incomplete trumpet interchange just east of Big Branch Road.^[10] A four-lane connector route from the partially complete interchange to the foot of the Robert C. Byrd Bridge at SR  527 was completed. At the same time, the two-lane Chesapeake interchange ramp just east of Tallow Ridge Road was converted to a northbound-only exit ramp. The abrupt terminus at Chesapeake was envisioned to connect to Proctorville.

State Route 7 runs through downtown Gallipolis.

On May 31, 2002,^[11] ground was broken for Phase 1-A of the Proctorville bypass.^[12] Phase 1-A entailed a two-lane connector road from the East Huntington Bridge to Irene Road, with the original loop ramp from the bridge to State Route 7 being modified into an access road. Phase 1-B was designated from Irene Road to State Route 7 near Fairland East Elementary in Rome. Phase 2 was envisioned from Irene Road west to Chesapeake. The total cost was originally estimated to be at $165 million.^[11]

On April 27, 2003, Phase 1-A of the Proctorville bypass opened to traffic.^[13] The $6.5 million,^[11] one-mile (1.6 km) section of three-lane roadway was opened from the foot of the East Huntington Bridge to Irene Road and signed as SR 607.

On June 3, 2003, bids were opened for Phase 1-B from Irene Road to SR 7 near Fairland East Elementary.^[14] The projected cost of the 4.5-mile (7.2 km) segment was originally $27 million, however, when the bids were let, the cost had decreased to $24.3 million. The lowest bid, which was also accepted, came in at $22.1 million.^[15] The road was designed as a two-lane limited-access facility on a four-lane right-of-way. Construction began on August 4,^[16] with an original estimated completion date of June 30, 2005.

State Route 7 south of Dilles Bottom, Ohio

An unusual amount of rain, blamed on two hurricanes, caused major delays.^[17] More than one-dozen major slips along Phase 1-B required an additional $30 million in repairs and the purchase of additional land for highwall excavations. Another change was the design of the roadway; originally projected to be widened in the future when higher traffic counts warrant the expansion, it was designed on wide right-of-way with no grade separation between the opposing lanes. During the repair of the slips, a terraced roadway was constructed to separate the future southbound lanes from the northbound by a highwall when the roadway is expanded to four lanes.

Other cost overruns had pushed the cost of construction to $62 million total, which included Phases 1-A and 1-B, up from the original estimates of $32 million. The primary cause was rapidly increasing land values and "unchecked zoning" along the project's projected right-of-way along with geo-technical problems with rocky soil.^[14] Property values along the projected route, for instance, increased 91.5% from 1992 to 2001 alone.

In October 2006, a small ¹⁄₂-mile (0.80 km) segment of the Phase 1-B bypass opened to traffic between SR 607 and Irene Road intersection to SR 775.^[18] The remainder, east to SR 7 near Fairland East Elementary, opened on December 8, 2006. It includes intersections with SR 775, Kinley Avenue, and SR 7. Upon completion, phases 1-A and 1-B were signed as SR 7; the bypass from the SR 775 junction to the loop at the East Huntington Bridge was co-numbered with SR 775.

The highway somewhere between Marietta and Pomeroy

Phase 2 of the bypass, from the Chesapeake bypass to Irene Road at Proctorville, has not been funded. Funding which had been previously promised by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) was later denied.^[8] Phase 2 is estimated to cost $76 million to complete.^[14] Also due to the construction delays (slips) on the bypass from SR 775 to Fairland East Elementary School (Phase 1-B), the design of Phase 2 may be realigned to prevent slips during construction.

Pomeroy Bypass

The Pomeroy bypass from Middleport east to US 33 was completed in 1968. At the time of completion, the bypass was two lanes but was upgraded to four lanes, divided, in 1976 from SR 143 to US 33 near Rock Springs. The bypass was extended east in 2000 from Rock Springs to a partial diamond interchange with SR 7 as a four-lane divided expressway. It was initially signed just SR 7. The diamond interchange was later completed with all connections, and the highway was extended eastward to Ravenswood, West Virginia as US 33.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Lawrence	Union Township	0.00	0.00		US 52 Ohio River Scenic Byway	Full-access interchange; southern end of ORSB concurrency
		1.40	2.25	—	Chesapeake	Northbound exit
		2.28	3.67	—	SR 527 Chesapeake Bypass; Proctorville Huntington	SR 7 exits freeway; western end of SR 527 concurrency; northbound exit; southbound entrance
		2.83	4.55		SR 527	Eastern end of SR 527 concurrency
		5.09	8.19		SR 243	Western end of SR 243
		6.08	9.78		SR 775 south	Western end of SR 775 concurrency
	Proctorville	6.75	10.86		SR 775 north	Eastern end of SR 775 concurrency
	Rome Township	7.55	12.15		SR 243	Western end of SR 243 concurrency
		9.96	16.03		SR 243 west	Eastern terminus of SR 243
		15.97	25.70		SR 217	Eastern terminus of SR 217
Gallia	Crown City	20.15	32.43		SR 553 north	Southern terminus of SR 553
	Gallipolis Township	38.68	62.25		SR 218 south	Northern terminus of SR 218
	Gallipolis	41.05	66.06		SR 141 west	Eastern terminus of SR 141
		41.78	67.24		SR 588 west	Eastern terminus of SR 588
		42.36	68.17		SR 160 north	Southern terminus of SR 160
	Gallipolis Township	45.41	73.08		US 35 east – Charleston	Access to eastbound and from westbound US 35 only
	Addison Township	46.08	74.16		SR 735 west to US 35 – Dayton	Eastern terminus of SR 735; provides access to westbound and from eastbound US 35
	Cheshire	53.50	86.10		SR 554 west	Eastern terminus of SR 554
Meigs	Middleport	57.44	92.44		Ohio River Scenic Byway; Hobson Drive	Northern end of ORSB concurrency;[19] Former routing of SR 7
	Salisbury Township	59.79	96.22		SR 124 west	Western end of SR 124 concurrency
		60.82	97.88		SR 143 north	Southern terminus of SR 143
		63.62	102.39	—	US 33 SR 124 SR 833 west	Eastern end of US 33 and SR 124 concurrencies; Eastern terminus of SR 833
		66.14	106.44	—	US 33	Interchange; US 33 leaves to the east.
		65.84	105.96		SR 733 south	Accessible via northbound SR 7
	Chester Township	69.87	112.44		SR 248	SR 248 begins to the east (western terminus).
	Orange Township	77.98	125.50		SR 681	SR 681 crosses west–east.
Athens	Troy Township	81.53	131.21	—	US 50 / SR 32	US 50/SR 32 join from the west.
	Coolville	82.99	133.56		SR 144	SR 144 crosses northwest-southeast.
	Troy Township	85.99	138.39		SR 124 west Ohio River Scenic Byway	Eastern terminus of SR 124; southern end of ORSB concurrency[20]
Washington	Belpre Township	89.86	144.62		SR 555	SR 555 begins to the west (southern terminus).
		91.23	146.82	—	SR 618	Western terminus of SR 618; northbound exit; southbound entrance
		92.08	148.19	—	US 50 SR 339	US 50 leaves easterly into West Virginia across the Blennerhassett Island Bridge. SR 339 crosses south–north; two separate interchanges on southbound side
	Belpre	96.70	155.62	—	SR 32 to SR 618	SR 7 exits SR 32; eastbound exit; westbound entrance
		97.14	156.33	—	SR 618 to SR 32	Eastern terminus of SR 618; southbound exit; northbound entrance
	Warren Township	107.62	173.20	—	To SR 550 Virginia Street	Interchange; SR 550 ends to the west (eastern terminus); northbound exit; southbound entrance
		107.62	173.20		SR 550	Eastern terminus of SR 550
	Marietta	108.64	174.84		SR 676	SR 676 ends to the northwest (eastern terminus).
		109.08	175.55		SR 60	SR 60 joins from the northwest.
		109.94	176.93		SR 26	SR 26 begins concurrent (southern terminus).
		110.12	177.22		SR 60	SR 60 leaves to the south.
		110.28	177.48		SR 26	SR 26 leaves to the northeast.
	Marietta Township	111.34	179.18	—	I-77	I-77 passes over SR 7 south–north; full-access interchange (I-77 exit 1).
	Newport Township	126.02	202.81		SR 807	SR 807 passes over SR 7 southeast-northwest to a 180° ramp; SR 807 begins 0.10 mi (0.16 km). later to the northwest (northern terminus).
	New Matamoras	139.03	223.75		SR 260	SR 260 begins to the northwest (southern terminus).
Monroe	Jackson Township	143.44	230.84		SR 800	SR 800 begins to the west (southern terminus).
	Lee Township	149.98	241.37		SR 255	SR 255 ends to the north (eastern terminus).
	Ohio Township	154.31	248.34		SR 536	SR 536 joins from the east.
		154.71	248.98		SR 536	SR 536 leaves to the west.
	Clarington	163.00	262.32		SR 78	SR 78 ends to the west (eastern terminus).
		163.54	263.19		SR 556	SR 556 ends to the west (eastern terminus).
Belmont	Powhatan Point	170.87	274.99		SR 148	SR 148 crosses northwest–east.
		171.86	276.58		SR 148	SR 148 ends to the south (eastern terminus).
	Mead Township			Southern End of Ohio River Scenic Byway (Southern freeway section)
		178.03	286.51	—	SR 872	SR 872 begins to the southeast (western terminus)
		181.41	291.95	—	Central Avenue	Former routing of SR 7; northbound exit, southbound entrance
	Pultney Township	183.48	295.28	—	Central Avenue	Former routing of SR 7; southbound exit, northbound entrance
	Bellaire	183.99	296.10	—	Pinch Run / Belmont Street
		185.42	298.40	—	27th Street to SR 149/SR 147
		186.53	300.19	—	48th Street / North Guernsey Street
	Pultney Township	188.19	302.86	—	I-470 Washington, PA / Columbus	Inverted SPUI, leading to a trumpet interchange at I-470 (exit 6)
	Bridgeport	189.64	305.20	—	SR 767 to I-70 / US 40 / US 250 Bridgeport / Wheeling	Exit 225 on I-70; northbound exit, southbound entrance (to SR 7A)
		189.83	305.50	—	US 40 / US 250 to I-70 Wheeling / Bridgeport	Exit 225 on I-70; southbound exit, northbound entrance (to SR 7A and SR 767)
				Northern End of Ohio River Scenic Byway (Southern freeway section)
	Martins Ferry	191.77	308.62		SR 647	Junction with SR 647 (southern terminus).
				Southern End of Ohio River Scenic Byway (Central freeway section)
		194.76	313.44	—	Pattons Run / Picoma Road
	Yorkville	196.16	315.69	—	Public Road / Yorkville
Jefferson		Tiltonsville	197.31	317.54	—	Farm Lane / Tiltonsville
	Rayland	198.71	319.79	—	Rayland / Dillonvale to SR 150
	Wells Township	203.26	327.12	—	Salt Run Road / Riddles Run Road	Former routing of SR 7; northbound exit
		204.50	329.11	—	Brilliant / Riddles Run Road	Former routing of SR 7
	Brilliant	205.92	331.40	—	Brilliant	Southbound exit and entrance; northbound entrance
	Steubenville Township	208.18	335.03	—	SR 151 New Alexandria / Smithfield	Eastern terminus of SR 151
		208.77	335.98	—	Commercial Avenue
		208.93	336.24	—	Murdock Avenue
		209.68	337.45	—	Logan Avenue
	Steubenville	211.74	340.76	—	Lincoln Avenue	Northbound exit; southbound entrance
				Northern End of Ohio River Scenic Byway (Central freeway section)
		212.88	342.60		SR 43	SR 43 begins to the west (southern terminus).
		214.24	344.79		SR 822 east – Weirton, West Virginia	Closed; former routing of SR 822 across the now-demolished Fort Steuben Bridge; was inverted SPUI.[21][22][23]
		213.98	344.37		US 22 SR 822	Partial Interchange; US 22 leaves to the east; SR 822 joins from the west here and leaves to the east 0.23 mi (0.37 km). later; southbound exit; northbound SR 7 to US 22 east via University Blvd.
	Island Creek Township	215.23	346.38		US 22 SR 213	Full-access interchange; US 22 joins from the west; SR 213 begins to the northwest (southern terminus).
				Southern End of Ohio River Scenic Byway (Northern freeway section)
		216.12	347.81	—	County Road 44 / Pottery Addition (Kingsdale Road)	Northbound exit; southbound entrance; former routing of SR 7
		217.17	349.50	—	County Road 44 / Pottery Addition (Kingsdale Road)	Southbound exit; northbound entrance; former routing of SR 7
		218.42	351.51	—	County Road 56 / Costonia
	Toronto	220.09	354.20	—	Franklin Street
		224.52	361.33	—	4th Street
	Empire	224.96	362.04	—	SR 152 Empire / Richmond
				Northern End of Ohio River Scenic Byway (Northern freeway section)
	Saline Township	230.02	370.18		SR 213	SR 213 ends to the southwest (northern terminus).
Columbiana	Wellsville	232.15	373.61	—	SR 39	SR 39 joins from the northwest via full-access interchange.
		233.64	376.01	—	SR 45	SR 45 begins to the northwest (southern terminus) via full-access interchange.
	East Liverpool	236.86	381.19	—	US 30 / SR 11 / SR 39 SR 267 Ohio River Scenic Byway	US 30/SR 11/SR 39 join from/leave to the south; SR 267 begins to the northwest (southern terminus); full-access interchange except from eastbound US 30/southbound SR 7/southbound SR 11 to SR 267; northern terminus of ORSB concurrency
	St. Clair Township	240.19	386.55	—	SR 170	SR 170 begins to the northeast (southern terminus).
	Madison Township	242.68	390.56	—	US 30 / SR 11 SR 267	US 30/SR 11 join from/leave to the northwest; SR 267 ends to the south (northern terminus); full-access interchange.
	Rogers	250.90	403.78		SR 154	SR 154 crosses west–east.
	Fairfield Township	253.13	407.37		SR 517 / SR 558	SR 517 ends to the west (eastern terminus) concurrent with SR 558 which crosses west–east.
		256.18	412.28		SR 46	SR 46 joins from the southeast.
	Columbiana	257.70	414.73		SR 14 / SR 46	SR 46 leaves to the west, concurrent with SR 14 which crosses west–east.
Mahoning	Beaver Township	261.89	421.47		SR 165	SR 165 crosses west–east.
		262.19	421.95		SR 164	SR 164 crosses southwest-northeast.
		263.45	423.98		I-76 / Ohio Turnpike	Access via ramps here; turnpike passes over SR 7 northwest-southeast 0.30 miles (0.48 km) later; I-76 exit 232.
		264.94	426.38		SR 626	SR 626 ends to the southeast (northern terminus).
	Boardman Township	267.46	430.44		US 224	US 224 crosses west–east.
	Youngstown	270.00	434.52		SR 170	SR 170 crosses west–east.
		270.86	435.91		US 62	US 62 joins from the west.
		271.83	437.47		Market Street	Former routing of SR 7
				Southern End of Freeway
		272.16	438.00	—	I-680	I-680 passes under US 62/SR 7 northwest-south; access from southbound US 62/SR 7 to I-680 and from I-680 to northbound US 62/SR 7 only (I-680 exit 6).
		273.42	440.03	—	SR 289 to US 422 east Wilson Ave / Himrod Road	SR 289 passes over US 62/SR 7 west–east; northbound exit/southbound entrance only.
				—	US 422 west – Warren
				Northern End of Freeway
					To US 422 east / Albert Street
Trumbull	Hubbard	279.94	450.52		SR 304	SR 304 joins from the west.
		280.78	451.87		SR 304 SR 616	SR 304 continues to the east; SR 616 ends to the south (northern terminus).
	Hubbard Township	282.06	453.93		Elmwood Road	Former routing of US 62
		282.16	454.09		I-80	I-80 passes over US 62/SR 7 west–east (I-80 exit 234).
		282.92	455.32		US 62	US 62 leaves to the northeast; northbound split of concurrency; no access from southbound to northbound on either route.
		283.35	456.01		To US 62	Connector provides access from southbound on either route to northbound on the other route.
	Brookfield Township	285.81	459.97		SR 82	SR 82 crosses west–east.
	Brookfield Center	286.19	460.58		Warren–Sharon Road	Former routing of SR 82
	Hartford Township	291.49	469.11		SR 305	SR 305 crosses west–east.
	Vernon Township	296.75	477.57		SR 88	SR 88 crosses west–east.
	Kinsman Township	300.74	483.99		SR 5	SR 5 joins from the west.
		301.93	485.91		SR 87	SR 87 ends to the west (eastern terminus).
		302.28	486.47		SR 5	SR 5 leaves to the east.
Ashtabula	Williamsfield Township	307.42	494.74		US 322	US 322 crosses west–east.
	Andover	312.55	503.00		US 6 SR 85	US 6 joins from the west; SR 85 begins to the east (western terminus).
	Richmond Township	320.00	514.99		US 6	US 6 leaves to the east.
	Pierpont Township	322.56	519.11		SR 167	SR 167 joins from the west.
		323.47	520.57		SR 167	SR 167 leaves to the east.
	Monroe Township	330.24	531.47		SR 84	SR 84 crosses west–east.
	Conneaut	333.95	537.44		I-90	I-90 passes under SR 7 west–east; full-access interchange (I-90 exit 241).
		335.93	540.63		US 20	US 20 joins from the west.
		336.15	540.98		US 20	US 20 leaves to the east.
		337.37	542.94		SR 531	SR 531 ends to the west (eastern terminus).
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

Auxiliary routes

State Route 7 Alternate in Bridgeport

State Route 7 Alternate
Location:	Bridgeport
Length:	0.72 mi[24] (1.16 km)

Route of SR 7A in Bridgeport highlighted in red

State Route 7 Alternate (SR 7A) is a short 0.72-mile-long (1.16 km)^[24] connecting loop signed as SR 7^[25][26] that serves as a link from SR 7, US 40, and US 250 to I-70 in Bridgeport. Its western (southern) terminus is at SR 767, and its eastern (northern) terminus is along US 40 at its intersection with US 250 and the northern terminus of SR 767. SR 7A begins at the intersections of Howard Street and SR 767 (South Lincoln Avenue). SR 7A continues west as Howard Street until it intersects Marion Street. It then runs north as Marion Street, intersects I-70, and then intersects US 40, Main Street. SR 7A continues east on US 40 until it ends at US 250 and SR 767, just 370 feet (110 m) west of the West Virginia state line.

The entire route is in Bridgeport, Belmont County.

mi[24]	km	Destinations	Notes
0.00	0.00	SR 767 (South Lincoln Avenue) to SR 7 south	Interchange with SR 7
0.37– 0.42	0.60– 0.68	I-70 – Wheeling, WV, Columbus	Exit 225 (I-70)
0.46	0.74	US 40 west (Main Street)	Western end of US 40 concurrency
0.72	1.16	US 40 east / US 250 (Main Street) to SR 7 north / SR 767 south (South Lincoln Avenue)	Eastern end of US 40 concurrency; northern terminus of SR 767
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

State Route 767

State Route 767 (SR 767) is a north–south state highway in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Currently, it is signed as an alternate route of SR 7.^[27][28][29] Its southern terminus is at an exit ramp on SR 7 in Bridgeport. The route serves as a connector from northbound SR 7 to SR 7 Alternate, US 40, and US 250. The route's northern terminus is where these U.S. routes overlap eastbound to cross the Ohio River into West Virginia. SR 7A serves as a connector for all of these routes to I-70.

Business State Route 7 from Middleport to Pomeroy

State Route 7 Business
Location:	Middleport-Pomeroy

Business State Route 7 stretched from 1 ³⁄₄ miles (2.8 km) west of Middleport to about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Pomeroy. The route followed the former alignment of State Route 7 that was replaced by the Pomeroy Bypass, and ran through the downtown areas of Middleport and Pomeroy. It joined with State Route 833 (the former alignment of U.S. Route 33) from one mile (1.6 km) west of Pomeroy to 1 ³⁄₄ miles (2.8 km) east of Pomeroy, including a brief concurrency with State Route 124, and then headed northeast to the eastern U.S. Route 33/State Route 7 interchange. The route was deleted between 2013 and 2015.^[30][31]

Route 7T

State Route 7T (SR 7T) was a 0.36-mile-long (0.58 km)^[32] future route beginning at US 62 in Youngstown. The entire route was concurrent with US 62T. SR 7T and US 62T were removed on May 2, 2007.^[33]

See also

List of unused highways in Ohio

References

Route map: Bing / Google