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[HighwayMaster]

I want to know if anyone has a clue as to what is going on with this road and if it is going to be built. Does anyone know?

Also, if anyone has any pics of the Salem bypass, I'd like to see them so I can see a truly "empty" highway.

[thenetwork]

I want to know if anyone has a clue as to what is going on with this road and if it is going to be built. Does anyone know?

Also, if anyone has any pics of the Salem bypass, I'd like to see them so I can see a truly "empty" highway.

As someone who used to live in Northeast OH, here's what I seem to remember about the project (I could be somewhat wrong, but here goes:).

• US-62 still has three "missing links":  Link #1 was supposed to have been a limited at-grade-crossing expressway with some limited-access stretches (like around Alliance) between State Street in Alliance and the "Freeway To Nowhere" (aka Youngstown-Salem Road) in Salem, passing just to the north of Sebring and Beloit. Since the Alliance Bypass construction never made it past N. Union Street/SR-225 in the late 70s, ODOT continued to route US-62 off the bypass at State Street/SR-173 and gave the remaining section of the half-ass bypass a hidden route number (I have seen it as 62-F or 62-B(ypass) -- considering that the stretch was, and still is, a little-used through route for people wishing to make the US-62/SR-225 connection).

• From Salem, I thought that next missing US-62 expressway/freeway combo link was to have headed northeast from Salem to connect to the existing I-680/Ohio Turnpike junction.  From there, US-62 would have come into Youngstown via the existing I-680 North to the existing US-62/SR-7 North freeway alignment.

•  The final missing link was to have connected the current northern terminus of the US-62/SR-7 freeway at Albert Street with the current US-62 alignment somewhere north of I-80.  I am not sure if this stretch was to go through or around (probably east of) the suburb of Hubbard.

I am not aware if SR-14 between Salem and PA-51 at the PA Line was ever to have been a 4-lane expressway and/or freeway.  I do know there was talk of SR-14 between I-76 and I-80/I-480 becoming limited-access at one point in the 50's and 60's, but that never came to pass.  I'd like to say that any chance of SR-14 between Streetsboro and SR-51 at the PA line was nixed because it would have taken a lot of traffic away from the OH & PA Turnpikes at the time and it would still be in direct competition today.

That particular area of Ohio (Akron, Canton & Youngstown) is sort of a Bermuda Rectangle for unfinished freeways/LAHs: 

Limited Access 4-lane Highways with significant/unfinished gaps:
     US-62: Between Canton & Sharon, PA (mentioned above).
     US-30: Between Canton & Lisbon -- (NIMBYs slowly losing the battle)
     SR-59: Akron Innerbelt between SR-18 and SR-8 (NIMBYs slowly winning the battle -- may be replaced by simple boulevard).

Limited Access mostly 2-lane highways/Super-2s never fully developed (and my guesses as to why):
     US-224 Between Akron & Canfield -- To close to I-76 (???)
     SRs 5 & 44 Between Ravenna & Warren -- I think this one died when the old Ravenna arsenal was closed (???)
     SR-261 Kent Bypass -- ditto/The arsenal closing (???)
     SR-14 Ravenna's Northern Bypass -- NIMBYS (???)

And I'll throw in a couple, just west of the rectangle -- I have no idea why on any of these were never 4-laned (perhaps to better protect the Amish buggies in the area), although all are primary routes with a lot of traffic and, with the exception of SR-57, many areas of limited visibility:

SR-585 between Barberton/SR-21 & Wooster -- Super-2 on eastern end, unfinished/missing link for rest.
SR-83 between Millersburg & Burbank (I-71) -- Unfinished/Missing links to the north & south of Wooster.
SR-57 between Wadsworth/I-76 & Marshallville/SR-585 -- Limited access/Super-2
     

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

http://www.roadfan.com/1972map.jpg

[Sykotyk]

From Youngstown to Massillon, I always take I-76 to OH-225 to US-62 Bypass to US-62 through Louisville to Canton, I-77 South to US30/US62 west to Massillon.

Really wish that freeway was finished. Would make for such a great angled shortcut to the US30 expressway toward Lodi and I-71.

[ysuindy]

I have 1977 Mahoning County and 1978 Columbiana County maps.  They show the same alignment across Southern Mahoning and Northern Columbiana County that Hot Rod's link above shows. 

62 would enter Mahoning County near the Courtney Road / County Line Road intersection then proceed north of Sebring and Beloit.  The road is shown just south of Courtney Road and Pine Lake Road over to the Ohio 14 interchange (which was still "proposed" on the map).  The Mahoning County map shows interchanges at Twelfth Street north of Sebring and Ohio 534 north of Damascus.  It also shows bridge for Bandy Road, Johnson Road, Ohio 165 (north of Beloit), Smith-Goshen Road and Seacrist Road.  Oyster Road, Fish Creek Road and Duck Creek Road are shown as having double cul-de-sacs built. 

East of the Salem section built, the map shows a bridge over Egypt Road before re-entering Mahoning County with bridges for Beaver Creek Road, Lisbon Road, Washingtonville Road, Green Beaver Road and Germantown Road just before a cloverleaf interchange with Ohio 11.  The interchange with 11 is about a mile south of 11's interchange with Ohio 46.  I have not been on that section of 11 for more than 15 years but I recall some preliminary grading for the 62 interchange having been done.  Who knows how fuzzy that memory is.

East of 11, 62 shows as having bridges for Ohio 46, New Buffalo Road, Ohio 164 (just north of Arrowhead Lake) and Eureka Road before an interchange with Ohio 7 just a few hundered yards north of the Mahoning-Columbiana County line.

The Columbiana County map does not show bridges or interchanges.  The road entered Columbiana County just south of Pine Lake, crossed near the intersection of Heck Road and Kibler Road and Ohio 165 and Ohio 170 about a half mile north of Unity.  The map shows 62 meeting Ohio 14 at the Pennsylvania line, presumably to hook up with Pennsylvania 51 and its four lane section a few miles past.

My understanding/belief was that 62 would be routed on this to the then PA 60, now I-376 road back up towards Sharon where it would rejoin existing 62.

The same Mahoning County map shows the extension of US 62 / Ohio 7 as the Hubbard Parkway, heading East and turning North near Liberty Road.  The routings I remember seeing took the Hubbard Parkway to I-80 West of Hubbard.  I don't recall the road heading north of 80 - but again a long time ago.

I often wondered why the stretch from 45 to 14 (then Alt 14) was built instead of building the road East from Alliance to at least Ohio 165.

The last time I was on the section north of Alliance (about 3 or 4 years ago), I recall the road being signed as "To 225".  I might be on that section again at Thaksgiving as my travels from Indy to just south of Youngstown do everything they can to avoid I-71 and I-76.  I will have to brush up on the "back roads" from 225 over to 165.  When I lived in Mahoning County I knew where to turn - now I would be relying on my GPS and guesswork.

I do recall discussions (if not a map) of an extension from the I-680 / Ohio Turnpike interchange near North Lima down to the relocated 62 near Ohio 7.

My father worked for the Mahoning County Engineers as a road supervisor.  He would bring home maps every year in the late 60's and early to mid 70's and I would pore over them.  Unfortunately it seems the only one I kept was the 1977 map. 

I do recall at one time a proposal for a US 224 bypass around Canfield, Boardman and Poland.  I remember looking at the map closely because the proposed route was less than a half mile south of our house - I didn't want to be relocated!  I recall a route leaving 224 west of Canfield, south of the Fairgrounds and going just north of Western Reserve Road through much of Boardman and western Poland township, hooking back up around Poland Center.  I sometimes wonder if am the only one with a memory of that road.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

My late 70s Red Book for Trumbull & Mahoning Counties showed that proposed connector road from the south end of I-680 to the proposed US 62/Oh 14 "reroute."
Interesting that you say that US 62 would have followed that southern route into Pennsylvania instead of continuing NE to Youngstown. What designation would the Hubbard Parkway had been given? I always thought that would be US 62/Oh 7.

[vtk]

It may be of interest to this thread that the Hubbard Parkway is still shown as "proposed" on current Seeger/AAA maps of the area.

[Stephane Dumas]

It may be of interest to this thread that the Hubbard Parkway is still shown as "proposed" on current Seeger/AAA maps of the area.

I wonder if you could scan the AAA/Seeger maps in question?

[HighwayMaster]

My late 70s Red Book for Trumbull & Mahoning Counties showed that proposed connector road from the south end of I-680 to the proposed US 62/Oh 14 "reroute."
Interesting that you say that US 62 would have followed that southern route into Pennsylvania instead of continuing NE to Youngstown. What designation would the Hubbard Parkway had been given? I always thought that would be US 62/Oh 7.

In my Commercial Survey atlas, it showed US-62/OH-14 going towards PA-51 instead of the Turnpike.

To answer your question, US-62 would have most likely followed the new road to OH-11, then it would multiplex with that until it got to the US-224 interchange in Canfield, then it would go up South Raccoon Road to its current alignment. The old 62 would probably have been an OH-9 extension.

[HighwayMaster]

Here's a good way to use both parts of the unused US-62 as a shortcut to the State Streets in Alliance and Salem:
From Alliance:

• OH-225 south
• Gaskill Drive east
• River Street east (turns into Lexington Road)
• Alliance-Sebring Road east (thru downtown Sebring)
• Smith-Goshen Road north
• Pine Lake Road east
• OH-14 east
• OH-14T east

[NE2]

Some ODOT maps still show it as proposed (as well as a SR 7 realignment between Youngstown and I-80):
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/ContractAdmin/Contracts/NHSFAP/STA_FAP_NHS.PDF
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/ContractAdmin/Contracts/NHSFAP/MAH_FAP_NHS.PDF
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/ContractAdmin/Contracts/NHSFAP/TRU_FAP_NHS.PDF

[surferdude]

That is in part because US 62 is a four lane highway (not limited access) in a suburban and rural setting on the PA side in and around Sharon, PA, which starts before the line and terminates as a 4 lane highway (a litte further west) at PA Route 18 in Hermitage, which is called the Shenango Valley Expressway. 

[dubfun]

Sorry to barge in on this discussion a bit late.  Just wanted to give everybody an interesting bit of information about the eastern end point of the four lane part of Rt. 62 (highway to nowhere) north of Salem.  A house was built a few years ago on what I would assume would be the right of way for the continuation of the four lane to the east.  If you were to try and continue driving east where the four lane would be, crossing over the two lane (62 east /end of Rt 9) and into the the wooded area, you would run into the house.  I can't imagine how the house was allowed to be built, unless the State of Ohio does not own that land yet.  In any case, this does not bode well for the continuation of 62 eastward in the near future.  By the way, the house does not show up on Google's satellite image, but I checked through the maps on Bing and you can see the clearing and the roof of the house on the bird's eye view of the area.  I live in Salem and drive by this house a few times a week.  It just always seemed rather odd that it was built there.  Did somebody know that this highway project was on the back burner for many decades to come?

[NE2]

The house appears on 2010 NAIP imagery:

Presumably, since it's not on the maps I linked above, ODOT doesn't have plans for this part of US 62.

[HighwayMaster]

Me> <ODOT

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Me> <ODOT

^ Why?

[Steve]

Me> <ODOT

^ Why?

For allowing the house to be built / not securing ROW, I imagine.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Me> <ODOT

^ Why?

For allowing the house to be built / not securing ROW, I imagine.

In this case, I suspect ODOT relinquished ROW.