Dayton to Columbus via US 35

[TempoNick]

I was coming home from Cincinnati on I-675. When I got to Beavercreek, just for fun, I took US 35.

Much to my surprise, when I got home and googled it, it's only one mile more than if I had continued on I-675. The map fools you. It looks like you're going too far south to pick up I-71, but you must save mileage going diagonally on I-71.

Of course, this depends on where you're going and in my case it was the east side of Columbus.

Another surprise, around the Jamestown area, there were parts of that road that were a little rough.

[hbelkins]

I was coming home from Cincinnati on I-675. When I got to Beavercreek, just for fun, I took US 35.

Much to my surprise, when I got home and googled it, it's only one mile more than if I had continued on I-675. The map fools you. It looks like you're going too far south to pick up I-71, but you must save mileage going diagonally on I-71.

Of course, this depends on where you're going and in my case it was the east side of Columbus.

Another surprise, around the Jamestown area, there were parts of that road that were a little rough.

OK, I'm confused. US 35 goes nowhere near Columbus.

[TempoNick]

OK, I'm confused. US 35 goes nowhere near Columbus.

I-675 N to
US 35 E to
Ohio 435 to
I-71 N

[hbelkins]

OK, I'm confused. US 35 goes nowhere near Columbus.

I-675 N to
US 35 E to
Ohio 435 to
I-71 N

As opposed to 675 north to 70 east?

[TempoNick]

OK, I'm confused. US 35 goes nowhere near Columbus.

I-675 N to
US 35 E to
Ohio 435 to
I-71 N

As opposed to 675 north to 70 east?

Yes. I was surprised that it's basically the same length.


Here's Google from Beavercreek, Ohio to Mount Carmel East.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TEU3UU5knMViCbb78

[1995hoo]

We had a similar discussion some years back–and I note the OP here was the OP in that thread as well–in a thread about whether I-68 or I-70 is a better route from Columbus to DC and I suggested using US-33 southeast to Athens, then US-50 to Clarksburg, then I-79 to I-68. As noted below, I found it was nine miles longer than the all-Interstate route:

Other than the roadgeekery aspect of it, I don't understand why anyone in Columbus would use US 33 and US 50 to reach Morgantown. I-70 is pretty much a straight shot east, and I-79 a straight shot south. You're traveling southeast on US 33 to get to a point where you go east on US 50 -- and Corridor D is curvier than you might expect -- only to have to drive 25 or so miles north on I-79 to get to I-68.

The time we did it, one major reason was a big construction project at the junction of I-70 and I-77 that was slowing the traffic down big-time. I'm sure that construction is done by now, of course. Another reason was just boredom with the Interstate.

As I noted, nine miles' difference (Google says 19 minutes' travel time difference) between the all-Interstate route and the US-33 > US-50 route. Aside from generally having a speed limit that's 5 mph higher between Columbus and Morgantown (mostly 70 mph versus mostly 65 mph), what's so much better about the Interstate?

I recognize I likely have some ingrained preference for getting off the Interstate because my father–who was by no means a roadgeek–often liked to get off the highway just to reduce some of the sense of sameness you get on the Interstate, though he did so judiciously to balance seeing something new with making reasonable time (so he would be unlikely to go 100 miles out of the way just to use a different route). In my mind, a difference of 20 minutes' travel time in a drive of 400+ miles is trivial, whereas of course I recognize if it were a short local drive that would be a totally different matter.

hbelkins, in turn, noted some surprise at the mere nine-mile difference because he felt the map made the US-33 > US-50 route look considerably longer:

....

As I noted, nine miles' difference (Google says 19 minutes' travel time difference) between the all-Interstate route and the US-33 > US-50 route. Aside from generally having a speed limit that's 5 mph higher between Columbus and Morgantown (mostly 70 mph versus mostly 65 mph), what's so much better about the Interstate?

That's one of those things that doesn't logically compute if you look at a map. Going basically due east on I-70 and then due south on I-79, vs. a long southeastward angle on US 33, followed by an eastward jaunt on US 50, then more or less due north to slightly northeastward on I-79 to get to the terminus of I-68.

Granted, I've been known to take WV 2, I-77, and US 50 to Clarksburg instead of I-64 and I-79 just for a change of pace, and I will typically default to WV 2 over the interstate between Parkersburg and Huntington, but that's mostly due to roadgeekery interests.

[skluth]

It's not that much different than driving from St Louis to Chicago. It's only 15 more miles between the two cities using I-57 and I-70 than it is using I-55. Add in the bad weekend traffic on I-55, it can be quicker (or at least significantly less stressful) going via Effingham. It's an even better routing if going to Chicago's South Side though I've never had that as a destination.

[seicer]

The Xenia-Jamestown segment was finished c. 2000 (my best recollection), and that concrete pavement is in dire need of full-depth repairs. It really hasn't had any work done on it since then, other than the asphalt/tar patches that aren't holding up well.

[GCrites]

The Xenia-Jamestown segment was finished c. 2000 (my best recollection), and that concrete pavement is in dire need of full-depth repairs. It really hasn't had any work done on it since then, other than the asphalt/tar patches that aren't holding up well.

I think it was 1998 because we were going to Kil-Kare Raceway a lot then and switched from using the old 2-lane alignment to the new road that year.

[paulthemapguy]

This thread, with the replies are going, could easily be retitled "surprisingly good alternate routes."  lol

And yeah, that I-57/I-70 thing about trips from Chicago to St. Louis is no joke. I like the suggestion of I-71/US35 between Dayton and Columbus.

[SkyPesos]

In a similar manner, the fastest route from parts of Cincinnati to Charleston WV is I-71 to US 35. It may seem counter-intuitive by going north before going back south, but both the OH 32 and KY 9 routings have their own issues too.

hbelkins, in turn, noted some surprise at the mere nine-mile difference because he felt the map made the US-33 > US-50 route look considerably longer:

....

As I noted, nine miles' difference (Google says 19 minutes' travel time difference) between the all-Interstate route and the US-33 > US-50 route. Aside from generally having a speed limit that's 5 mph higher between Columbus and Morgantown (mostly 70 mph versus mostly 65 mph), what's so much better about the Interstate?

That's one of those things that doesn't logically compute if you look at a map. Going basically due east on I-70 and then due south on I-79, vs. a long southeastward angle on US 33, followed by an eastward jaunt on US 50, then more or less due north to slightly northeastward on I-79 to get to the terminus of I-68.

Granted, I've been known to take WV 2, I-77, and US 50 to Clarksburg instead of I-64 and I-79 just for a change of pace, and I will typically default to WV 2 over the interstate between Parkersburg and Huntington, but that's mostly due to roadgeekery interests.

I remember hbelkins mention something similar about the I-70 to I-74 routing for St Louis-Cincinnati looking longer than I-64 to I-71 on a map, something about going a bit far north before heading south (I don't remember the exact wording).

[GCrites]

In a similar manner, the fastest route from parts of Cincinnati to Charleston WV is I-71 to US 35. It may seem counter-intuitive by going north before going back south, but both the OH 32 and KY 9 routings have their own issues too.

Cincinnati to Huntington/Charleston is a slog on I-64/I-75, AA Highway, US-52, and US-52>OH-73>OH-32. It's easy to see why Cincinnati and West Virginia have poor cultural exchange.

[TempoNick]

We had a similar discussion some years back–and I note the OP here was the OP in that thread as well–in a thread about whether I-68 or I-70 is a better route from Columbus to DC and I suggested using US-33 southeast to Athens, then US-50 to Clarksburg, then I-79 to I-68. As noted below, I found it was nine miles longer than the all-Interstate route:

I remember that, but since I've never been on Interstate 68 before, if I ever head in that direction again, that's the road I choose next.

In a similar manner, the fastest route from parts of Cincinnati to Charleston WV is I-71 to US 35. It may seem counter-intuitive by going north before going back south, but both the OH 32 and KY 9 routings have their own issues too.

Now I'm going to go to Google and start playing with the maps. Yeah, I never would have guessed that one in a million years.

[sprjus4]

^ I think the US-35 / I-71 routing between Cincinnati and Jackson, OH is comparable travel time / more preferable is due to the continuous 70 mph speed limit on that highway vs. the two hour 60 mph slog along OH-32, even if it's more direct.

If Ohio posted the speed limit at 65 mph or 70 mph, as they do on other four lane highways in the western part of the state, OH-32 would be more preferable for speed.

[TempoNick]

In a similar manner, the fastest route from parts of Cincinnati to Charleston WV is I-71 to US 35. It may seem counter-intuitive by going north before going back south, but both the OH 32 and KY 9 routings have their own issues too.

Well, I played around on the computer and you are correct. From Loveland, Mason, Sharonville, Fairfield, Hamilton, Harrison and even Dent (Green Twp.), mileage via I-71 / US 35 to Jackson is within a few miles or sometimes even less than it is using Ohio 32. You learn something new everyday.

[wriddle082]

I know thus isn't Midwest, but for me to go from my home in Columbia, SC to certain parts of Greater Atlanta, it's faster for me to take I-26 west, I-385 north, SC 418 west, SC 8 west, and I-85 south, than it is to take I-20 west.  If my destination is in Gwinnett County or along GA 400, then Waze will usually route me that way to avoid I-285 as much as possible.  But if my destination is in Fulton or Cobb County, it'll route me to take I-20 west.  I-20's traffic is generally a lot more pleasant than that of I-26 and I-85 (Augusta generally has no traffic issues), but I-285 is usually unbearable enough that it tries to keep me off of it as much as possible.  Most of the time if I'm passing through Atlanta going to Tennessee, I'll go right through Downtown Atlanta on 20 and 75 rather than take 285.

It really is amazing how some unexpected routes can add not much in the way of mileage but can be much more pleasant, and can be worth it most of the time.

[hobsini2]

A lot of the time, it depends on what part of the metro area one is going to. Years ago, some friends of mine and I were going from the Far West Suburbs of Chicago to Downtown Indy. We found it to be much quicker taking US 52 from Kankakee to Lafayette than taking I-80/94 to 65 by about 20 minutes.

[seicer]

^ I think the US-35 / I-71 routing between Cincinnati and Jackson, OH is comparable travel time / more preferable is due to the continuous 70 mph speed limit on that highway vs. the two hour 60 mph slog along OH-32, even if it's more direct.

If Ohio posted the speed limit at 65 mph or 70 mph, as they do on other four lane highways in the western part of the state, OH-32 would be more preferable for speed.

You get an equally weird situation coming from the Jackson area to Ironton. The most direct route is to take OH 93, but because of the 70 MPH limits on OH 823 and US 52, it is almost as fast (within 2 minutes but 9 miles longer) to go further west and do a more complicated route. And the moment you get behind a slow vehicle on OH 93, the other route becomes much more preferable.

[1995hoo]

I have to say I definitely appreciate Ohio's posting of 70-mph speed limits on four-lane US highways that may have some at-grade intersections but that have excellent sight lines and relatively light traffic. One thing I noted in the other thread I quoted above, but that I didn't quote here, is that in connection with my recommendation to connect from Columbus to I-68 via US-33 > US-50 > I-79, it's often not clear from mapping software which US highways let you travel at higher speeds like an Interstate (even if they're not Interstate-grade) and which ones don't.

[TempoNick]

I know thus isn't Midwest, but for me to go from my home in Columbia, SC to certain parts of Greater Atlanta, it's faster for me to take I-26 west, I-385 north, SC 418 west, SC 8 west, and I-85 south, than it is to take I-20 west.  If my destination is in Gwinnett County or along GA 400, then Waze will usually route me that way to avoid I-285 as much as possible.  But if my destination is in Fulton or Cobb County, it'll route me to take I-20 west.  I-20's traffic is generally a lot more pleasant than that of I-26 and I-85 (Augusta generally has no traffic issues), but I-285 is usually unbearable enough that it tries to keep me off of it as much as possible.  Most of the time if I'm passing through Atlanta going to Tennessee, I'll go right through Downtown Atlanta on 20 and 75 rather than take 285.

It really is amazing how some unexpected routes can add not much in the way of mileage but can be much more pleasant, and can be worth it most of the time.

I used to do something similar and this was before Google maps. I found that I-77/I-20/I-26/I-95 and I-75 from Central Ohio to Florida both took roughly the same amount of time. I forgot how the same trip turned out the last time I mapped it out on Google, but I seem to remember my impression being mostly correct. The South Carolina segments were very congested, but the rest of the trip was a nice change of pace.

[hbelkins]

^ I think the US-35 / I-71 routing between Cincinnati and Jackson, OH is comparable travel time / more preferable is due to the continuous 70 mph speed limit on that highway vs. the two hour 60 mph slog along OH-32, even if it's more direct.

If Ohio posted the speed limit at 65 mph or 70 mph, as they do on other four lane highways in the western part of the state, OH-32 would be more preferable for speed.

You get an equally weird situation coming from the Jackson area to Ironton. The most direct route is to take OH 93, but because of the 70 MPH limits on OH 823 and US 52, it is almost as fast (within 2 minutes but 9 miles longer) to go further west and do a more complicated route. And the moment you get behind a slow vehicle on OH 93, the other route becomes much more preferable.

What route would you recommend from Ironton to Jackson? The Portsmouth bypass to OH 32?

I drove the OH 93 route last year and it seemed agonizingly slow.

[Flint1979]

For Cincinnati to Charleston, WV I think taking KY-9 to I-64 would be faster but then again it probably depends on where you are starting and ending. I would agree with I-71 to US-35 if you were coming from like Mason around Kings Island and in that area.

The only problem with KY-9 that I can see is that it's a pretty dangerous highway being only two lanes in a rural area that is sparsely populated. I know it provides the quickest way between Cincinnati and Ashland, KY.

[sprjus4]

For Cincinnati to Charleston, WV I think taking KY-9 to I-64 would be faster but then again it probably depends on where you are starting and ending. I would agree with I-71 to US-35 if you were coming from like Mason around Kings Island and in that area.

The only problem with KY-9 that I can see is that it's a pretty dangerous highway being only two lanes in a rural area that is sparsely populated. I know it provides the quickest way between Cincinnati and Ashland, KY.

It also depends if you want to slog along at 55 mph on two lane road the whole way, or stay on divided highway that's mostly 70 mph with some brief 65 mph / 60 mph segments.

[TempoNick]

Based on some more playing around with Google, it looks like you lose 14 miles straight line. You go 7+ miles south between US 35 at I-675 and Ohio 435 at I-71. (Straight line distance and calculated in terms of "latitude", not actual distance driven.) That's a lot of mileage you lose that you have to pick back up. Surprised it's so close.

[Flint1979]

For Cincinnati to Charleston, WV I think taking KY-9 to I-64 would be faster but then again it probably depends on where you are starting and ending. I would agree with I-71 to US-35 if you were coming from like Mason around Kings Island and in that area.

The only problem with KY-9 that I can see is that it's a pretty dangerous highway being only two lanes in a rural area that is sparsely populated. I know it provides the quickest way between Cincinnati and Ashland, KY.

It also depends if you want to slog along at 55 mph on two lane road the whole way, or stay on divided highway that's mostly 70 mph with some brief 65 mph / 60 mph segments.

The route I suggested is the quickest way from downtown Cincinnati to Charleston, WV. Taking I-71 to US-35 adds on 22 miles as well as about 5 minutes.