Dayton to Columbus via US 35

[Flint1979]

^ 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.

OH-93 looks like the way to go, it's slower but there really isn't a faster way to get from Ironton to Jackson. Every route I put in takes about an hour.

[seicer]

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.

It's not that bad. Four lanes at its western end and around Maysville but generally two-lanes with plenty of passing lanes on the hills and passing areas elsewhere. The worst part is west of Maysville where the grades are steep and the passing lanes are too brief. It doesn't record that much higher accident rates than comparable roadways.

I travel between Cincinnati and Ashland frequently. I can generally notch almost two hours on the dot via the AA Highway/KY 9, 2.2 hours via US 52-OH 73-OH 32, and 2.3 hours via US 52-OH 823-US 23-OH 32. That's going about 65 MPH on the AA Highway/KY 9, 70 MPH on any four-lane segment in Ohio, and 55-60 MPH on other two-lane roads.

If you are going Cincinnati to Charleston, it's now preferable to go OH 32-US 35. It's all four-lane and limited access.

[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.

It's not that bad. Four lanes at its western end and around Maysville but generally two-lanes with plenty of passing lanes on the hills and passing areas elsewhere. The worst part is west of Maysville where the grades are steep and the passing lanes are too brief. It doesn't record that much higher accident rates than comparable roadways.

I travel between Cincinnati and Ashland frequently. I can generally notch almost two hours on the dot via the AA Highway/KY 9, 2.2 hours via US 52-OH 73-OH 32, and 2.3 hours via US 52-OH 823-US 23-OH 32. That's going about 65 MPH on the AA Highway/KY 9, 70 MPH on any four-lane segment in Ohio, and 55-60 MPH on other two-lane roads.

If you are going Cincinnati to Charleston, it's now preferable to go OH 32-US 35. It's all four-lane and limited access.

For Cincinnati to Charleston, WV I think it's about the same time wise whatever way you decide to go it's just shorter to go through Kentucky on AA Highway/KY-9 and about the same time so you're saving the miles.

[TempoNick]

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.

Ohio 32 only adds 5 mi or so to the trip. I think I'd rather take that from downtown Cincinnati.

[Flint1979]

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.

Ohio 32 only adds 5 mi or so to the trip. I think I'd rather take that from downtown Cincinnati.

They are all about the same I guess it depends on your mood. I'd probably take AA Highway/KY-9 just because I could get to I-64 faster.

[TempoNick]

I noticed one other anomaly today. From Columbus to Indianapolis, going through Cincinnati via I-71, I-275 and I-74 is only 25 minutes longer. Crazy to even think about it.

[Flint1979]

I noticed one other anomaly today. From Columbus to Indianapolis, going through Cincinnati via I-71, I-275 and I-74 is only 25 minutes longer. Crazy to even think about it.

About two years ago one of my dad's friends from California had some meetings in Richmond, Indiana and he knows that I know the states of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio pretty well. I drove down there to pick him up from the airport in Dayton and the hotel we were staying at was by the Dayton Mall on the south end of I-675 so I had to drive from that area all the way to Richmond, Indiana but only had to go to Richmond once and then back to the Dayton Mall area. I googled it and the route tells me to get on I-75 and take that up to I-70 west, I'm thinking wouldn't it be shorter to take US-35 the whole way since 35 goes through Richmond and Dayton?

So this is what I did, I got on 675 south, took that to 75 south like I was going toward Cincinnati and right away I hear we're not going to Cincinnati I said I know, I got a better route. I got off in Franklin and took a series of state highways before I got to US-35 in Eaton. Then west of there 35 starts to run NW-SE going toward I-70. It only ended up adding about 10 minutes to my trip but saved me about 9 miles and it was an enjoyable ride rather than staying on the Interstate and having to go through downtown Dayton around all those curves.