Why is the main highway-control city in central Ohio on I-70 W Dayton.

[Thomas77]

It used to be Indianapolis which is where most of the traffic goes. So why doesn't it say Indianapolis and Dayton be the secondary highway control city?

[1995hoo]

Probably because Dayton is in Ohio and Indianapolis isn't.

[zzcarp]

It's a major Ohio city with a population of 140,000. Plus it's a major crossroads with I-75.

[Flint1979]

Dayton is a major city in Ohio, like has already been mentioned the crossroads of I-75 and I-70 and that is where the Dayton Airport is at is near the I-75 and I-70 interchange.

[6a]

I actually remember this change. Dayton essentially threw a fit because it was being "passed over"  so ODOT changed it. I think there's still one sign for Indianapolis left on I-270 north just before I-70.

[westerninterloper]

I actually remember this change. Dayton essentially threw a fit because it was being "passed over"  so ODOT changed it. I think there's still one sign for Indianapolis left on I-270 north just before I-70.

I remember this too, Dayton was throwing a fit about being passed over as the control city between Indianapolis and Columbus. All the signs changed in Indianapolis, as well. The control city just before the North Split (I-65/70) in downtown Indy said "Columbus, O." to make sure Hoosiers knew they weren't going to Columbus, Indiana, and I thought, a subtle dig at Indy's sister city to the east.

[Roadgeekteen]

Dayton is big enough to justify a control city.

[SkyPesos]

I actually remember this change. Dayton essentially threw a fit because it was being "passed over"  so ODOT changed it. I think there's still one sign for Indianapolis left on I-270 north just before I-70.

I remember this too, Dayton was throwing a fit about being passed over as the control city between Indianapolis and Columbus. All the signs changed in Indianapolis, as well. The control city just before the North Split (I-65/70) in downtown Indy said "Columbus, O." to make sure Hoosiers knew they weren't going to Columbus, Indiana, and I thought, a subtle dig at Indy's sister city to the east.

Sounds like Dayton carried over its reaction from the 1800s when they threw a fit about getting bypassed by the National Road 

[lepidopteran]

Going west from Columbus, I seem to recall at least one through sign with a control city of Springfield, probably in the London area.  Nearby, there was also a renegade Indianapolis BGS with a smaller capital-N while, as usual, all the other letters except the first were lower-case.  (This was the second "N".)

On I-75 SB, there used to be a lone BGS for I-70 that listed control cities of Richmond, Springfield.  It was an older sign, on the side, and might have dated back to when those cities were as far as I-70 went at the time.  The sign remained until sometime in the mid-80s, when the stretch north of I-70 was widened to 6 lanes to Troy and all new signage was installed.  Going NB, there were overhead signs were for Columbus and Indianapolis as far back as 1976.

[roadman65]

Also the same with Huntsville, AL at the same time this switch was made.   In 1990, from Nashville, TN south on I-65 used  Birmingham then and so did I-65 north out of Birmingham for Nashville.  Now both states use Huntsville out of each.

In 1990 too I-70 was signed for Indy and in 1994 I saw Columbus, O signed on the I-465 Beltway then.   However, in 2008, only a few Columbus, O signs were left in Downtown Indy. 

[SkyPesos]

However, in 2008, only a few Columbus, O signs were left in Downtown Indy.

Which could be replaced with new signs that have Dayton as the EB 70 control once the North Split project finishes.

[GCrites]

Today I found a Columbus Dispatch dated April 21 1998 stating that on that date is when the signs had been changed to read Dayton instead of Indianapolis. In addition, signs in Indiana had also seen the control city change from Columbus to Dayton. I didn't know that also happened at the same time. Article also states that then-Dayton Mayor Michael Turner pushed for the change. Project cost in Ohio was $55,000.

[roadman65]

One can argue that in Alabama and Tennessee for I-65 Huntsville is used in where either Nashville or Birmingham was previously used.

That changed concurred with this one, although maybe not related, but it did happen.

Also why are the cities of Wheeling, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Cleveland been removed from I-270? That, I believe, happened when Dayton replaced Indy.

[GCrites]

There have been a lot of sign replacements during other projects that removed control cities during them when the signs were replaced. We'll see if Circleville stays on the South Side after the 23/270 project completes.

[cl94]

This is similar to how Nevada changed the control city on I-80 EB from Salt Lake to Elko (and even to Sparks in a few locations in Reno). Some states really dislike using out of state control cities for political reasons. Far from the only case of Nevada doing this, as they also go out of their way to avoid a California control city along US 395 SB (Topaz Lake? Really?).

And don't get me started on Pennsylvania.

[vdeane]

And don't get me started on Pennsylvania.

Bloomsburg and Bellefonte are just their equivalent of Hays.

[Henry]

Dayton is a major city in Ohio, like has already been mentioned the crossroads of I-75 and I-70 and that is where the Dayton Airport is at is near the I-75 and I-70 interchange.

And AFAIK, it has always been a control city on I-75 south of Toledo and north of Cincinnati. So it only makes sense that I-70 also use it.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Dayton is a fairly large city with an interchange with another major interstate. It's fine.

[Flint1979]

Dayton is a major city in Ohio, like has already been mentioned the crossroads of I-75 and I-70 and that is where the Dayton Airport is at is near the I-75 and I-70 interchange.

And AFAIK, it has always been a control city on I-75 south of Toledo and north of Cincinnati. So it only makes sense that I-70 also use it.

Yep that's been the control city since I've been taking I-75 through Ohio at least. Toledo, Dayton, Cincinnati makes sense on I-75 for sure. The control cities for I-275 off I-75 though are Columbus and Indianapolis.

[I-55]

One can argue that in Alabama and Tennessee for I-65 Huntsville is used in where either Nashville or Birmingham was previously used.

That changed concurred with this one, although maybe not related, but it did happen.

Also why are the cities of Wheeling, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Cleveland been removed from I-270? That, I believe, happened when Dayton replaced Indy.

A difference (as of 2020) is that Huntsville is the largest city in the state, whereas Dayton is the 6th largest in Ohio. I-65 also passes further from the city than I-70, but I-65 has its own spur route into the city (I-565) which is the only interstate in the city.

[Flint1979]

It's pretty easy to become a larger city as in Huntsville's case when you annex land around it. Huntsville is nothing more than a bunch of suburbs put together while Dayton is a real city. Dayton is the 64th largest Urban area in the US while Huntsville is 122nd. And as far as metro population's go Dayton is 73rd while Huntsville is 109th. Birmingham is still the largest Urban area in Alabama at 58th and 50th for metro area. There is more to a community than just the city proper.

[SEWIGuy]

Dayton is a fairly large city with an interchange with another major interstate. It's fine.

Absolutely.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Also, Dayton becomes the primary eastbound control city for I-70 in downtown Indianapolis, so clearly INDOT thinks Dayton deserves control city status as well. It's not like we're talking about, say, Oxford on I-85 in NC or Delaware Water Gap on I-80 in PA.

[tdindy88]

Speaking as someone who sees Dayton a lot on Indianapolis signage, I think INDOT just wanted to be consistent with what Ohio was signing. And they wouldn't have to sign it as "Columbus, OH" to differentiate it from Columbus, Indiana. So that was one less thing we had to worry about, although there is a Dayton, Indiana north along I-65.

At least when you drive I-70 through the Dayton area it does feel like you're driving through "something." Unlike I-65 in Northern Alabama where you're really just passing by Athens and Decatur more than Huntsville. I get signing Huntsville from Birmingham since it's an Alabama city. But I'm not big on them signing it from Nashville, I feel Birmingham would be more useful from the Tennessean perspective. But again, TDOT just wanted to be consistent.