Interstate 74 in Ohio


Interstate 74 in the US state of Ohio runs for southeast from the Indiana border to the western segment's current eastern terminus at I-75 just north of Downtown Cincinnati. It is also signed with U.S. Route 52 for its entire length.

Route description

The Ohio portion of I-74 begins on the Indiana border near Harrison and travels east. Shortly after crossing into Ohio, the Interstate curves southeast before it intersects with I-275 near milepost 5. It then overlaps with that beltway route, heading generally east for approximately before splitting from I-275 to continue southeast into Cincinnati. Approximately later, I-74 reaches its eastern terminus at I-75, about north-northwest of Downtown Cincinnati.

History

I-74 was completed in the Cincinnati area by 1974, when the intersection with I-75 was completed. By the 2010s, this intersection had become inadequate. Construction started on reconfiguring the I-74/I-75 interchange in 2018, with construction expected to be complete by 2025.

Future

Proposals call for I-74 to be continued through Ohio and into West Virginia, concurrent with I-73; with both of these roads continuing through Virginia and North Carolina to end in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Due to funding concerns, there have historically been no concrete plans for this to occur, although the Ohio House of Representatives approved a resolution urging for the completion of both I-73 and I-74 in 2022.
Several plans are in the running for the extension through the Cincinnati metropolitan area. They include:
  1. Running along I-75 to the interchange at I-275, then onto State Route 32 ;
  2. Along I-75 between the I-74/I-75 interchange and I-75/SR 562 interchange, then onto SR 562, then to the interchange at I-71/SR 562, then to the I-71/Red Bank corridor interchange, down the Red Bank corridor, and then finally along a new highway connector to SR 32; and
  3. From the I-74/I-75 interchange to I-75/SR 562 interchange, then onto SR 562, then on through the I-71/SR 562 interchange, and then finally to the I-71/I-275 interchange before connecting to SR 32.
The second route was eliminated due to opposition regarding a key part of its completion: a $366.2-million highway that would need to be constructed near Mariemont and Newtown. Total costs would have been $809.1 million. Improvements to existing roads have been proposed instead.
The Norwood Lateral would need to be reconstructed in order to become part of I-74. Here are the possible and/or most likely needs: a third travel lane in each direction, overpasses requiring more vertical clearance, upgraded ramp extensions at interchanges, and shoulders of more width. There are highways with shoulder widths of, however; so this might not be a serious issue. This problem could be resolved through Congress if they wanted to designate the Norwood Lateral as a future segment of the Interstate Highway System.