What if I-675 were completed all the way around Dayton??? (Columbus: real estate, construction)

[Crew Chief]

I've only been here since 2000 so I apologize if i'm dredging up old wounds/arguments, but I was wondering how you all felt about I-675 being completed all the way around Dayton. IMHO, I'm not sure it will ever get done. And on one hand, I do believe that it would provide a much-needed "shot in the arm" to the West Side of Dayton.

But having spent time in Atlanta, I believe that the I-285 probably was as harmful as it was helpful. From what I've seen, it looks like the I-285 loop sucked out of Atlanta most of the people with the means to get away from the city.

Would that happen here if I-675 was finished? Your thoughts...

[Daytonnatian]

There was talk in the '90's of continuing 675 up to Troy, but again, I doubt this will ever happen because it is a frivolous highway that would travel through very low-population areas and benefit almost no one. However, I would love to see a 675 outerbelt on the city's west side, which lacks development, or even more preferably, an upgrade of 35/49 on the west side to a full interstate all the way to 70.In addition, a loop around Springfield would be a good idea, as well, starting at the tip of 68 and extending back down to 70 just north of the 40 exit, and maybe also a highway that went from 48 in lebanon on its east side up to Bellbrook, connecting to 675 just north of Feedwire road, creating a "Daytonnati" bypass.

[wrightflyer]

I wouldn't mind seeing US42 turned into a more suitable alternate route between Dayton and Cincinnati. Kinda of what Daytonnatian was refering to. Start at the OH48 exit from I71 and work around Lebanon, up US42 to Xenia with bypasses around Waynesville and Spring Valley, and then possible continue around Xenia to US68 and bypass Yellow Springs to reach I-70. That or run it through a completed US35 from Xenia to I-675.

As for I675, I think it has gone as far as it will go. What would be nice is if the West side of Dayton had a bypass (a.k.a. a completed US35 expressway) all the way around from downtown to I70. It'd make a great detour to the mess at the 75/4 interchange.

[aktanner]

I don't understand the 675 bypass. I mean, if you are headed from Cincy to Columbus, one would take 71. Wouldn't this make 675 basically obsolete?

[Ohiogirl81]

675 was never designed to circle the city, was it? Originally it was intended to continue north from I-70 and reconnect with I-75 somewhere north of the airport, I believe. That got nixed for $$ and other reasons. Shoot, finishing it from Wright-Patt south to I-75 was enough of a struggle.

I don't understand the 675 bypass. I mean, if you are headed from Cincy to Columbus, one would take 71.

There are destinations in southern Ohio other than Cincinnati or Columbus ...

[Crew Chief]

Originally Posted by aktanner

I don't understand the 675 bypass. I mean, if you are headed from Cincy to Columbus, one would take 71. Wouldn't this make 675 basically obsolete?

Actually, I-75 to I-675 to I-70 is a nice way around the weigh station on I-71 and it doesn't add that many more miles... But seriously, I-675 is a good local way around Dayton for those on the South Side.

Daytonattian, I'd also like to see U.S. 35 upgraded. ther's simply no easy way around backups on I-75 in downtown Dayton. Upgrading U.S. 35 might help in this regard.

I heard WLW's Mike McConnel talk about how building I-675 around the west side would bring much-needed jobs and economic improvements to that side of town. As McConnell tells it, the then-mayor (James McGhee?) and others fought it because it would displace low-income housing.

[Daytonnatian]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

675 was never designed to circle the city, was it? Originally it was intended to continue north from I-70 and reconnect with I-75 somewhere north of the airport, I believe. That got nixed for $$ and other reasons. Shoot, finishing it from Wright-Patt south to I-75 was enough of a struggle.


There are destinations in southern Ohio other than Cincinnati or Columbus ...

Exactly.

Note the interchange style installed at the southern terminus of 675 vs that at the northern terminus. It was planned to connect just north of Troy and south of Piqua at roughly mile marker 80 on I-75, and run east of New Carlisle through the sparsely populated regions in northern Clark county and Northwestern Miami county. However, you are correct that is was a BAD fight to get 675 completed to the way it is now, being that it wasn't completely finished until 1987, far after most of the interstate highway system was done.

Also, to the comments that 675 doesn't make sense... you are kind of correct. However, in the early 1970 era drawings, 675 was planned to be completed on the western side of town, with the Newfields development in Dayton/Trotwood (yes, both municipalities) as an anchor (think perfect planned community, a la Huber Heights in a lot of respects, but walkable and classier). Jeffery has some great threads on this topic, and I'll dig up the links if he doesn't soon.

[JefferyT]

^
thanks. This might be pretty dry to most, but for people interested in the history of I-675 here is a series of posts at my blog. The empahsis was on the big freeway revolt of the 1970s, but I go back to the start of the planning and forward to what the consequences were. The theme of "Enchanted NIMBY Forest" was because a forest and a NIMBY movement kicked off the freeway revolt. I spent a lot of time researching this as I-675 was the most important construction project of the past 35 years or so.

First, starting with WWII beltway planning to the 1973 halt:

The Long Road to a Road: I-675 Prehistory to 1973

..this looks mostly at a controversy between the Feds and the local highwaymen over aligning the northern section of the road.

Next, the environmental objections leading to work stoppage in 1973, and the national and regional context of a growing environmental awareness.

The Enchanted NIMBY Forest I: Early Resistance to I-675

Followed by a set of posts on the late 1970s/early 1980s controversy, which sounds very bitter. I-675 pitted the Carter administration, Dayton city government, and citizens groups against the business community, suburban governments, ODOT, and local highway planners. I also include a post on the role of the two (at that time) local daily papers:

The Enchanted NIMBY Forest II: The Great Expressway Fight

The Press and I-675: Stenographers to Power?

The Enchanted NIMBY Forest III: Mitigation and Federal Involvement

The Enchanted NIMBY Forest IV: Quasi-Expressway & Endgame

Finally, a sort of planning/real estate history look, and a conclusion:

The Paper-Highway

The sources were government studies, reports, aerial photographs, old USGS maps, and the Dayton Metro Library history rooms’ newspaper clipping files.

Unfortunately when I researched this I didn't know that the papers of the mayor at the time, James McGee, are in the WSU special collections, so that wasn’t a source. These would make interesting reading in light of McGee’s role in the controversy.

@@@

Some of you are remembering a second freeway controversy, from the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s. This was the attempt to finish I-675 through western Montgomery County and eventually north to connect with I-75 around Troy.

The intent behind this was to provide a true bypass for through traffic around the congested central part of the metro area. It would have also opened up the areas around Germantown, Farmersville, New Lebanon, and Brookville to more development. I-675 west became wrapped up with the Austin Road interchange issue and was eventually dropped from the long-range transportation plan. I think the city opposed a further-out alignment, wanting the centerline to be closer in to town.

[Beavercreek33]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

675 was never designed to circle the city, was it? Originally it was intended to continue north from I-70 and reconnect with I-75 somewhere north of the airport, I believe. That got nixed for $$ and other reasons. Shoot, finishing it from Wright-Patt south to I-75 was enough of a struggle.


There are destinations in southern Ohio other than Cincinnati or Columbus ...

Are you serious?!?! Now I do remember one area with around 1 million people, I think it was Dayton/Springfield. Maybe I am wrong...

[Crew Chief]

MANY thanks for the background information' JefferyT! Made for some interesting reading!!!