Need Ohio help (Columbus, Toledo, Findlay: construction, safe, beach)

[michigan83]

I'm driving from Michigan to North Carolina... hoping someone could tell me the best route from U.S. 23 in Michigan to hook up with I-77 and head down to N.C. I don't really want to take I-80 all the way to 77, I'd rather find a way to take a more direct path across the state.

Any suggestions?

[rrtechno]

For the fewest miles, something that will take you diagonally across the state would be I-75, SR-15, US-23, US-33 and pick up I-77 in West Virginia. Remember, that will be nearly all "local road" travel across Ohio and will probably have some pretty good stretches of 2 lane roads and towns to go through (I haven't driven the stretch of 33 SE of Columbus for nearly 40 years. It may have changed.) or use short, local bypasses. If you want nearly all interstate type driving and still want to avoid I-80 because of the tolls, consider picking up I-75 south of Toledo, to SR-15 at Findlay. This merges and becomes US-23 just SW of Findlay. Pick up I-270 at Columbus and take it east to I-70 over to I-77. That is all 4+ lanes, but parts of 23 do pass through town with traffic lights, particularly at Delaware, before you get to Columbus.

Have a safe trip.

[jam40jeff]

The route rrtechno laid out would be the best in my opinion. From Toledo to Columbus, you would be on mostly limited access highway until you get near Delaware, Ohio. I would probably then cut over from US 23 on Polaris Pkwy. to I-71, and go south on I-71 to US 33. There is one traffic light on US 33 before you are back on limited access highway. US 33 has been upgraded to inlcuded freeway bypasses around nearly all of the towns between Columbus and Athens, with the exception of Nelsonville (for which a bypass was just approved and construction is starting soon). From Athens you can either take US 50 towards Marietta/Parkersburg, or continue down US 33 to pick up I-77 at Ripley, WV. I am not familiar with this stretch of US 33 so I can't really recommend one way or the other (I know US 50 is a decent road east of Athens, but taking US 33 would be a fair amount shorter distance-wise).

[Buckeye in SC]

Originally Posted by rrtechno

For the fewest miles, something that will take you diagonally across the state would be I-75, SR-15, US-23, US-33 and pick up I-77 in West Virginia. Remember, that will be nearly all "local road" travel across Ohio and will probably have some pretty good stretches of 2 lane roads and towns to go through (I haven't driven the stretch of 33 SE of Columbus for nearly 40 years. It may have changed.) or use short, local bypasses. If you want nearly all interstate type driving and still want to avoid I-80 because of the tolls, consider picking up I-75 south of Toledo, to SR-15 at Findlay. This merges and becomes US-23 just SW of Findlay. Pick up I-270 at Columbus and take it east to I-70 over to I-77. That is all 4+ lanes, but parts of 23 do pass through town with traffic lights, particularly at Delaware, before you get to Columbus.

Have a safe trip.

If you want an even more scenic trip that will not add much time and also that will allow you to avoid tolls altogether, follow rrtechno's directions to Columbus, but instead of taking 270 to 70 to 77 or US-33, stay on US-23 and continue south to Portsmouth, continue on through Kentucky into VA (it will concur w/US 460 & US 119 for a while as well) and eventually you will end up in the tri-cities of TN and it will meet up w/I-26. Almost that entire route (and it may be the entire route since the last time I drove it) is now a 4-lane limited access highway. When you come to Johnson City, US-321 will exit, take that east and you can either merge off in Boone @ US-421 and continue east to I-77, Winston-Salem or beyond, or stay on US-321 East/South and head towards I-40 in Hickory, again you can take that east to get back to I-77 in Statesville, or continue on to I-85, west of Charlotte, and go north on I-85 to get back to I-77, it all depends where you are going in North Carolina.

Two other alternate routes you may want to explore (can't speak on traveling this route from experience though), is taking US-23 south and getting off on US-460 East near Pikeville, KY this will take you to Princeton, WV where it meets I-77 (and I believe a portion of this route is future I-73, so some of it may already be updated to interstate standards), or take US-23 south to Alt. US-58 East near Norton, VA, take this all the way to I-81, go North and it will meet up w/I-77 South in Wytheville, VA.

[aquila]

What's the news on making US 23 into a full-fledged interstate (I-73) all the way to Portsmouth? Wasn't there talk of doing that not long ago? It's really needed.

[NorthWord]

Fastest would be 75 ->70 ->77.
SR33's a nice road, but heavily policed and winds through several small communities, on both sides of Columbus.

[Buckeye in SC]

Originally Posted by aquila

What's the news on making US 23 into a full-fledged interstate (I-73) all the way to Portsmouth? Wasn't there talk of doing that not long ago? It's really needed.

Think it's in limbo, the only news I've heard about I-73 is that the stretch from Myrtle Beach to the NC state line (about 90 miles) is in plans to be completed. Eventually it's supposed to go to the UP of Michigan, but at the rate they're going, that's probably a good 30 years off.

http://www.i73.com/

South Carolina I-73 Association - About Us (http://www.i73sc.com/maps.htm - broken link)