Ohio State Route 207 Explained

State:OH
Type:SR
Route:207
Map Custom:yes
Maint:ODOT
Length Mi:32.11
Length Round:2
Length Ref:[1]
Established:1962[2]
Direction A:South
Terminus A: near Chillicothe
Junction:
Direction B:North
Terminus B: in Mount Sterling
Counties:Ross, Pickaway, Fayette, Madison
Previous Type:SR
Previous Route:206
Next Type:SR
Next Route:208

State Route 207 (SR 207) is a 32adj=midNaNadj=mid northwest-southeast state highway in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. The first northern terminus of SR 207 is at a roundabout with SR 159 nearly 4miles north of Chillicothe. Its second northern terminus is in Mount Sterling, following a 0.33miles long concurrence with U.S. Route 62 (US 62) and SR 3, at the intersection where they meet SR 56.

Route description

Along the way, SR 207 passes through northern Ross County, southwestern Pickaway County, northeastern Fayette County and extreme southeastern Madison County. There are no segments of this highway that are included within the National Highway System (NHS). The NHS is a network of highways identified as being most important for the economy, mobility and defense of the nation.[3]

History

SR 207 was assigned in 1962. Running along the majority of SR 207's present path, excepting the southernmost portion of the highway between US 23 and SR 104, along with the SR 104 concurrency, the designation replaced the entirety of what was SR 277 prior to that year. The change was necessitated by the coming of the Interstate Highway System to Ohio, which included construction of Interstate 277 in the Akron vicinity. Ohio follows a standard that no route number can be duplicated between different types of state highways, so SR 277 became SR 207.[4] [5]

In 2007, SR 207 was extended on the south end via a nearly 0.5miles concurrency with SR 104, and an all-new alignment running east from SR 104 across the Scioto River to a new interchange with the US 23 expressway in northern Ross County, north of Chillicothe.[6] [7]

SR 207 was later extended from US 23 east to SR 159. Work on $8 million extension commenced in October 2019.[8] [9] Originally, the extension was supposed to intersect with SR 180 and SR 159. However, after officials discovered a wetland in their environmental study, the extension was revised to meet with SR 159 south of SR 180. The extension opened to traffic in October 2020 that included a roundabout at its southern terminus with SR 159.[10]

From the completion of the extension of OH-207 in October 2020, the extension has overgone multiple signage changes. When the extension was opened, it was signed east-west, which would eventually be changed to north-south in 2021. It would be flipped in 2023, with the part that always has been designated "south" to be designated "south" on the extension instead of "north".

Notes and References

  1. Web site: RT-02N-DESTAPE files . . June 30, 2021 . October 20, 2021.
  2. News: Will Rt. 75 Become Known As Rt. 93?. June 10, 2016. The Logan Daily News. April 27, 1962. 1. Newspapers.com.
  3. National Highway System: Ohio . December 2003 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20081016165827/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/nhs/maps/oh/oh_Ohio.pdf . dead . October 16, 2008 . PDF. 2011-09-01.
  4. Official Ohio Highway Map . MrSID . Ohio Department of Highways . 1961 . ODOH . September 1, 2011.
  5. Official Ohio Highway Map . MrSID . Ohio Department of Highways . 1962 . ODOH . September 1, 2011.
  6. Official Ohio Transportation Map . MrSID . Ohio Department of Transportation . 2003 . ODOT . September 1, 2011.
  7. Official Ohio Transportation Map . MrSID . Ohio Department of Transportation . 2007 . ODOT . September 1, 2011.
  8. News: Ross-207 Extension. Ohio Department of Transportation. October 4, 2018.
  9. News: Construction begins on Ross-207 extension, roundabout project. Barnhart. Toria. Chillicothe Gazette. October 25, 2019. February 21, 2020.
  10. Web site: State Route 207 Connector opens in Ross County. Ohio Department of Transportation. October 8, 2020. December 19, 2020.