Ohio State Route 55

State Route 55
Route information
Maintained by ODOT
Length:	38.98 mi[1] (62.73 km)
Existed:	1923 – present
Major junctions
West end:	OH 571 near Laura
	I-75 in Troy
East end:	US 36/US 68/OH 29/OH 54 in Urbana
Location
Counties:	Miami, Champaign
Highway system
Ohio highways Interstates • U.S. Routes • State Routes ← SR 54 SR 56 →

Ohio State Route 55 (OH 55) is an east–west state route in western Ohio. Its western terminus is near the town of Laura at OH 571, and its eastern terminus is in downtown Urbana at the confluence of US 36, US 68, OH 29 and OH 54. OH 55 runs concurrent with US 68 for 1-mile (1.6 km) approaching its eastern terminus.

Route description

Laura to Troy

OH 55 starts from an intersection with OH 571 just east of Laura in Union Township. OH 55 starts out in a northeasterly direction by straddling the Ludlow Creek and some woods on the south side, and farmland on the north side, with occasional houses along the way. OH 55 intersects Miami County Road 50, then turns easterly, meeting County Road 9 further east. Bending slightly to the southeast, OH 55 meets Elleman Road, then turns east until it intersects Davis Road, where it shifts to the northeast, and heads into Ludlow Falls. OH 55 maneuvers through this predominantly residential village via Greenville Avenue, Covington Avenue and Friend Street, along which OH 55 meets OH 48 at a T-intersection. Here, OH 55 turns south and departs Ludlow Falls concurrent with OH 48.^[2]

OH 55 and OH 48 run together for less than 0.5-mile (0.80 km), crossing Ludlow Creek in the process. OH 55 splits off from OH 48, and resumes an easterly trek through farm country. OH 55 starts to bend northeasterly as it meets Calumet Road, crosses over the Stillwater River, and intersects Kessler-Frederick Road consecutively. Continuing northeasterly, OH 55 has intersections with Greenlee Road and Miami County Road 139. OH 55 departs Union Township, and enters Concord Township, whereupon it meets Horseshoe Bend Road (Miami County Road 39). OH 55 passes an intersection with Miami County Road 132, and then meets Miami County Road 41. At that intersection, OH 55 enters into Troy, and the landscape changes from rural to suburban, with subdivisions dotting the landscape.^[2]

View looking west along WB OH 55 in downtown Troy. An aged BL I-75 shield accompanies the OH 55 shield shown here.

OH 55 widens out to a four-lane divided highway at the Barnhart Road intersection, where the highway enters into a more commercial area. Following Fenner Road, OH 55 arrives a diamond interchange with I-75 . East of I-75, OH 55 almost immediately arrives at the eastern terminus of OH 718, a signalized T-intersection. Past OH 718, OH 55 narrows down to two lanes, and enters into a primarily residential portion of Troy along West Market Street. OH 55 meets South Market Street, the former routing of US 25, and turns northeasterly toward the central business district. Once into downtown Troy, OH 55 intersects OH 41 at a traffic circle in Public Square.^[2]

Troy to Urbana

Departing from the traffic circle in a northeasterly fashion, OH 55 intersects Water Street, then immediately crosses the Great Miami River. After crossing the river, OH 55 turns easterly onto Staunton Road from Market Street. While passing to the north of the Miami Shores Golf Course, a series of residential subdivisions abut the north side of OH 55. On the outskirts of Troy, OH 55 meets OH 202 at its northern terminus. Entering into Staunton Township, OH 55 starts to trend northeasterly, with the residential setting yielding to a more rural landscape featuring vast amounts of farmland, with the occasional house situated off of the highway. OH 55 intersects Sayers Road, then crosses into Lost Creek Township. After passing Casstown-Sidney Road, OH 55 arrives in Casstown. Entering into town on Troy Pike, OH 55 turns north onto Main Street, and follows Casstown’s main drag up to the OH 589 junction. OH 55 turns easterly onto Addison Street, while OH 589 northbound begins straight ahead at that intersection.^[3]

OH 55 departs Casstown, and continues easterly through Lost Creek Township. Turning northeasterly again, OH 55 passes occasional patches of trees amidst the vast farmland. OH 55 intersects Rugged Hill Road, bends back to the east, then meets Sodom Road. Trending more southeasterly at this point, OH 55 arrives at a T-intersection that marks the northern terminus of OH 201. East of there, OH 55 resumes an easterly path, intersecting Alcony-Conover Road, and crossing into Champaign County.^[3]

Into Champaign County, OH 55 makes a brief trip through Jackson Township en route to Christiansburg. OH 55 passes through the community along Pike Street, a primarily residential street. Departing Christiansburg to the east, OH 55 re-emerges into rural Jackson Township. Turning northeasterly, OH 55 passes by Panhandle Road, then curves to the east just prior to meeting OH 235. Vast swaths of farmland and the occasional house compose OH 55’s surroundings east of OH 235, as the highway passes by intersections with St. Paris-New Carlisle Road, Heck Road and Dialton Road. OH 55 next enters into Mad River Township. OH 55 passes through the hamlet of Thackery, briefly turning north at the Hampton-Donnellsville Road intersection there before resuming its easterly course. The highway turns southeasterly where it meets Vance Road, then makes a turn to the northeast in the unincorporated community of Terre Haute at the intersection of Coffin Station Road and Storms Creek Road. The northeasterly trend of this two-lane route continues until Rhodes Road, where OH 55 takes on a more east-northeasterly trend through the intersection with Valley Pike, which also serves as the southern terminus of OH 560.^[3]

Proceeding eastward, OH 55 meets Bair Road, then turns northeasterly upon crossing over the Mad River. OH 55 then parallels the Mad River for a stretch, intersecting Hickory Grove Road in the process. Curving ever so slightly to the east, OH 55 meets Old Troy Pike. Turning due east, OH 55 enters into Urbana. The rural setting fades, and OH 55 enters into a more commercialized area along, fittingly, Commercial Street. OH 55 meets US 68 at a T-intersection in the southern portion of Urbana. There, OH 55 turns northerly, and the two routes combine to form the main north–south drag through the city. In downtown Urbana, OH 55 comes to an end as the US 68/OH 55 duplex intersects US 36, OH 29 and OH 54 at a traffic circle.^[3]

History

The OH 55 that exists today is only a shadow of what it was when first designated in the 1920s. OH 55 came into being in 1923.^[4][5] Its original routing took it from Troy all the way up to Parma. This route encompassed the current alignment of OH 55 between Troy and Urbana, the current US 36 from Urbana to Delaware, the current US 42 from Delaware to Medina, the current OH 3 from Medina to Hinckley, and the current OH 94 from Hinckley to Parma.^[6]

In 1926, OH 55 was extended on the western end along a previously un-numbered road to Ludlow Falls. In that same year, however, the advent of the U.S. Highway System resulted in a major truncation of OH 55 on the east side. Its new eastern terminus became OH 4 southwest of Milford Center.^[7][8][9] OH 55 was further truncated on the east end in 1932, when the coming of US 36 resulted in the relocation of OH 55's eastern terminus to its current location in downtown Urbana.^[10][11]

1937 brought another elongation of OH 55 on the western end. In that year, it was extended from Ludlow Falls to its present western terminus.^[12][13]

Major intersections

County	Location	Mile[1]	Destinations	Notes
Miami	Union Township	0.00	OH 571	Western terminus.
	Ludlow Falls	3.32	OH 48	Northern end of OH 48/OH 55 duplex. OH 48 joins in from the north.
	Union Township	3.79	OH 48	Southern end of OH 48/OH 55 duplex. OH 48 departs to the south.
	Troy	9.82	I-75	I-75 Exit 73 (diamond interchange).
		10.30	OH 718	Eastern terminus of OH 718 (Arthur Road).
		11.71	OH 41	Junction at traffic circle in downtown Troy (Main Street).
		13.02	OH 202	Northern terminus of OH 202.
	Casstown	16.09	OH 589	Southern terminus of OH 589 (Main Street).
	Lost Creek Township	19.31	OH 201	Northern terminus of OH 201.
Champaign	Jackson Township	23.53	OH 235
	Mad River Township	33.05	OH 560	Southern terminus of OH 560.
	Urbana	37.95	US 68	Southern end of US 68/OH 55 duplex. US 68 joins in from the south.
		38.98	US 36/US 68/OH 29/OH 54	Eastern terminus. US 68 continues north of US 36/OH 29 as a solo route. Intersection also marks OH 54's northern terminus.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Ohio Department of Transportation. "Technical Services Straight Line Diagrams". http://www2.dot.state.oh.us/techservsite/availpro/Road_%20Infor/SLD/default.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-17. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Yahoo! Inc. Yahoo! Maps – Western overview map of OH 55 (Map). Cartography by NAVTEQ. http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=40.01708&lon=-84.296911&zoom=13&q1=39.99263%2C-84.394242&q2=40.039581%2C-84.203312&w0=40.026299954342285%2C-84.22771453857422%3B40.03285427223055%2C-84.20876269775382. Retrieved 2009-01-18. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Yahoo! Inc. Yahoo! Maps – Eastern overview map of OH 55 (Map). Cartography by NAVTEQ. http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=40.07944&lon=-83.972867&zoom=12&q1=40.039565%2C-84.20328&q2=40.059391%2C-83.994432&q3=40.093362%2C-83.75445&q4=40.10797%2C-83.752433. Retrieved 2009-01-18. 
4. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (1922). Ohio State Map (Map). Cartography by Ohio Department of Transportation. 
5. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (1923). Ohio State Map (Map). Cartography by Ohio Department of Transportation. 
6. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (2007). Ohio State Map (Map). Cartography by Ohio Department of Transportation. 
7. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (1925). Ohio State Map (Map). Cartography by Ohio Department of Transportation. 
8. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (1926). Ohio State Map (Map). Cartography by Ohio Department of Transportation. 
9. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (1927). Ohio State Map (Map). Cartography by Ohio Department of Transportation. 
10. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (1931). Ohio State Map (Map). Cartography by Ohio Department of Transportation. 
11. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (1932). Ohio State Map (Map). Cartography by Ohio Department of Transportation. 
12. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (1936). Ohio State Map (Map). Cartography by Ohio Department of Transportation. 
13. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (1937). Ohio State Map (Map). Cartography by Ohio Department of Transportation.