Interstate 71

Interstate 71
I-71 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by KYTC and ODOT
Length	345.57 mi (556.14 km)
NHS	Entire route
Restrictions	No hazmats or explosives allowed in the Lytle Tunnel, on the Brent Spence Bridge, or (for thru traffic only) inside the Columbus Outerbelt
Major junctions
South end	I-64 / I-65 in Louisville, KY
Major intersections	I-75 from Walton, KY to Cincinnati, OH US 35 / SR 435 in Jeffersonville, OH I-70 / SR 315 in Columbus, OH US 30 in Mansfield, OH I-76 / US 224 in Seville, OH SR 18 in Medina, OH I-271 near Medina, OH I-80 Toll / Ohio Turnpike in Strongsville, OH I-480 / SR 237 in Brook Park, OH
North end	I-90 / I-490 in Cleveland, OH
Location
Country	United States
States	Kentucky, Ohio
Counties	KY: Jefferson, Oldham, Henry, Trimble, Carroll, Gallatin, Boone, Kenton OH: Hamilton, Warren, Clinton, Greene, Fayette, Madison, Pickaway, Franklin, Delaware, Morrow, Richland, Ashland, Wayne, Medina, Cuyahoga
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future
State Primary Road System Interstate US State Parkways
Ohio State Highway System Interstate US State Scenic
← KY 70 KY → KY 72 ← SR 70 OH → SR 71

Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the midwestern and southeastern regions of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-64 and I-65 (the Kennedy Interchange) in Louisville, Kentucky, and its northern terminus at an interchange with I-90 in Cleveland, Ohio. I-71 runs concurrently with I-75 from a point about 20 miles (32 km) south of Cincinnati, Ohio, into Downtown Cincinnati. While most odd numbered Interstates run north–south, I-71 takes more of a northeast–southwest course, with some east–west sections, and is mainly a regional route serving Kentucky and Ohio. It links I-80 and I-90 to I-70 and ultimately (via I-65) links to I-40. Major metropolitan areas served by I-71 include Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland.

Approximately three-quarters of the route lie east of I-75, leaving I-71 out of place in the Interstate grid.

Route description

Lengths

	mi	km
KY	97.42	156.78
OH	248.15	399.36
Total	345.57	556.14

Kentucky

Southern end of I-71 in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky

I-71 in Carroll County, Kentucky

I-71 (and I-75) heading northbound into Cincinnati, Ohio, from Kentucky

In Kentucky, I-71 begins east of Downtown Louisville at the Kennedy Interchange, where it meets I-64 and I-65. This interchange is sometimes called the "Spaghetti Junction". From Louisville, it roughly follows the Ohio River in a diagonal path toward Northern Kentucky. Between Louisville and Cincinnati, I-71 is largely a four-lane highway, except for the approach to Kentucky Speedway in Sparta in which it runs three lanes each way for about two miles (3.2 km).

Near the town of Carrollton, there are signs marking the location of a tragic accident that occurred on May 14, 1988, when a drunk driver was driving north in the southbound lanes and struck a church bus full of children and teenagers, causing the bus's fuel tank to ignite into flames and killing 27 people on board. It is one of the worst bus accidents in state and national history.

After having run 77 miles (124 km) from Louisville, I-71 merges with I-75 near Walton after which it intersects I-275, the Cincinnati beltway. After passing through Covington, the freeway crosses the Ohio River via the lower level of the Brent Spence Bridge (while the southbound direction uses the upper level) and continues into Cincinnati.

Ohio

Heading northbound into Columbus, Ohio

Northern terminus at I-90 in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio

In Cincinnati, it splits immediately from I-75 and heads due east onto Fort Washington Way, where it continues through Downtown Cincinnati concurrently with U.S. Route 50 (US 50) for less than one mile (1.6 km). Just east of downtown, US 50 splits from I-71 and continues east; I-71 bends north and receives I-471, a spur from southeast of the city. I-71 then heads in a general northeast direction through urban Cincinnati and into its surrounding suburbs. After another interchange with the I-275 beltway, the freeway leaves the metropolitan area and heads toward Columbus. It continues northeast until it reaches South Lebanon, where it begins cutting east across the flat plains of southwest Ohio. The freeway crosses the Little Miami River on the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge, which is a continuous truss bridge and the tallest bridge in Ohio, at 239 feet (73 m) above the river. I-71 heads toward Columbus then intersects with the bypass I-270 before heading north into urban Columbus, where it junctions I-70. About a mile (1.6 km) north of the I-70 junction, it intersects with I-670. After another interchange with the I-270 bypass, the highway exits Columbus and continues north until near Delaware, where it again turns northeast. Beginning its path to Cleveland, I-71 enters the rolling farm country on the edges of the Allegheny Plateau. It continues in this fashion to Lodi–Westfield Center and its junction with I-76, which provides access to Akron and points east. Heading north to Medina, it meets the terminus of I-271. The highway then continues north into urban Cuyahoga County and Cleveland's suburbs, intersecting the Ohio Turnpike/I-80. Passing Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, I-71 meets I-480 and enters Cleveland's west side, continuing on to downtown. It junctions with State Route 176 (SR 176) and terminates at I-90 on the Innerbelt.

History

1957 versions of the Interstate Highway marker for Kentucky and Ohio

Kentucky

The first section of I-71 in Louisville opened in December 1966 between its terminus at Spaghetti Junction and Zorn Avenue, its first exit. Its junction with I-264 opened in July 1968, and the complete Kentucky portion of the Interstate was opened to the public in July 1969. At that point, it replaced US 42 as the primary link between Cincinnati and Louisville.

Ohio

See also: Ohio State Route 1 (1961–1965)

Much of I-71 in Ohio was intended to be SR 1. SR 1 was originally planned in the 1950s as a second Ohio Turnpike extending southwest to northeast across the state. It was planned to run from Cincinnati to Conneaut and connect with an extension built across the panhandle of Pennsylvania to the New York State Thruway. As the highway was being planned, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 was enacted, and the project was converted from a toll road to a freeway. It was designated as SR 1, since the Interstate Highway numbering system had not yet been implemented. Portions of the freeway began to be completed and opened in 1959 with the new Interstate Highway funding, and they were marked as SR 1 as well as with their new Interstate Highway number. Since large gaps existed along the corridor where no freeway had yet been completed, existing two-lane or four-lane highways were also designated as SR 1 in order to complete the route. The SR 1 signage was removed in 1966 as the Interstate Highway numbers adequately marked the route by then and the state highway numbering was superfluous.

Columbus-area highway marker designating I-71 and SR 1 (1965)

In Columbus, the portion of I-71 that bounds Worthington's eastern edge was originally called the North Freeway. Costing $13.8 million (equivalent to $106 million in 2023), it was constructed south from SR 161, arriving at 11th Avenue by August 1961. It took another year to construct the portion between 11th and 5th avenues, mainly due to the need to construct a massive underpass under the Pennsylvania Railroad's Grogan Yard. Today, only two tracks cross the viaduct, and the rest of the structure supports a large, weedy field. By August 1962, the freeway had reached Fifth Avenue, and it reached downtown in November 1962.

I-71 was originally planned to follow the Innerbelt Freeway northward from its current northern terminus to the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway at Dead Man's Curve when I-90 was planned to continue westward from there along the Shoreway.

Upon its completion, I-71 replaced SR 3 as the primary highway link between Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland.

Between 2004 and 2006, the interchange at milepost 121 in the far northern reaches of Columbus was reconstructed to allow access to the eastern extension of Gemini Place. Before that, it was a simple diamond interchange with SR 750 (Polaris Parkway).

Rebuilding and widening program

In 1999, the state of Ohio began a 10-year, $500-million (equivalent to $860 million in 2023) project to improve I-71 between Columbus and Cleveland. The plans did not include widening the 25-mile (40 km) stretch in Delaware and Morrow counties, calling for patching that section instead. At that time, state transportation officials said they did not plan to widen that section for two reasons: traffic studies did not support the widening and there was no money for the project. But Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) officials eventually gave in under pressure from elected officials and business owners to widen the remaining 25-mile (40 km) stretch of I-71 from just north of the US 36/SR 37 interchange in Delaware County to the Morrow–Richland county line. The reconstruction and widening on the last 25-mile (40 km) stretch of I-71 in Delaware and Morrow counties began in early 2012, and the work was completed in mid-2015 at a cost of $144 million (equivalent to $181 million in 2023).

Exit list

State	County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Kentucky	Jefferson	Louisville	0.000	0.000		I-65 south – Nashville	Southern terminus; I-65 exit 137
					136C	Jefferson Street – Downtown	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; exit number follows I-65
					1	I-65 north (Toll Bridge) / I-64 west – Indianapolis, St. Louis	Signed as exits 1A (I-64) and 1B (I-65) southbound; no exit numbers northbound; I-64 exit 6; I-65 exit 137
					—	I-64 east – Lexington	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-64 exit 5A
			1.724	2.775	2	Zorn Avenue
			4.966	7.992	5	I-264 (Watterson Expressway)	I-264 exit 23
			9.063	14.585	9	I-265 / KY 841 (Gene Snyder Freeway) to US 42	Signed as exits 9A (south) and 9B (north); I-265 exit 35
	Oldham	​	14.488	23.316	14	KY 329 – Crestwood, Pewee Valley
		​	17.478	28.128	17	KY 146 – Buckner, Crestwood, Pewee Valley
		​	18.507	29.784	18	KY 393 – Buckner
		La Grange	20.6	33.2	21	KY 2857 – La Grange	Under construction; planned completion in 2024.
			21.869	35.195	22	KY 53 – La Grange, Ballardsville
	Henry	Pendleton	27.840	44.804	28	KY 153 to KY 146 – Sligo, New Castle
		Campbellsburg	33.505	53.921	34	US 421 – Campbellsburg, New Castle, Bedford
	Trimble	No major intersections
	Carroll	​	42.802	68.883	43	KY 389 to KY 55 – Prestonville, English
		​	44.312	71.313	44	KY 227 – Worthville, Carrollton
	Gallatin	​	54.980	88.482	55	KY 1039 to KY 465 – Vevay	Serves Kentucky Speedway
		​	56.673	91.206	57	KY 35 – Sparta, Warsaw
		Glencoe	61.774	99.416	62	US 127 – Glencoe, Owenton
	Boone	​	72.195	116.187	72	KY 14 – Verona
		​	77.724	125.085	77	I-75 south – Lexington	Southern end of I-75 overlap; exit numbers switch to follow I-75's mileposts, I-75 exit 173
		​	79.556	128.033	175	KY 338 – Richwood
		Florence	82.275	132.409	178	KY 536 (Mt. Zion Road)
			84.298	135.664	180	US 42 / US 127 – Union, Florence
			84.694	136.302	180A	Mall Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; serves Florence Mall; former KY 3157
			85.449	137.517	181	KY 18 – Florence, Burlington
			86.652	139.453	182	KY 1017 (Turfway Road)
	Kenton	Erlanger	87.967	141.569	184	KY 236 – Erlanger	Signed as exits 184A (east) and 184B (west) southbound
			88.900	143.071	185	I-275 to I-471 – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport	I-275 exit 84
		Fort Mitchell	90.539	145.708	186	KY 371 (Buttermilk Pike)
			91.913	147.920	188	US 25 / US 42 / US 127 (Dixie Highway) – Fort Mitchell
		Fort Wright	92.870	149.460	189	KY 1072 (Kyles Lane) – Fort Wright, Park Hills
		Covington	94.707– 94.858	152.416– 152.659	191	12th Street (KY 1120), Pike Street (US 25 / US 42 / US 127) – Covington
			95.414– 95.507	153.554– 153.704	192	5th Street (KY 8) – Covington, Newport
Ohio River			97.42 0.00	156.78 0.00	Brent Spence Bridge Kentucky–Ohio line
Ohio	Hamilton	Cincinnati	0.22– 0.50	0.35– 0.80	—	I-75 north / US 50 west – Dayton	Northern end of I-75 overlap; southern end of US 50 overlap
					1B	Second Street – Downtown, Riverfront	Exit unnumbered until 2018
			1.11	1.79	—	US 50 east (Columbia Parkway) to I-471 / US 52	Northern end of US 50 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
					Lytle Tunnel Sharp turn (40 mph or 64 km/h) in both directions
			1.99	3.20	1A	I-471 south – Newport	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; exit unnumbered until 2018
			2.33– 2.48	3.75– 3.99	2	US 42 (Reading Road) / Eden Park Drive / Gilbert Avenue (US 22 / SR 3) / Eighth Street – Ballpark, Stadium/Arena	Split into exit  2A (US 42) and 2B (Gilbert/8th) southbound; Gilbert Ave./8th St. not signed northbound, Eden Park Dr. not signed southbound
			3.33– 4.3	5.36– 6.9		McMillan Street	Northbound entrance only
					3A	William Howard Taft Road	Southbound exit only
					3B	Martin Luther King Drive – Level I Trauma Center	Signed as exit 3 northbound
			4.46– 6.03	7.18– 9.70	5	Dana Avenue / Montgomery Road (US 22 / SR 3)
		Norwood	6.75– 6.96	10.86– 11.20	6	SR 561 (Smith Road / Edwards Road)
		Cincinnati	8.04	12.94	8A	Ridge Avenue south	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
					8B	SR 562 – Norwood	Signed as exit 7 southbound
		Columbia Township	8.51	13.70	8C	Ridge Avenue north	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			8.75	14.08	8	Kennedy Avenue, Ridge Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
			9.91– 9.92	15.95– 15.96	9	Red Bank Road – Fairfax
		Silverton	10.68	17.19	10	Stewart Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		Sycamore Township	11.81	19.01	11	Kenwood Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			12.44	20.02	12	US 22 / SR 3 (Montgomery Road)
		Montgomery	14.13	22.74	14	SR 126 (Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway)
			15.80	25.43	15	Pfeiffer Road
			17.51– 17.54	28.18– 28.23	17	I-275 to SR 32 / I-75	I-275 exit 49; signed as exits 17A (east) & 17B (west) southbound
	Hamilton–Warren county line	Symmes–Deerfield township line	19.88– 19.97	31.99– 32.14	19	Mason Montgomery Road / Fields Ertel Road
	Warren	Mason	23.53	37.87	24	Western Row Road / Kings Island Drive / Innovation Way – Kings Island	Signed as Western Row Road and Kings Island Drive northbound and Western Row Road and Innovation Way southbound; originally constructed as northbound exit and southbound entrance only but expanded to a full interchange in 2019
			25.30	40.72	25	SR 741 north (Kings Mills Road) – Mason, Kings Mills, Kings Island
		Lebanon–South Lebanon city line	28.33	45.59	28	SR 48 – South Lebanon, Lebanon
		Turtlecreek Township	32.56	52.40	32	SR 123 – Morrow, Lebanon
		Washington Township	36.74	59.13	36	Wilmington Road
	Clinton	Chester Township	45.11	72.60	45	SR 73 – Waynesville, Wilmington
		Liberty Township	50.74– 50.75	81.66– 81.67	50	US 68 – Xenia, Wilmington
	Greene	Jefferson Township	58.01	93.36	58	SR 72 – Sabina, Jamestown
	Fayette	Octa	65.33	105.14	65	US 35 (SR 435) – Xenia, Washington Court House
		Jeffersonville	69.49	111.83	69	SR 41 / SR 734 – South Solon, Jeffersonville, Washington Court House
		Paint Township	75.03	120.75	75	SR 38 – Bloomingburg, Midway
	Madison	Pleasant Township	84.27	135.62	84	SR 56 – Mount Sterling, London
	Pickaway	No major intersections
	Franklin	Pleasant Township	94.15	151.52	94	US 62 / SR 3 – Grove City, Orient, Harrisburg
		Jackson Township	97.16	156.36	97	SR 665 (London-Groveport Road)	Interchange fully opened August 17, 2012
		Grove City	98.85	159.08	99	Hoover Road – Grove City	Proposed
			100.60	161.90	100	Stringtown Road – Grove City
		Jackson Township	101.68	163.64	101	I-270 – Dayton, Wheeling	Signed northbound as exit 100, southbound as exit 101; I-270 exit 55
		Columbus	103.86	167.15	104	SR 104 / Frank Road
			105.43	169.67	105	Greenlawn Avenue
			106.33	171.12	106A	I-70 west – Dayton	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-70 exit 99A
					106B	SR 315 north – Worthington	No exit number southbound; I-70 exit 99B
					—	I-70 west – Dayton	Southern end of I-70 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance; I-70 exit 99A; exit numbers switch to follow I-70's mileposts
						US 23 (Third Street / Fourth Street) / Fulton Street	New interchange to replace exits 100A-B; to have no southbound exit
			107.07– 107.17	172.31– 172.47	100A	US 23 south (High Street) / Front Street	No northbound entrance; southbound exit is via exit 100B
			107.41	172.86	100B	US 23 north (Fourth Street) / Livingston Avenue (US 33)
			107.90– 108.10	173.65– 173.97	101B	Parsons Avenue	Northbound exit only
					107	I-70 east	Northern end of I-70 overlap; I-70 exit 101A ; left exit southbound
			108.20	174.13	108A	Main Street	No northbound exit
			108.63	174.82	108B	US 40 (Broad Street)	Southbound entrance and northbound exit
			109.16	175.68	109A	I-670 – Airport, Dayton	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-670 exit 5; northbound off-ramp to I-670 east includes direct ramp onto Leonard Avenue
			108.93	175.31	109B	Spring Street – Downtown	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
			109.61	176.40	109A	I-670 – Airport, Dayton	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; I-670 exit 5
			110.16	177.29	110A	Fifth Avenue	No northbound exit
			110.68	178.12	110B	11th Avenue	Access to Linden Primary Care Center
			111.15	178.88	111	17th Avenue	Access to the Ohio State Fairgrounds & Expo Center and Ohio History Center
			112.33	180.78	112	Hudson Street
			112.98	181.82	113	Weber Road
			113.46	182.60	114	North Broadway	Access to Riverside Methodist Hospital
			114.53	184.32	115	Cooke Road (Indianola Avenue)
			115.58	186.01	116	Morse Road / Sinclair Road
117.53			189.15	117	SR 161 (Dublin-Granville Road)
119.21– 119.23			191.85– 191.88	119	I-270 – Dayton, Wheeling	Signed as exits 119A (east) and 119B (west) southbound; I-270 exit 26
Franklin–Delaware county line	121.45– 121.92		195.45– 196.21	121	SR 750 west (Polaris Parkway) / Gemini Place / Ikea Way	Eastern terminus of SR 750; access to Polaris Shopping Center
Delaware	Orange Township	124	200		Big Walnut Road	Future interchange
	Berkshire Township				Sunbury Parkway	Future interchange
		130.64	210.24	131	US 36 / SR 37 – Delaware, Sunbury
Morrow	Bennington Township	140.15	225.55	140	SR 61 – Sunbury, Mount Gilead, Galion
	Chester–Franklin township line	151.09	243.16	151	SR 95 – Fredericktown, Mount Gilead
Richland	Washington Township–Bellville village line	165.25	265.94	165	SR 97 – Lexington, Bellville
	Washington Township–Mansfield city line	168.81	271.67	169	SR 13 – Mansfield, Bellville
	Madison Township	172.97	278.37	173	SR 39 – Mansfield, Lucas
	Mifflin Township	176.91	284.71	176	US 30 – Mansfield, Wooster	Indirect southbound access to eastbound US 30 and from westbound US 30 to northbound I-71 via Crider and Koogle roads
Ashland	Montgomery Township	186.71	300.48	186	US 250 – Ashland, Wooster
Wayne	Congress Township	196.31	315.93	196	SR 301 – West Salem	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		197.92	318.52	198	SR 539 – West Salem, Congress
Medina	Harrisville Township	203.89	328.13	204	SR 83 – Lodi, Wooster
	Westfield Township	209.51	337.17	209	I-76 / US 224 – Lodi, Akron	Signed as exits 209A (I-76/US 224 east) and 209B (US 224 west); western terminus of I-76 (Ohio), exit 1
	Medina Township	218.86	352.22	218	SR 18 – Akron, Medina
		220.71	355.20	220	I-271 north – Erie	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		222.91	358.74	222	SR 3 – Hinckley, Medina
	Brunswick	226.03	363.76	226	SR 303 – Brunswick, Hinckley
Cuyahoga	Strongsville	231.26	372.18	231	SR 82 (Royalton Road) – Strongsville, North Royalton	Signed as exits 231A (east) and 231B (west) southbound
		233.06	375.07	233	I-80 / Ohio Turnpike – Toledo, Youngstown	I-80/Ohio Turnpike exit 161
	Middleburg Heights	234.21	376.92	234	US 42 – Strongsville, Parma Heights
		235.37	378.79	235	Bagley Road – Berea, Middleburg Heights
	Brook Park	237.53	382.27	237	Snow Road / Engle Road – Airport	Signed as exits 237A (east) and 237B (west, Engle) southbound
	Brook Park–Cleveland line	238.77	384.26	238	I-480 – Airport, Toledo, Youngstown	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-480 exit 11
	Cleveland	239.26	385.05	239	SR 237 south – Airport, Berea	Southbound left exit and northbound left entrance
		240.57	387.16	240	W. 150th Street
		241.85	389.22	242A	W. 130th Street	Signed as exit 242 southbound
	Cleveland–Linndale line	242.41	390.12	242B	Bellaire Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Cleveland	244.5	393.5	244	Denison Avenue / W. 65th Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		245.48– 246.20	395.06– 396.22	245	US 42 (SR 3 / Pearl Road / W. 25th Street) / Fulton Road
		246.6	396.9	246	SR 176 south – Parma	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		246.98– 247.56	397.48– 398.41	247	I-90 west / I-490 east / W. 14th Street / Clark Avenue / Steelyard Drive	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-90 exit 170B; I-490 exit 1A
		247.81– 248.15	398.81– 399.36		I-90 east – Downtown Cleveland	Northern terminus; I-90 exit 170B
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access        Tolled       Unopened

Auxiliary routes

I-71 has two auxiliary routes in Greater Cleveland and the Cincinnati metropolitan area. I-471 links Downtown Cincinnati with I-275. I-271 provides access to Cleveland's eastern suburbs and enables travelers on I-71 to access I-90 east without going through Cleveland proper.

See also

• Carrollton bus collision, a drunk-driving tragedy involving a school bus that occurred on I-71
• List of roads in Louisville, Kentucky
• Sports rivalries involving cities on I-71
  • Battle of Ohio: Cincinnati Bengals–Cleveland Browns (NFL)
  • Crosstown Shootout: Cincinnati Bearcats–Xavier Musketeers (college basketball)
  • The Keg of Nails: Cincinnati Bearcats–Louisville Cardinals (college football)
  • Ohio Cup: Cincinnati Reds–Cleveland Guardians (MLB)
  • Hell Is Real derby: Columbus Crew SC–FC Cincinnati (MLS)

External links

• I-71 on Cincinnati-Transit.net
• Interstate-guide.com: Interstate 71
• Historic photos:
  • 1963 aerial view of I-71 construction between 17th and 5th avenues in Columbus, Ohio
  • Gasoline tanker crash and fire collapses Cleveland Avenue overpass in Columbus, Ohio 6/28/1966
  • Rebuilding the Cleveland Avenue overpass after it was destroyed by a gasoline tanker fire in 1966