State Route 142 Begins in London

London, Ohio

London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,771, an increase from 7,807 in 1990. It is the...

 and acts as a spur of US 42 serving West Jefferson

West Jefferson, Ohio

West Jefferson is a village in Madison County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,331 at the 2000 census. Located along U.S. Route 40, the village has a fairly close relationship with the surrounding township, which include various out-of-corporation-limit neighborhoods West Jefferson is a...

, although its interchange with I-70 primarily provides Interstate

Interstate Highway System

The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...

 access to West Jefferson and nearby Lake Darby

Lake Darby, Ohio

Lake Darby is a census-designated place in Franklin County, Ohio, United States: located partly in Brown Township and partly in Prairie Township. It is more commonly known among locals as Darby Estates, which is also the name of the older housing development there, with the newer development called...

 rather than as a connection to US 42. Sometimes the road (Plain City-Georgesville Rd) from that interchange northward to Plain City

Plain City, Ohio

Plain City is a village on the west banks of Big Darby Creek, in the northern part of Darby Township, Madison County and the southern part of Jerome Township, Union County in the U.S. state of Ohio...

 is also incorrectly referred to as Route 142 by locals. This road is actually designated as Madison CR 7, although a small portion of the road is a part of SR 142 from US 40 to I-70.

Junctions

History

Originally, the eastern terminus was at West Jefferson The route was extended to meet I-70 when it opened in 1971. According to West Jefferson locals, ODOT hadn't originally planned for the SR 142 extension or its interchange with I-70, and felt the town would be adequately served by SR 29. The citizens protested, and gained the support of the Battelle Memorial Institute

Battelle Memorial Institute

Battelle Memorial Institute is a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle is a charitable trust organized as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State of Ohio and is exempt from taxation under Section 501 of the...

, located on Plain City-Georgesville Rd between US 40 and the proposed I-70. As a result, ODOT added an interchange at Plain City-Georgesville Rd to their plans, and extended SR 142 past Battelle to that interchange.