Ohio State Route 96
Encyclopedia
State Route 96 is an east–west state highway
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 in the northern portion of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. The southern terminus of State Route 96 is at a T-intersection with State Route 98
Ohio State Route 98
State Route 98 is a north–south state highway in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Its southern terminus is at the State Route 47/State Route 423 concurrency in Waldo, and its northern terminus is at State Route 61 in Plymouth....

 nearly 2.5 miles (4 km) northeast of Bucyrus
Bucyrus, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,224 people, 5,559 households, and 3,552 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,812.0 people per square mile . There were 5,955 housing units at an average density of 816.0 per square mile...

. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange with U.S. Route 42 and U.S. Route 250 in the eastern portion of Ashland
Ashland, Ohio
Ashland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Ashland County. The population was 21,249 at the 2000 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan Statistical Area...

.

Route description

State Route 96 passes through the counties of Crawford
Crawford County, Ohio
Crawford County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. It was named for Colonel William Crawford, a soldier during the American Revolution....

, Richland
Richland County, Ohio
Richland County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 124,475. It is included in the Mansfield, Ohio, Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Mansfield–Bucyrus Combined Statistical Area....

 and Ashland
Ashland County, Ohio
Ashland County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States, and was formed in 1846 from parts of Huron, Lorain, Richland and Wayne Counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 53,139. Its county seat is Ashland...

. There are no stretches of the highway that are included within the National Highway System
National Highway System (United States)
The National Highway System is a network of strategic highways within the United States, including the Interstate Highway System and other roads serving major airports, ports, rail or truck terminals, railway stations, pipeline terminals and other strategic transport facilities.Individual states...

, a system of highways identified as being most pertinent for the economy, mobility and defense of the nation.

History

1923 marked the year in which State Route 96 was established. Originally, the highway consisted of the majority of what its easternmost stretch today, running between downtown Shelby
Shelby, Ohio
Shelby is a city in Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio, northwest of the city of Mansfield. It is part of the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,821 at the 2000 census.-History:...

 and downtown Ashland
Ashland, Ohio
Ashland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Ashland County. The population was 21,249 at the 2000 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan Statistical Area...

. A westward extension of State Route 96 happened in 1939. This extension followed the existing State Route 96 west out of Shelby, along with what is now Crawford County Road 45 (Stetzer Road) west-southwesterly to a new western terminus in the eastern end of Bucyrus
Bucyrus, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,224 people, 5,559 households, and 3,552 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,812.0 people per square mile . There were 5,955 housing units at an average density of 816.0 per square mile...

 at Old Lincoln Highway, which at the time designated as U.S. Route 30N.

In 1971, coinciding with the completion of the U.S. Route 30N (now mainline U.S. Route 30) freeway bypass of Bucyrus, State Route 96 was re-routed onto its present alignment through eastern Crawford County
Crawford County, Ohio
Crawford County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. It was named for Colonel William Crawford, a soldier during the American Revolution....

 to its current western terminus at State Route 98
Ohio State Route 98
State Route 98 is a north–south state highway in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Its southern terminus is at the State Route 47/State Route 423 concurrency in Waldo, and its northern terminus is at State Route 61 in Plymouth....

 northeast of Bucyrus. Jurisdiction of the former alignment into Bucyrus was turned back to Crawford County, which designated it as County Road 45. Then, by 1992, State Route 96 was extended slightly on the eastern end. With the re-routing of U.S. Route 250 onto a northern bypass of Ashland that tied with the U.S. Route 42 eastern bypass of the city, State Route 96 was extended into the eastern end of Ashland along the former routing of U.S. Route 250 to a new eastern terminus where U.S. Route 250 re-joined its former alignment at the U.S. Route 42 interchange.

Major intersections

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