Skip to main content

The National Road - Ohio - Fairview to Cambridge

Image
By
West of Fairview sits another old US 40 community, the village of Middlebourne.  The village sits on the old highway west of OH 513.  If you continue along the old highway past Middlebourne, you will come to a paved section of the original National Trail that includes an 'S' Bridge that until recently you were able to drive over.  The bridge was approximately built in 1828, and vehicles along Blend Road in Guernsey County were able to cross the S bridge until October 2013 when it was closed to vehicular traffic. It was the last S bridge in Ohio to allow vehicular traffic.
Looking East on Old US 40.  Old US 40 is on the right.  The old National Road and 'S' Bridge is on the left. (Mike Austing)
A wet snow cleared 'S' Bridge. Vehicles under three tons could cross the bridge until it was closed for good in October 2013. (Mike Austing)
Looking west from the 'S' Bridge. Old US 40 runs close by. (Mike Austing)
Modern US 40 leaves the Interstate and returns to the old alignment in Old Washington.  You can still follow old US 40 through Old Washington.  The old alignment disappears at the Guernsey County Fairgrounds.
Old US 40 East of Old Washington looking West. (Mike Austing)
The Old Washington Split - Main Street and the original National Road through town is on the right / A bypass of the town connecting to current day US 40 towards Cambridge runs to the the left. (Mike Austing)
View of Main St. heading West. (Mike Austing)
Main Street - Old Washington, Ohio (Mike Austing)
The Old National Road at Ohio 285. (Mike Austing)
In March of 1995, a sink hole opened up on Interstate 70 near Old Washington closing the Interstate in both directions for four months.  As a result a temporary ramp was built just east of the existing Old Washington interchange allowing Interstate 70 traffic to detour onto US 40.  Coming home from a college visit to the University of Dayton, I got caught up in the traffic that was forced to use US 40 from Old Washington to Interstate 77.  The detour did not put traffic along the old road through the village, but on the small bypass to the south. The grading for the temporary ramp can still be seen today.



As you head west from Old Washington and towards I-77, be on the lookout for Peacock Road.  Peacock Road is an old alignment of the National Road that still uses brick pavement.  Signed as Guernsey County Rte 450, this alignment is complete with a narrow roadway, twisty curves, and is an easy drive for those searching remains of the old road. US 40 then heads to Cambridge, county seat of Guernsey County, where it meets up with US 22.  Both routes share the same highway to Zanesville.  Another great old road, US 21, ran through Cambridge, but was decommissioned in the 1960s.

Peacock Road (Mike Kentner)
 
Site Navigation:
Sources & Links:
  • Mike Austing
  • Mike Kentner

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bleriot Ferry - Alberta

By
  Alberta operates six ferries scattered throughout the province. Roughly twenty to twenty-five kilometers up the Red Deer River from the town of Drumheller is one of the most scenic ferry crossings in all of Wild Rose Country, the Bleriot Ferry. Using the North Dinosaur Trail (Alberta Highway 838, or AB 838), the Bleriot Ferry provides a scenic river cruise of sorts in the Canadian Badlands. The Bleriot Ferry started operating in 1913 as the Munson Ferry when a few bridges crossed the Red Deer River. The ferry was started by Andre Bleriot, the brother of famed early aviator Louis Bleriot, who became famous for being the first person to fly over the English Channel. At the time, the Alberta provincial government commissioned local residents to run the ferries. There were several ferries along the Red Deer River, and not only did they serve as vital transportation links, but they also served as local social hubs, since everyone had to take the ferries to go places. Over time, as the...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Pollasky Bridge

By
The Pollasky Bridge near modern day Friant is a ruined highway bridge which was completed during early 1906 as part of the Fresno-Fresno Flats Road.  The structure is one of the oldest known arch concrete spans to have been constructed in California.  The bridge briefly carried California State Route 41 following the destruction of the Lanes Bridge in 1940.  The Pollasky Bridge itself was destroyed by flooding during 1951, but the ruins can still be found on the Madera County side of the San Joaquin River.   Pictured as the blog cover is the Pollasky Bridge as it was featured in the 1913 book "The Concrete Bridge."  The structure can be seen crossing the San Joaquin River near Friant below on the 1922 United States Geological Survey Map.   Part 1; the history of the Pollasky Bridge The Pollasky Bridge site is near modern day Friant of Fresno County.  The community of Friant was established as Converse Ferry during 1852 on the San Joaquin Rive...
1 comment
Read more

I-73/I-74 and NC Future Interstates Year in Review 2024

By
Welcome to another annual review of progress in constructing North Carolina's New and Future Interstate routes. While 2024 was not too exciting, with no new segments of major routes opening, there was 1 new interstate signing, another proposed new interstate route, and the near opening of a new segment for 2 routes. As tradition, I will start off with a review of what happened with I-73 and I-74 and then move on to the major news of the year about the other new and future routes. Work continued on the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass through the year. The last few months have been hoping for news of its opening before 2025, without luck. Signs of its near completion included the placement of new signs, many with interstate shields uncovered, along the Bypass and intersecting roadways. For example, these went up along US 74 East: Overhead signage at Business 74 exit which contains the future ramp to I-73 North/I-74 West. Signage was also updated heading west on US 74 approaching the unop...
Post a Comment
Read more