State Route 48 (SR 48) is a north–south highway in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

that runs from SR 132 near Goshen to SR 66 near

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, passing through

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

Route description

Commemorative designations

On February 15, 2005, Governor

Bob Taft Robert Alphonso Taft III (born January 8, 1942) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 67th governor of Ohio from 1999 to 2007. A member of the Taft family, Taft political dynasty and Republican Party (United States), Republic ...

signed Senate Bill 156, which designated SR 48 as the U.S.A.F. Pararescue Memorial Parkway. The route runs near the hometowns of four pararescuemen who were killed in action:

William H. Pitsenbarger William Hart Pitsenbarger (July 8, 1944 – April 11, 1966) was a United States Air Force Pararescueman who flew on almost 300 rescue missions during the Vietnam War to aid downed soldiers and pilots. On April 11, 1966, Pitsenbarger was killed a ...

of Piqua, Sgt. Jim Locker of Sidney, Master Sgt. William McDaniel II of Greenville, and Airman 1st Class James Pleiman of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Memorial markers are installed as far south as Goshen Township in Clermont County. In 2010, SR 48 within the Loveland city limits was additionally designated as the

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Seth Mitchell Memorial Highway. Mitchell, a

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

and Loveland resident, served in the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

and died in a helicopter crash in

Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto language, Pashto/Dari language, Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering ...

on October 26, 2009. In 2016, SR 48 between Mason–Morrow–Millgrove Road (Warren County Road 38) and

Interstate 71 Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the midwestern and Southeastern United States, southeastern regions of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64, I-64 and Interstate 65, ...

in the village of

South Lebanon Southern Lebanon () is the area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The Rashaya and Western Beqaa districts, the southernmost distr ...

was additionally designated as the SFC Bobby Lee Estle Memorial Highway. Estle, a

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

sergeant first class who was born and raised in Ohio, was a 1991 graduate of Lebanon High School in which he was in the

Junior ROTC The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US mil ...

, and attended the Warren County Career Center. He served in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

in the

and was killed in action in 2012 at the age of 38, ten days before he was due to return home. Throughout his 18-year career in the Army, Estle served two

tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

s in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

and two tours in Afghanistan. In 2020, SR 48 (Far Hills Avenue) between Stroop Road and Dorothy Lane in

Kettering Kettering is a market town, market and industrial town, industrial town in the North Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England, west of Cambridge, England, Cambridge, southwest of Peterborough, southeast of Leicester and north- ...

was additionally designated as the CWO3 James E. Groves III Memorial Highway. Groves, a U.S. Army

chief warrant officer three In the United States Armed Forces, the ranks of warrant officer (grade W‑1) and chief warrant officer (grades CW-2 to CW‑5)— NATO: WO1–CWO5—are rated as officers above all non-commissioned officers, candidates, cadets, and midshipmen, ...

and instructor pilot, was a

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

native who moved to

as a child and graduated from that city's Fairmont High School in 1994. Serving in the

, he was killed at the age of 37 on March 16, 2013, when the helicopter he was piloting crashed due to suspected mechanical failure near

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

; another soldier aboard survived the crash. Enlisting in the Army after high school

commencement A graduation is the awarding of a diploma by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it, which can also be called commencement, congregation, convocation or invocation. The date of the graduation ...

, Groves had served two tours in Iraq and was near the end of his second tour in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. Approaching his 19th anniversary in the Army, Groves had planned to retire after a 20-year career. In 2023, SR 48 (Far Hills Avenue) between David Road and Stroop Road in Kettering was additionally designated as the Sgt. Cameron H. Thomas Memorial Way. Thomas, a 2012 graduate of Fairmont High School, was a

U.S. Army Ranger The United States Army Rangers are U.S. Army personnel who have served in any unit which has held the official designation of "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the Ranger School, even if they have never served in a " ...

and

sniper A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic si ...

assigned to Delta Company, 3rd Battalion,

75th Ranger Regiment The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as the United States Army Rangers, Army Rangers, is the United States Army Special Operations Command's premier light infantry and direct-action raid force. The 75th Ranger Regiment is also part of Joint S ...

at Fort Benning (now

Fort Moore Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family me ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Serving in the War in Afghanistan, during his third deployment to that country, he was killed at the age of 23 on April 26, 2017, during a raid by U.S. and Afghan forces on an ISIS-K compound in eastern Afghanistan targeting high-level insurgent leaders. Thomas was posthumously awarded a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

and a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

. In 2023, SR 48 (Far Hills Avenue) between Rahn Road and David Road in

was additionally designated as the Sgt. Kevin J. Lannon Memorial Way. Lannon, a 1980 graduate of Alter High School in Kettering, was a U.S. Army Ranger assigned to the

2nd Ranger Battalion The 2nd Ranger Battalion, currently based at Joint Base Lewis–McChord south of Seattle, Washington, United States, is one of three ranger battalions belonging to the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment. History World War II Formation ...

, 75th Ranger Regiment, stationed at

Fort Lewis Fort Lewis may refer to: * Fort Lewis (Colorado), a former United States Army post (1878–1891) in the U.S. State of Colorado ** Fort Lewis College, a college in the Durango, Colorado, United States ** Fort Lewis Skyhawks, athletic teams of Fort L ...

(since consolidated into

Joint Base Lewis–McChord Joint Base Lewis–McChord (JBLM) is a U.S. military installation home to I Corps and 62nd Airlift Wing located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Headquarters, Joint Base Lewis� ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. Deployed during the

United States invasion of Grenada The United States and a coalition of Caribbean countries invaded the small island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela, at dawn on 25 October 1983. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, it resulted in military occupation with ...

, which began at dawn on October 25, 1983, Lannon, at the age of 21, and two other Rangers from his battalion were killed on October 27; these deaths marked the first battlefield casualties since the elite battalion had been formed nine years earlier. Lannon "distinguished himself the first day in Grenada, acting both as an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

man and as a

medic A medic is a person trained to provide medical care, encompassing a wide range of individuals involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of health conditions. The term can refer to fully qualified medical practitioners, such as physic ...

. He took care of wounded Rangers and wounded

Cubans Cubans () are the citizens and nationals of Cuba. The Cuban people have varied origins with the most spoken language being Spanish. The larger Cuban diaspora includes individuals that trace ancestry to Cuba and self-identify as Cuban but are n ...

alike.", medical officer Capt. Robert E. Kane said at the time.

History

In the early 20th century, SR 48 was assigned to completely unrelated routes within the state. From 1923 to 1927, it was the designation given to Barnesville– Hendrysburg, Barnesville– Woodsfield, and Woodsfield– Sistersville roads in eastern Ohio, now designated SR 800. Present-day SR 48 was previously signed as SR 50, and before that as

– Covington and Dayton–

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

roads. (See 1923 Ohio state highway renumbering and

1927 Ohio state highway renumbering In early July 1927, the Ohio Department of Transportation#History, Ohio Department of Highways implemented the system of United States Numbered Highways that had been approved by the states in late 1926. This resulted in the renumbering of many ...

). Beginning in 2022, Oakwood began exploring the creation of a

roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

along a heavily-traveled section of SR 48 (Far Hills Avenue), where the route currently has a complex, six-spoke intersection with Oakwood Avenue and with Thruston Boulevard (despite having six spokes, the junction is locally known as "Five Points"). The city has commissioned studies which, among other improvements, evaluated the roundabout treatment as part of an analysis of the installation and maintenance costs of

traffic light Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – also known as robots in South Africa, Zambia, and Namibia – are signaling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order t ...

replacements along its entire portion of the state route. Oakwood's design plan for the junction envisioned a roundabout with a "dogbone" or "peanut" shape. As of August 2023, the city had decided to seek state and/or federal grant money through ODOT to help pay for the roundabout. On December 4, 2023, despite having been notified by the state that $3 million (more than half the construction costs), were to be made available, the city council unanimously voted to suspend the roundabout project. Mayor Bill Duncan cited lack of clear support by city residents, and other council members mentioned lack of data about the operation of this more-complex-than-usual roundabout design. City Manager Norbert Klopsch stated that the city would maintain the traffic light at this junction for its expected five to ten-year lifespan and revisit the roundabout option at that time.

Future

In 2021, the

Ohio Department of Transportation The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT; ) is the administrative department of the government of Ohio, Ohio state government responsible for developing and maintaining all state and U.S. roadways outside of municipalities and all List of In ...

(ODOT) awarded the city of

$4.74 million to place SR 48 (North Main Street) on a "

road diet A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. The ...

". Dayton, ODOT District 7 and the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission had hired the engineering firm Burgess & Niple to study the roadway from Great Miami Boulevard in Dayton north to Shiloh Springs Road in Harrison Township, Montgomery County. That section of the street, with some of the most dangerous intersections in the region, from 2015 to 2017, had 900 crashes, 356 of those with injuries and seven with fatalities. The study area was shortened on the north end to Shoup Mill Road in Harrison Township, a distance of ; this stretch between 2017 and 2019 had 760 crashes, 34 involving pedestrians, and a daily traffic count of 18,400 vehicles. The proposed road diet involves converting the roadway from two lanes in each direction to one lane in each direction, with a

center turn lane A reversible lane, also known as variable lane, dynamic lane, and tidal flow, is a managed lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions. Typically, it is meant to improve traffic flow during rush hours, b ...

Curb A curb (American English) or kerb (British English) is the edge where a raised sidewalk/pavement or road median/central reservation meets a street/other roadway. History Although curbs have been used throughout modern history, and indeed ...

s are to be extended, allowing for the addition of on-street parking. Also there is to be new lighting and for pedestrians, new signals and

refuge island A refuge island, also known as a pedestrian refuge or pedestrian island, is a small section of pavement (material), pavement or sidewalk, surrounded by Asphalt concrete, asphalt or other road materials, where pedestrians can stop before finis ...

s with improved

sidewalk A sidewalk (North American English), pavement (British English, South African English), or footpath (Hiberno-English, Irish English, Indian English, Australian English, New Zealand English) is a path along the side of a road. Usually constr ...

s and crosswalks. In addition the plan calls for softening a sharp curve at one of the intersections along the street. Design and review is expected to last through 2022, with

right-of-way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

acquisition in 2023, and construction to begin in summer 2024. On December 7, 2023, ODOT announced that it would provide a $3.66 million grant to convert the current traffic light-controlled intersection at SR 48 and Lytle-Five Points Road in Clearcreek Township, Warren County to a roundabout in 2028. From 2020 through 2022, that intersection had 23 crashes, 30% of which resulted in injury, one serious and one fatal; 74% of the crashes were rear-end. ODOT's analysis showed that adding left-turn lanes would result in a reduction of 1.5 crashes per year, while a roundabout would result in a reduction of 5 crashes per year.

Major intersections

In popular culture

In ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...

'' episode #111, " First Stop", the Ricardos and the Mertzes travel this route on their trip to Hollywood, although they were headed to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

SR 48-T

State Route 48 Temporary (SR 48-T, also called Future SR 48 and Bypass 48) is a partial bypass of

running from the SR 48 / SR 123 interchange to an intersection of US 42 and Miller Road. The four-lane divided roadway is a northern continuation of a divided highway segment of SR 48. The route was created by 1971 when a high-speed bypass of Lebanon was created. SR 48-T is not signed as such; the northbound direction is signed as "To US 42 north" and the southbound direction is signed as "To SR 48 south."

References

External links

Highways of the State of Ohio: Ohio State Route 48, Montgomery County
Bill Burmaster {{Authority control 048 Transportation in Clermont County, Ohio Transportation in Warren County, Ohio Transportation in Montgomery County, Ohio Transportation in Dayton, Ohio Transportation in Miami County, Ohio Transportation in Shelby County, Ohio