State Route 73 (SR 73) is an east–west

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

in the southern portion of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. Its western terminus is on

U.S. Route 27 U.S. Route 27 or U.S. Highway 27 (US 27) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the Southern and Midwestern U.S. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 (I ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

at the intersection of SR 732. SR 73’s eastern terminus is in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

US 23 U.S. Route 23 or U.S. Highway 23 (US 23) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway between Jacksonville, Florida, and Mackinaw City, Michigan. It is an original 1926 route which originally reached only as far south a ...

; this is also the southern terminus of SR 104, and the two state routes run concurrently for over from this point north. Once SR 73 enters Scioto County, it is designated as the Scenic Scioto Heritage Trail by 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 ...

. In combination with SR 32, SR 73's easternmost are part of the quickest route between

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 ...

and

Route description

The portion of SR 73 between

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

and SR 741 in Springboro is designated as the "Officer Bill Johnson Memorial Highway", in honor of William L. "Bill" Johnson, a 48-year-old, eight-year veteran of the Springboro Police Department who was struck and killed by a vehicle around 12:30 a.m. on June 27, 1983 while outside his cruiser on SR 73, investigating two people walking in the roadway.

Points of interest

Great Miami River The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee language, Shawnee: ''Msimiyamithiipi'') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Nat ...

- Middletown, Franklin * Excello Locks - Historic Remains of a lock on the Miami-Erie Canal near the intersection of 73 and S. Main St. in

Middletown, Ohio Middletown is a city in Butler County, Ohio, Butler and Warren County, Ohio, Warren counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 50,987 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area in sou ...

. Much of the route between Trenton and Franklin follows the original path of the

Miami and Erie Canal The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that ran from Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a co ...

. * Middletown Historical Society Canal Museum * Springboro Historic District - Springboro at SR 741. *

La Comedia Dinner Theatre La Comedia Dinner Theatre is located in Springboro, Ohio. La Comedia is one of the nation's oldest and largest professional dinner theaters with Broadway theatre, Broadway-style productions. Having entertained over six million guests, 2021 mark ...

- Springboro *

Little Miami River The Little Miami River () is a Class I tributary of the Ohio River that flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 26, 2011 through five counties in southwestern Ohio ...

- Waynesville *

Little Miami Bike Trail The Little Miami Scenic Trail is the fourth longest paved trail in the United States, running through five southwestern counties in the state of Ohio. The multi-use rail trail sees heavy recreational use by hikers and bicyclists, as well as th ...

- Corwin * Caesar Creek Lake - Warren County *

Caesar Creek State Park Caesar Creek State Park is a public recreation area located in southwestern Ohio, five miles (8 km) east of Waynesville, in Warren, Clinton, and Greene counties. The park is leased by the State from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, w ...

- Warren, Clinton County *

Serpent Mound The Great Serpent Mound is a 1,348-feet-long (411 m), three-feet-high prehistoric effigy mound located in Peebles, Ohio, Peebles, Ohio. It was built on what is known as the Serpent Mound crater plateau, running along the Ohio Brush Creek in ...

* Brush Creek State Forest *

Shawnee State Forest Shawnee State Forest, also known as "Ohio's Little Smokies", is a state forest in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is located in western Scioto County and eastern Adams County and encompasses of woodland. It is the largest state forest in Ohio. A ...

Scioto River The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County, Ohio, Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olent ...

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

History

*1924 – Original route established;Explanation of the Ohio State Highway System
(The Unofficial Ohio State Highways Web Site) by John Simpson originally routed from

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historic ...

to west of

(dually certified with State Route 104 from north of Coles Park to west of Portsmouth before 1926).Route 73
(The Unofficial Ohio State Highways Web Site) by John Simpson *1926 – Extended to east of Middletown along the previous State Route 6; State Route 104 certification removed. *March 9, 1932 – Extended to the

U.S. Route 127 U.S. Route 127 (US 127) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the eastern half of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 27, US 27 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The northern terminus is at Interstate 75 ...

about northwest of Seven Mile. *1936 – Extended to

. *1952 – Dually certified with State Route 104 from north of Coles Park to west of Portsmouth. *1957 – From Excello to Franklin upgraded to 4 lanes. *1962 – From north of West Portsmouth to west of Portsmouth upgraded to 4 lanes. *1966 – From Franklin to

upgraded to 4 lanes. *1972 – Extended to Portsmouth (dually certified with State Route 104) along the former alignment of U.S. Route 23. *1979 – From Interstate 75 to Springboro upgraded to divided highway. *1980 – From Trenton to Excello upgraded to divided highway. *2011 – Realigned around Wilmington along a new bypass.

Major junctions

References

External links

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Byways
073 Transportation in Butler County, Ohio Transportation in Warren County, Ohio Transportation in Clinton County, Ohio Transportation in Highland County, Ohio Transportation in Adams County, Ohio Transportation in Scioto County, Ohio