Ohio State Route 261

State Route 261 (SR 261) is an east–west state highway located in northeastern Ohio that passes through Medina, Summit, and Portage counties. At a length of 26 miles (42 km), SR 261 runs from a signalized intersection with SR 94 in Wadsworth to a signalized T-intersection with SR 59 in Franklin Township just east of Kent.

State Route 261
Route information
Maintained by ODOT
Length	25.85 mi[1] (41.60 km)
Existed	1928–present
Major junctions
West end	SR 94 in Wadsworth
	I-76 / US 224 in Wadsworth I-77 in Akron
East end	SR 59 in Franklin Township
Location
Counties	Medina, Summit, Portage
Highway system
Ohio Highways Interstate U.S. State Scenic ← SR 260 SR 262 →

State Route 261's routing is more complicated than other state highways, frequently changing streets and direction. It runs through downtown Akron as two sets of one-way surface streets. It has a divided highway section from the outskirts of southern Kent to just east of SR 43. This divided section was originally planned to be limited access and tie in with another highway, SR 435, but this plan was never implemented.

History

SR 261 was commissioned in 1928 between SR 18, in Tallmadge, and Kent.[2][3] In 1930 the highway was extended southwest to SR 8 in Akron.[4][5] The route was extended west to Wadsworth, in 1937.[6][7] The southeast section of the Kent bypass, between SR 43 and SR 59 opened between 1969 and 1971, with SR 261 be rerouted onto it then.[8][9] The bypass of Kent west of SR 43 was completed in 1972, with SR 261 being rerouted onto that section then.[9][10] In 1983 the highway was rerouted towards the northwest in the City of Akron.[11][12]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Medina	Wadsworth	0.00	0.00	SR 94 (High Street)
		2.02	3.25	I-76 / US 224 – Akron, Lodi	Exit 11 (I-76)
Summit	Norton	4.64	7.47	SR 21 – Massillion, Cleveland	Interchange
	Akron	8.46– 8.65	13.62– 13.92	I-77 / Frederick Boulevard – Canton, Cleveland	Exit 130 (I-77)
		9.97	16.05	SR 93 south (East Avenue)	Northern terminus of SR 93
		10.61	17.08	SR 59 to I-76 / I-77 / Rhodes Avenue / Dart Avenue	Interchange
		12.36	19.89	SR 18 west / SR 162 (Market Street)	SR 261 as a one-way pair; eastern terminus of SR 162
		12.51	20.13	SR 59 (M.L. King Boulevard)	SR 261 as a one-way pair
		14.18	22.82	SR 8 / SR 59 / Gorge Boulevard	Exit 3 (SR 8)
	Tallmadge	18.40	29.61	SR 91 – Akron, Mogadore, Hudson, Cuyahoga Falls	Tallmadge Circle
Portage	Kent	22.81	36.71	SR 43 (Water Street) – Kent, Hartville
	Franklin Township	25.85	41.60	SR 59 – Kent, Ravenna
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. Ohio Department of Transportation. "Technical Services Straight Line Diagrams". Retrieved 2010-05-17.
2. Ohio Department of Highways and Public Works (June 1, 1927). Map of Ohio Showing State Routes (PDF) (Map). 1:760,320. Columbus: Ohio Department of Highways and Public Works. OCLC 5673562. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
3. Ohio Department of Highways (August 1, 1928). Map of Ohio Showing State Highway System (PDF) (Map). 1:760,320. Columbus: Ohio Department of Highways. OCLC 5673562, 7434854. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
4. Ohio Department of Highways (August 15, 1929). Map of Ohio Showing State Highway System (PDF) (Map). 1:760,320. Columbus: Ohio Department of Highways. OCLC 5673562, 7438560. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
5. Ohio Department of Highways (1930). Map of Ohio Showing State Highway System (PDF) (Map). 1:760,320. Columbus: Ohio Department of Highways. OCLC 5673562, 7237073. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
6. Ohio Department of Highways (1936). Official Highway Map of Ohio (PDF) (Map). 1:760,320. Columbus: Ohio Department of Highways. OCLC 5673562. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
7. Ohio Department of Highways (1937). Official Highway Map of Ohio (PDF) (Map). 1:760,320. Columbus: Ohio Department of Highways. OCLC 5673562, 16960304. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
8. Ohio Department of Highways (1969). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). c. 1:563,200. Columbus: Ohio Department of Highways. OCLC 5673562, 7448779. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
9. Ohio Department of Highways (1971). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). 1:554,400. Columbus: Ohio Department of Highways. OCLC 5673562. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
10. Ohio Department of Highways (1972). Ohio Highway Map (PDF) (Map). 1:554,400. Columbus: Ohio Department of Highways. OCLC 5673562, 13716527. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
11. Ohio Department of Transportation (1982). Ohio Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). 1:554,400. Columbus: Ohio Department of Transportation. OCLC 5673562, 907276844. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
12. Ohio Department of Transportation (1983). Ohio Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). c. 1:563,200. Columbus: Ohio Department of Transportation. OCLC 5673562, 13619272. Retrieved October 25, 2013.

External links

Template:Attached KML/Ohio State Route 261

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• Media related to Ohio State Route 261 at Wikimedia Commons