# Ohio State Route 4

State Route 4 (SR 4), formerly known as Inter-county Highway 4 until 1921 and State Highway 4 in 1922, is a major north–south state highway in Ohio. It is the fifth longest state route in Ohio. Its southern terminus is at U.S. Route 42 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 6 in Sandusky, Ohio. Its path is nearly ruler-straight for many miles. Some portions of the route are still marked as Dixie Highway. The northern portion was constructed by the Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike Company, see Turnpike Lands.

## Route description

The portion from Cincinnati to Dayton primarily consists of arterial roads. State Route 4 begins at an intersection with U.S. Route 42 in the North Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati. Initially called Paddock Road, it runs concurrently with Vine Street in northern Cincinnati, and then Springfield Pike as it passes through suburban northern Hamilton County. Upon crossing into Butler County, it curves to the west to pass near the downtowns of Fairfield and Hamilton, while Route 4 Bypass takes a more direct route.
The portion of SR 4 between High Street (SR 129) and North Fair Avenue in Hamilton is designated as the "Firefighter/Paramedic Patrick Wolterman Memorial Highway", in honor of a firefighter/paramedic for that city who died December 28, 2015, while battling an intentionally-set house fire. The two men who started the blaze were convicted of murder and arson in November 2017 and sentenced to life in prison. This portion of SR 4 passes by Wolterman's fire station.
From Hamilton to Dayton, the road roughly follows the Great Miami River. It turns northeast to run through downtown Middletown, and then crosses the river. Shortly after entering Dayton, it becomes concurrent with the U.S. Route 35 freeway and then Interstate 75. Route 4 then splits off as a freeway paralleling the Mad River. It then joins Interstate 70, with which it runs concurrently for over three miles. The route splits as a freeway again, until it becomes a one-way pair of surface streets in downtown Springfield.
North of Springfield, the route is primarily a two-lane rural highway until its end in Sandusky. It travels through downtown Mechanicsburg and Milford Center, but bypasses downtown Marysville. It then travels through the downtowns of Marion and Bucyrus, crossing the St. Lawrence River Divide in the latter. It finally heads northeast to Sandusky, where it ends.

## History

In 1912 the Route ran from Sandusky to Columbus. In 1924 the Route extended south from Columbus on former SH 5, following current US 23 alignment from Portsmouth to Waldo, and current SR 423 from Waldo to Marion. In 1926, alignment from Portsmouth to Marion certified as US 23; SR 4 realigned south of Marion to its current southern terminus in Cincinnati, replacing the former SR 6 from Cincinnati to Middletown, the former SR 52 from Middletown to 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Milford Center, and the former SR 38 from Marysville to Marion.
In 1959 alignment from Dayton to Springfield rerouted and upgraded to freeway; segment through Fairborn around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base designated as SR 444. In 1967 the segment from SR 201 to SR 444 upgraded to freeway. In 2011 the Dayton segment was rerouted via I-75. In 2021 the Dayton segment rerouted from Germantown Pike to Gettysburg Avenue interchange with US 35.

## Future
### Huber Heights safety improvements

The intersection of SR 4 and New Carlisle Pike/Lower Valley Pike in Huber Heights, between SR 235/Chambersburg Road and Interstate 70, has had at least 15 accidents between 2012 and August 2018, resulting in three fatalities and 20 injuries. The intersection, which is uncontrolled, is along a high-speed portion of SR 4 that is near-expressway in character; additionally, the median is not wide enough to allow longer vehicles such as tractor-trailers to wait there safely before making a left turn (north) from New Carlisle Pike onto SR 4. Fixes for the problem intersection, all rejected, included adding lights and signage; closing the intersection; adding a traffic light; constructing a roundabout; adding an overpass; requiring traffic from New Carlisle Pike to northbound SR 4 to instead travel southbound to the SR 235/Chambersburg Road interchange, exit and re-enter northbound; and rerouting New Carlisle Pike to Chambersburg Road. At the August 6, 2018 Huber Heights city council meeting, an engineering firm hired by the city, working in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), proposed two alternatives. The first, a restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT) (also known as a superstreet), would prohibit left turns from New Carlisle Pike or Lower Valley Pike, and cross-traffic between the two; those movements would be accomplished via right turns onto SR 4, followed by designated median U-turns. Left turns from SR 4 to New Carlisle Pike and Lower Valley Pike would still be permitted. This alternative has an estimated cost of $1 million, with ODOT paying 80% of the cost and the city paying 20%. The second alternative, sometimes called a "basic RCUT", is similar to the first alternative, but would additionally prohibit left turns from SR 4 to New Carlisle Pike and Lower Valley Pike; those movements would be accomplished via median U-turns, followed by right turns. This alternative's estimated cost is $701,000, using the same 80%/20% cost split. A superstreet already exists along the SR 4 Bypass in nearby Butler County.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
| Hamilton | Cincinnati | 0.00 | 0.00 | | US 42 (Reading Road) | |
| Hamilton | Cincinnati | 1.20 | 1.93 | | SR 562 (Norwood Lateral Expressway) | SR 562 exit 1 |
| Hamilton | Cincinnati | 2.49 | 4.01 | | SR 561 east (E. Seymour Avenue) | |
| Hamilton | Cincinnati | 2.66 | 4.28 | | I-75 (Mill Creek Expressway) – Dayton | I-75 exit 9 |
| Hamilton | Glendale | 7.54 | 12.13 | | SR 747 north (Congress Avenue) | |
| Hamilton | Springdale | 9.94 | 16.00 | | I-275 – Dayton, Indianapolis | I-275 exit 41 |
| Butler | Fairfield | 12.41 | 19.97 | | SR 4 Byp. north / Ross Road | Southern end of bypass route |
| Butler | Hamilton | 18.46 | 29.71 | | SR 129 (High Street) | |
| Butler | Fairfield Township | 21.24 | 34.18 | | SR 4 Byp. south | Northern end of bypass route |
| Butler | Liberty Township | 24.31 | 39.12 | | SR 747 south – Springdale | |
| Butler | Lemon Township | 26.13 | 42.05 | — | SR 63 east – Monroe, Lebanon | Interchange |
| Butler | Lemon Township | 28.71 | 46.20 | — | SR 73 west – Trenton, Oxford | Southern end of SR 73 overlap |
| Butler | Middletown | 31.19 | 50.20 | | SR 122 west (Second Avenue) | Southern end of SR 122 overlap |
| Butler | Middletown | 31.25 | 50.29 | | SR 122 east (First Avenue) | Northern end of SR 122 overlap |
| Butler | Middletown | 32.75 | 52.71 | | SR 73 east (N. Verity Parkway) | Northern end of SR 73 overlap |
| Montgomery | German Township | 38.99 | 62.75 | | SR 123 south – Carlisle, Franklin | |
| Montgomery | Germantown | 39.93 | 64.26 | | SR 725 west – Germantown, Gratis | Southern end of SR 725 overlap |
| Montgomery | Germantown | 41.48 | 66.76 | | SR 725 east – Miamisburg | Northern end of SR 725 overlap |
| Montgomery | Dayton | 49.84 | 80.21 | — | US 35 west – Eaton | Interchange; southern end of US 35 overlap |
| Montgomery | Dayton | 51.56 | 82.98 | — | James H. McGee Boulevard | |
| Montgomery | Dayton | 52.63 | 84.70 | 52 | I-75 south / US 35 east – Xenia, Cincinnati | Northern end of US 35 overlap; southern end of I-75 overlap; SR 4 north merges onto I-75 north; exit 52 on I-75 |
| Montgomery | Dayton | 53.13– 53.48 | 85.50– 86.07 | 53 | Third Street / Second Street / Salem Avenue / First Street | |
| Montgomery | Dayton | 54.34 | 87.45 | 54A | SR 48 (Main Street) / Grand Avenue | |
| Montgomery | Dayton | 54.29– 54.93 | 87.37– 88.40 | 54B | I-75 north – Toledo | Northern end of I-75 overlap; SR 4 north departs I-75 north; SR 4 south merges onto I-75 south; exit 54B on I-75 |
| Montgomery | Dayton | 54.97 | 88.47 | — | Webster Street / Keowee Street north | Northbound exit and southbound entrance only |
| Montgomery | Dayton | 55.21 | 88.85 | — | Keowee Street south | Southbound exit and northbound entrance only |
| Montgomery | Dayton | 55.45– 55.53 | 89.24– 89.37 | — | SR 201 (Valley Street) / SR 202 (Troy Street) | |
| Montgomery | Dayton | 56.38 | 90.73 | — | Stanley Avenue / Findlay Street | |
| Montgomery | Dayton | 58.46 | 94.08 | — | Harshman Road | |
| Montgomery | Dayton | 59.95 | 96.48 | — | SR 444 north / Valley Street – Fairborn | |
| Montgomery | Huber Heights | 64.04 | 103.06 | — | SR 235 south (Chambersburg Road) | Southern end of SR 235 overlap |
| Montgomery | Huber Heights | 65.40 | 105.25 | 41 | I-70 west / SR 235 north – New Carlisle, Indianapolis | Northern end of SR 235 overlap; southern end of I-70 overlap; SR 4 north merges onto I-70 east; roadway continues as SR 235 north; exit 41 on I-70 |
| Clark | Mad River Township | 68.51 | 110.26 | 44 | I-675 south / Spangler Road – Medway, Cincinnati | Northern end of I-675; I-675 exit 26 |
| Clark | Mad River Township | 70.86 | 114.04 | 47 | I-70 east – Columbus | Northern end of I-70 overlap; exit 47 eastbound and exit 48 westbound (via Enon Road) on I-70 |
| Clark | Bethel Township | 72.30 | 116.36 | 7 | Enon, Donnelsville | |
| Clark | Bethel Township | 73.99 | 119.08 | 9 | SR 369 north (Lower Valley Pike) | |
| Clark | Springfield Township | 76.43 | 123.00 | - | Lower Valley Pike | Southbound exit and northbound entrance only |
| Clark | Springfield Township | 76.74 | 123.50 | - | US 40 west – Donnelsville | Southbound exit and northbound entrance only |
| Clark | Springfield Township | 77.16 | 124.18 | - | US 68 – Xenia, Urbana | Interchange |
| Clark | Springfield | 79.19 | 127.44 | | SR 41 north to SR 72 (Yellow Springs Road) | Southern end of SR 41 overlap |
| Clark | Springfield | 79.86 | 128.52 | | SR 72 (Spring Street) | No access from northbound lanes |
| Clark | Springfield | 80.15 | 128.99 | | US 40 east / SR 41 south | Northern end of US 40 and SR 41 overlaps |
| Clark | Moorefield Township | 85.06 | 136.89 | | SR 334 west | Eastern end of SR 334 |
| Champaign | Union Township | 91.61 | 147.43 | | SR 54 – Catawba, Urbana | |
| Champaign | Union Township | 94.55 | 152.16 | | SR 56 | |
| Champaign | Mechanicsburg | 97.72 | 157.27 | | SR 29 / SR 559 north (Main Street) | |
| Champaign | Goshen Township | 101.69 | 163.65 | | SR 161 west | Southern end of SR 161 overlap |
| Union | Union Township | 103.12 | 165.96 | | SR 161 east – Plain City | Northern end of SR 161 overlap |
| Union | Union Township | 105.06 | 169.08 | | US 36 west – Urbana | Southern end of US 36 overlap |
| Union | Paris Township | 112.95 | 181.78 | | US 33 west – Bellefontaine | Southern end of US 33 overlap |
| Union | Paris Township | 113.29 | 182.32 | — | SR 245 west | Eastern end of SR 245 |
| Union | Marysville | 114.85 | 184.83 | — | SR 31 – Kenton | |
| Union | Paris Township | 115.34 | 185.62 | | US 33 east / US 36 east – Delaware, Columbus | Northern end of US 33 and US 36 overlaps |
| Union | Leesburg Township | 122.84 | 197.69 | | SR 347 – Raymond, Delaware | |
| Union | Leesburg Township | 125.77 | 202.41 | | SR 37 east – Magnetic Springs | Southern end of SR 37 overlap |
| Union | Claibourne Township | 126.73 | 203.95 | | SR 37 west – Richwood | Northern end of SR 37 overlap |
| Delaware | Thompson Township | 130.67 | 210.29 | | SR 47 west – Richwood | Southern end of SR 47 overlap |
| Marion | Gast Corner | 131.34 | 211.37 | | SR 47 east – Prospect | Northern end of SR 47 overlap |
| Marion | Prospect–Pleasant township line | 134.23 | 216.02 | | SR 203 – Prospect | |
| Marion | Marion | 141.50 | 227.72 | | SR 4 south / SR 423 south (S. Prospect Street) | Directional split begins; northbound traffic follows State Street to Patten Street |
| Marion | Marion | 141.69 | 228.03 | | SR 423 south | Southern end of SR 423 overlap |
| Marion | Marion | 142.06 | 228.62 | | SR 739 north | Eastern end of SR 739; one-way couplet |
| Marion | Marion | 142.24 | 228.91 | | SR 95 east / SR 309 east (Church Street) | One-way couplet |
| Marion | Marion | 142.33 | 229.06 | | SR 95 west / SR 309 west / SR 739 south (Center Street) | One-way couplet |
| Marion | Marion | 143.09 | 230.28 | | SR 4 south / SR 423 south (Klerx Avenue) | Directional split ends; southbound traffic follows Klerx Avenue to Prospect Street |
| Marion | Bellaire Gardens | 144.54 | 232.61 | | SR 423 north | Northern end of SR 423 overlap |
| Marion | Grand Prairie Township | 147.85 | 237.94 | | US 23 – Upper Sandusky, Delaware | |
| Crawford | Dallas Township | 152.82 | 245.94 | | SR 294 – Monnett, Wyandot | |
| Crawford | Bucyrus | 159.65 | 256.93 | | SR 98 south (S. Sandusky Avenue) | Southern end of SR 98 overlap |
| Crawford | Bucyrus | 160.52 | 258.33 | | SR 19 south / SR 100 south (E. Perry Street) | Southern end of SR 19 and SR 100 overlaps |
| Crawford | Bucyrus | 160.72 | 258.65 | | SR 98 north (Plymouth Street) | Northern end of SR 98 overlap |
| Crawford | Holmes Township–Bucyrus municipal line | 161.52 | 259.94 | | US 30 – Upper Sandusky, Mansfield | |
| Crawford | Holmes Township–Bucyrus municipal line | 162.07 | 260.83 | | SR 19 north / SR 100 north | Northern end of SR 19 and SR 100 overlaps |
| Crawford | Chatfield | 170.22 | 273.94 | | SR 103 west – Sycamore | Southern end of SR 103 overlap |
| Crawford | Chatfield Township | 171.29 | 275.66 | | SR 103 east – New Washington | Northern end of SR 103 overlap |
| Seneca | Attica | 178.65 | 287.51 | | US 224 (Tiffin Street) | |
| Seneca | Reed Township | 183.01 | 294.53 | | SR 162 – Republic, North Fairfield | |
| Seneca–Huron county line | Thompson–Sherman township line | 186.64 | 300.37 | | SR 269 north – Bellevue | |
| Huron | Sherman Township | 188.70 | 303.68 | | SR 547 – Monroeville | |
| Huron | Lyme Township | 193.30 | 311.09 | | US 20 / SR 18 – Bellevue, Norwalk | |
| Huron | Lyme Township | 194.66 | 313.27 | | SR 113 – Bellevue, Milan | |
| Erie | Groton Township | 198.76 | 319.87 | | I-80 / Ohio Turnpike – Toledo, Youngstown | Turnpike exit 110 |
| Erie | Groton Township | 199.67 | 321.34 | | SR 99 south – Monroeville | |
| Erie | Perkins Township | 203.42 | 327.37 | | I-90 / SR 2 – Elgin, Cleveland | Exit 111 on I-90 / SR 2 |
| Erie | Sandusky | 207.22 | 333.49 | | US 6 / SR 101 west / LECT (Washington Street) | Northern end of SR 4 and eastern end of SR 101 |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access |||||||

## State Route 4 Bypass

State Route 4 By-Pass (SR 4B or SR 4 Bypass, known locally as Bypass 4) is a 5.97-mile-long (9.61 km) north–south state highway through Butler County in the western part of the state. The route runs from SR 4 in Fairfield to SR 4 in Fairfield Township north of the Hamilton city limits.
SR 4B begins at a single-quadrant roadway intersection with SR 4 (Dixie Highway) and Ross Road in eastern Fairfield. Here, the connector road is located in the northwest quadrant of the intersection. The route travels north as a divided four-lane road first crossing over a CSX railroad and intersecting Port Union Road. The next three intersections SR 4B has (from south to north: Symmes Road, Tylersville Road, and Hamilton–Mason Road) are superstreet intersections. The roadway briefly expands to three lanes in each direction between Symmes Road and Tylersville Road as it crosses over a Norfolk Southern railroad. This segment also features the Fairfield-Hamilton city boundary. After the Hamilton–Mason Road intersection, SR 4B comes to a diamond interchange with SR 129 (Butler County Veterans Highway). North of Princeton Road, the route shrinks to an undivided two-lane road, passes under an overpass carrying Millikin Road, and ends at a signalized intersection with SR 4. The entirety of SR 4B is included as a part of the National Highway System.
SR 4B was constructed in the early 1970s by ODOT to allow for easier travel between Cincinnati and Middletown. In the 1990s, the Butler County Transportation Improvement District (BCTID) was formed to help address traffic congestion along the fully two-lane bypass route. Construction started on the widening of SR 4B in 2010 which included the widening of the road from the southern terminus to SR 129, the widening of three bridges, and the creation of three superstreet and one quadrant roadway intersections. The superstreet intersections were completed in 2011. Construction of the expanded roadway finished in August 2012 on time and on budget, at a cost of $22.8 million. The BCTID is continuing to study the option of widening SR 4B north of SR 129.
SR 4B is the first superstreet corridor in Ohio. As of April 2013, it was reported that the majority of motorists in the area did not approve of the new design, with some avoiding SR 4B entirely.

### Major junctions

The entire route is in Butler County.
| Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| Fairfield | 0.00 | 0.00 | SR 4 (Dixie Highway) / Ross Road | Single-quadrant roadway intersection |
| Fairfield Township | 4.35 | 7.00 | SR 129 (Butler County Veterans Highway) to I-75 – Dayton, Cincinnati, Hamilton | Interchange |
| Fairfield Township | 5.97 | 9.61 | SR 4 (Hamilton–Middletown Road) / Indian Meadows Drive – Hamilton, Middletown | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |||||