I-71 highlighted in red | |||||||
| Route information | |||||||
| Maintained byKYTC andODOT | |||||||
| Length | 345.57 mi[1] (556.14 km) | ||||||
| NHS | Entire route | ||||||
| Restrictions | No hazmats or explosives allowed in theLytle Tunnel, on theBrent Spence Bridge, or (for thru traffic only)inside the Columbus Outerbelt | ||||||
| Major junctions | |||||||
| South end | |||||||
| Major intersections |
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| North end | |||||||
| Location | |||||||
| Country | United States | ||||||
| States | Kentucky,Ohio | ||||||
| Counties | KY:Jefferson,Oldham,Henry,Trimble,Carroll,Gallatin,Boone,Kenton OH:Hamilton,Warren,Clinton,Greene,Fayette,Madison,Pickaway,Franklin,Delaware,Morrow,Richland,Ashland,Wayne,Medina,Cuyahoga | ||||||
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Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north–southInterstate Highway in themidwestern andsoutheastern regions of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange withI-64 andI-65 (theKennedy Interchange) inLouisville, Kentucky, and its northern terminus at an interchange withI-90 inCleveland, Ohio. I-71 runs concurrently withI-75 from a point about 20 miles (32 km) south ofCincinnati, Ohio, intoDowntown Cincinnati. While most odd numbered Interstates run north–south, I-71 takes more of a northeast–southwest course, with some east–west sections, and is mainly a regional route servingKentucky andOhio. It linksI-80 and I-90 toI-70. Major metropolitan areas served by I-71 includeLouisville,Cincinnati,Columbus, andCleveland.
Approximately three-quarters of the route lies east of I-75, leaving I-71 out of place in the Interstate grid.
| mi[1] | km | |
|---|---|---|
| KY | 97.42 | 156.78 |
| OH | 248.15 | 399.36 |
| Total | 345.57 | 556.14 |
This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(May 2008) |



InKentucky, I-71 begins east ofDowntown Louisville at theKennedy Interchange, where it meets I-64 and I-65. This interchange is sometimes called the "Spaghetti Junction". From Louisville, it roughly follows theOhio River in a diagonal path toward Northern Kentucky. Between Louisville and Cincinnati, I-71 is largely a four-lane highway, except for the approach toKentucky Speedway inSparta in which it runs three lanes each way for about two miles (3.2 km).
Near the town ofCarrollton, there are signs marking the location of atragic accident that occurred on May 14, 1988, when a drunk driver was driving north in the southbound lanes and struck a church bus full of children and teenagers, causing the bus's fuel tank to ignite into flames and killing 27 people on board. It is one of the worst bus accidents in state and national history.
After having run 77 miles (124 km) from Louisville, I-71 merges withI-75 nearWalton after which it intersectsI-275, the Cincinnatibeltway. After passing throughCovington, the freeway crosses theOhio River via the lower level of theBrent Spence Bridge (while the southbound direction uses the upper level) and continues into Cincinnati.

InCincinnati, it splits immediately from I-75 and heads due east ontoFort Washington Way, where it continues through Downtown Cincinnaticoncurrently withU.S. Route 50 (US 50) for less than one mile (1.6 km). Just east of downtown, US 50 splits from I-71 and continues east; I-71 bends north and receivesI-471, a spur from southeast of the city. I-71 then heads in a general northeast direction through theLytle Tunnel and urban Cincinnati and into its surrounding suburbs. After another interchange with theI-275 beltway, the freeway leaves the metropolitan area and heads towardColumbus. It continues northeast until it reachesSouth Lebanon, where it begins cutting east across the flat plains of southwest Ohio. The freeway crosses theLittle Miami River on theJeremiah Morrow Bridge, which is a concretebox girder bridge and the tallest bridge in Ohio, at 239 feet (73 m) above the river. I-71 heads toward Columbus then intersects with the bypassI-270 before heading north into urban Columbus, where it intersects withI-70. About a mile (1.6 km) north of the I-70 junction, it intersects withI-670. After another interchange with the I-270 bypass, the highway exits Columbus and continues north until nearDelaware, where it again turns northeast. Beginning its path toCleveland, I-71 enters the rolling farm country on the edges of theAllegheny Plateau. It continues in this fashion toLodi–Westfield Center and its junction withI-76, which provides access toAkron and points east. Heading north toMedina, it meets the terminus ofI-271. The highway then continues north into urbanCuyahoga County and Cleveland's suburbs, intersecting theOhio Turnpike/I-80. PassingCleveland Hopkins International Airport, I-71 meetsI-480 and enters Cleveland's west side, continuing on to downtown. It junctions withState Route 176 (SR 176) and terminates atI-90 on theInnerbelt.
The first section of I-71 in Louisville opened in December 1966 between its terminus at Spaghetti Junction and Zorn Avenue, its first exit. Its junction withI-264 opened in July 1968, and the complete Kentucky portion of the Interstate was opened to the public in July 1969. At that point, it replacedUS 42 as the primary link between Cincinnati and Louisville.[2]
Much of I-71 in Ohio was intended to beSR 1. SR 1 was originally planned in the 1950s as a secondOhio Turnpike extending southwest to northeast across the state. It was planned to run from Cincinnati toConneaut and connect with an extension built across the panhandle ofPennsylvania to theNew York State Thruway. As the highway was being planned, theFederal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 was enacted, and the project was converted from a toll road to a freeway. It was designated as SR 1, since the Interstate Highway numbering system had not yet been implemented. Portions of the freeway began to be completed and opened in 1959 with the new Interstate Highway funding, and they were marked as SR 1 as well as with their new Interstate Highway number. Since large gaps existed along the corridor where no freeway had yet been completed, existing two-lane or four-lane highways were also designated as SR 1 in order to complete the route. The SR 1 signage was removed in 1966 as the Interstate Highway numbers adequately marked the route by then and the state highway numbering was superfluous.
In Columbus, the portion of I-71 that bounds Worthington's eastern edge was originally called the North Freeway. Costing $13.8 million (equivalent to $109 million in 2024[3]), it was constructed south fromSR 161, arriving at 11th Avenue by August 1961. It took another year to construct the portion between 11th and 5th avenues, mainly due to the need to construct a massive underpass under thePennsylvania Railroad's Grogan Yard. Today, only two tracks cross the viaduct, and the rest of the structure supports a large, weedy field. By August 1962, the freeway had reached Fifth Avenue, and it reached downtown in November 1962.
I-71 was originally planned to follow the Innerbelt Freeway northward from its current northern terminus to theCleveland Memorial Shoreway atDead Man's Curve when I-90 was planned to continue westward from there along the Shoreway.[4]
Upon its completion, I-71 replacedSR 3 as the primary highway link between Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland.
For more than 30 years as of 2025[update], there has been discussion about building an interchange at Boston Road on the border ofBrunswick inMedina County andStrongsville inCuyahoga County between theSR 303 andSR 82 interchanges.[5]
Between 2004 and 2006, the interchange at milepost 121 in the far northern reaches of Columbus was reconstructed to allow access to the eastern extension of Gemini Place.[6] Before that, it was a simplediamond interchange withSR 750 (Polaris Parkway).
In 1999, the state of Ohio began a 10-year, $500-million (equivalent to $883 million in 2024[3]) project to improve I-71 between Columbus and Cleveland. The plans did not include widening the 25-mile (40 km) stretch inDelaware andMorrow counties, calling for patching that section instead. At that time, state transportation officials said they did not plan to widen that section for two reasons: traffic studies did not support the widening and there was no money for the project.[7] ButOhio Department of Transportation (ODOT) officials eventually gave in under pressure from elected officials and business owners to widen the remaining 25-mile (40 km) stretch of I-71 from just north of theUS 36/SR 37 interchange in Delaware County to the Morrow–Richland county line.[8] The reconstruction and widening on the last 25-mile (40 km) stretch of I-71 in Delaware and Morrow counties began in early 2012, and the work was completed in mid-2015 at a cost of $144 million (equivalent to $186 million in 2024[3]).[8]
| State | County | Location | mi[9][10] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | Jefferson | Louisville | 0.000 | 0.000 | Southern terminus; I-65 exit 137 | |||
| 136C | Jefferson Street –Downtown | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; exit number follows I-65 | ||||||
| 1 | Signed as exits 1A (I-64) and 1B (I-65) southbound; no exit numbers northbound; I-64 exit 6; I-65 exit 137 | |||||||
| — | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-64 exit 5A | |||||||
| 1.724 | 2.775 | 2 | Zorn Avenue | |||||
| 4.966 | 7.992 | 5 | I-264 exit 23 | |||||
| 9.063 | 14.585 | 9 | Signed as exits 9A (south) and 9B (north); I-265 exit 35 | |||||
| Oldham | | 14.488 | 23.316 | 14 | ||||
| | 17.478 | 28.128 | 17 | |||||
| | 18.507 | 29.784 | 18 | |||||
| La Grange | 20.6 | 33.2 | 21 | Under construction; planned completion in 2024.[11][12] | ||||
| 21.869 | 35.195 | 22 | ||||||
| Henry | Pendleton | 27.840 | 44.804 | 28 | ||||
| Campbellsburg | 33.505 | 53.921 | 34 | |||||
| Trimble | No major junctions | |||||||
| Carroll | | 42.802 | 68.883 | 43 | ||||
| | 44.312 | 71.313 | 44 | |||||
| Gallatin | | 54.980 | 88.482 | 55 | ServesKentucky Speedway | |||
| | 56.673 | 91.206 | 57 | |||||
| Glencoe | 61.774 | 99.416 | 62 | |||||
| Boone | | 72.195 | 116.187 | 72 | ||||
| | 77.724 | 125.085 | 77 | Southern end of I-75 overlap; exit numbers switch to follow I-75's mileposts, I-75 exit 173 | ||||
| | 79.556 | 128.033 | 175 | |||||
| Florence | 82.275 | 132.409 | 178 | |||||
| 84.298 | 135.664 | 180 | ||||||
| 84.694 | 136.302 | 180A | Mall Road | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; servesFlorence Mall; formerKY 3157 | ||||
| 85.449 | 137.517 | 181 | ||||||
| 86.652 | 139.453 | 182 | ||||||
| Kenton | Erlanger | 87.967 | 141.569 | 184 | Signed as exits 184A (east) and 184B (west) southbound | |||
| 88.900 | 143.071 | 185 | I-275 exit 84 | |||||
| Fort Mitchell | 90.539 | 145.708 | 186 | |||||
| 91.913 | 147.920 | 188 | ||||||
| Fort Wright | 92.870 | 149.460 | 189 | |||||
| Covington | 94.707– 94.858 | 152.416– 152.659 | 191 | 12th Street (KY 1120), Pike Street (US 25 /US 42 /US 127) –Covington | ||||
| 95.414– 95.507 | 153.554– 153.704 | 192 | 5th Street (KY 8) –Covington,Newport | |||||
| Ohio River | 97.42 0.00 | 156.78 0.00 | Brent Spence Bridge Kentucky–Ohio line | |||||
| Ohio | Hamilton | Cincinnati | 0.22– 0.50 | 0.35– 0.80 | — | Northern end of I-75 overlap; southern end of US 50 overlap | ||
| 1B | Second Street –Downtown,Riverfront | Exit unnumbered until 2018 | ||||||
| 1.11 | 1.79 | — | Northern end of US 50 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||||
| Lytle Tunnel Sharp turn (40 mph or 64 km/h) in both directions | ||||||||
| 1.99 | 3.20 | 1A | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; exit unnumbered until 2018 | |||||
| 2.33– 2.48 | 3.75– 3.99 | 2 | Split into exit 2A (US 42) and 2B (Gilbert/8th) southbound; Gilbert Ave./8th St. not signed northbound, Eden Park Dr. not signed southbound | |||||
| 3.33– 4.3 | 5.36– 6.9 | McMillan Street | Northbound entrance only | |||||
| 3A | William Howard Taft Road | Southbound exit only | ||||||
| 3B | Signed as exit 3 northbound | |||||||
| 4.46– 6.03 | 7.18– 9.70 | 5 | Dana Avenue / Montgomery Road (US 22 /SR 3) | |||||
| Norwood | 6.75– 6.96 | 10.86– 11.20 | 6 | |||||
| Cincinnati | 8.04 | 12.94 | 8A | Ridge Avenue | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| 8B | Signed as exit 7 southbound | |||||||
| Columbia Township | 8.51 | 13.70 | 8C | Kennedy Avenue | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| 8.75 | 14.08 | 8 | Kennedy Avenue, Ridge Avenue | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||
| 9.91– 9.92 | 15.95– 15.96 | 9 | Red Bank Road –Fairfax | |||||
| Silverton | 10.68 | 17.19 | 10 | Stewart Road | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| Sycamore Township | 11.81 | 19.01 | 11 | Kenwood Road | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| 12.44 | 20.02 | 12 | ||||||
| Montgomery | 14.13 | 22.74 | 14 | |||||
| 15.80 | 25.43 | 15 | Pfeiffer Road | |||||
| 17.51– 17.54 | 28.18– 28.23 | 17 | I-275 exit 49; signed as exits 17A (east) & 17B (west) southbound | |||||
| Hamilton–Warren county line | Symmes–Deerfield township line | 19.88– 19.97 | 31.99– 32.14 | 19 | Mason Montgomery Road / Fields Ertel Road | |||
| Warren | Mason | 23.53 | 37.87 | 24 | Western Row Road / Kings Island Drive / Innovation Way –Kings Island | Signed as Western Row Road and Kings Island Drive northbound and Western Row Road and Innovation Way southbound; originally constructed as northbound exit and southbound entrance only but expanded to a full interchange in 2019[13] | ||
| 25.30 | 40.72 | 25 | ||||||
| Lebanon–South Lebanon city line | 28.33 | 45.59 | 28 | |||||
| Turtlecreek Township | 32.56 | 52.40 | 32 | |||||
| Washington Township | 36.74 | 59.13 | 36 | Wilmington Road | ||||
| Clinton | Chester Township | 45.11 | 72.60 | 45 | ||||
| Liberty Township | 50.74– 50.75 | 81.66– 81.67 | 50 | |||||
| Greene | Jefferson Township | 58.01 | 93.36 | 58 | ||||
| Fayette | Octa | 65.33 | 105.14 | 65 | ||||
| Jeffersonville | 69.49 | 111.83 | 69 | |||||
| Paint Township | 75.03 | 120.75 | 75 | |||||
| Madison | Pleasant Township | 84.27 | 135.62 | 84 | ||||
| Pickaway | No major junctions | |||||||
| Franklin | Pleasant Township | 94.15 | 151.52 | 94 | ||||
| Jackson Township | 97.16 | 156.36 | 97 | Interchange fully opened August 17, 2012[14] | ||||
| Grove City | 98.85 | 159.08 | 99 | Hoover Road –Grove City | Proposed | |||
| 100.60 | 161.90 | 100 | Stringtown Road –Grove City | |||||
| Jackson Township | 101.68 | 163.64 | 101 | Signed northbound as exit 100, southbound as exit 101; I-270 exit 55 | ||||
| Columbus | 103.86 | 167.15 | 104 | |||||
| 105.43 | 169.67 | 105 | Greenlawn Avenue | |||||
| 106.33 | 171.12 | 106A | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-70 exit 99A | |||||
| 106B | No exit number southbound; I-70 exit 99B | |||||||
| — | Southern end of I-70 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance; I-70 exit 99A; exit numbers switch to follow I-70's mileposts | |||||||
| 100 | New interchange that replaces exits 100A-B; has no southbound exit | |||||||
| 107.07– 107.17 | 172.31– 172.47 | 100A | Closed after opening of new exit 100; had no northbound entrance; southbound exit was via exit 100B | |||||
| 107.41 | 172.86 | 100B | Closed after opening of new exit 100 | |||||
| 107.90– 108.10 | 173.65– 173.97 | 101B | Parsons Avenue | Northbound exit only | ||||
| 107 | Northern end of I-70 overlap; I-70 exit 101A ; left exit southbound | |||||||
| 108.20 | 174.13 | 108A | Main Street | No northbound exit | ||||
| 108.63 | 174.82 | 108B | Southbound entrance and northbound exit | |||||
| 109.16 | 175.68 | 109A | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-670 exit 5; northbound off-ramp to I-670 east includes direct ramp onto Leonard Avenue | |||||
| 108.93 | 175.31 | 109B | Spring Street –Downtown | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||
| 109.61 | 176.40 | 109A | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; I-670 exit 5 | |||||
| 110.16 | 177.29 | 110A | Fifth Avenue | No northbound exit | ||||
| 110.68 | 178.12 | 110B | Access to Linden Primary Care Center | |||||
| 111.15 | 178.88 | 111 | 17th Avenue | Access to the Ohio State Fairgrounds & Expo Center and Ohio History Center | ||||
| 112.33 | 180.78 | 112 | Hudson Street | |||||
| 112.98 | 181.82 | 113 | Weber Road | |||||
| 113.46 | 182.60 | 114 | North Broadway | Access toRiverside Methodist Hospital | ||||
| 114.53 | 184.32 | 115 | Cooke Road (Indianola Avenue) | |||||
| 115.58 | 186.01 | 116 | Morse Road / Sinclair Road | |||||
| 117.53 | 189.15 | 117 | ||||||
| 119.21– 119.23 | 191.85– 191.88 | 119 | Signed as exits 119A (east) and 119B (west) southbound; I-270 exit 26 | |||||
| Franklin–Delaware county line | 121.45– 121.92 | 195.45– 196.21 | 121 | Eastern terminus of SR 750; access to Polaris Shopping Center | ||||
| Delaware | Orange Township | 124 | 200 | 124 | Big Walnut Road | Future interchange[15][16] | ||
| Berkshire Township | 129 | Sunbury Parkway | Future interchange[16] | |||||
| 130.64 | 210.24 | 131 | ||||||
| Morrow | Bennington Township | 140.15 | 225.55 | 140 | ||||
| Chester–Franklin township line | 151.09 | 243.16 | 151 | |||||
| Richland | Washington Township–Bellville village line | 165.25 | 265.94 | 165 | ||||
| Washington Township–Mansfield city line | 168.81 | 271.67 | 169 | |||||
| Madison Township | 172.97 | 278.37 | 173 | |||||
| Mifflin Township | 176.91 | 284.71 | 176 | Indirect southbound access to eastbound US 30 and from westbound US 30 to northbound I-71 via Crider and Koogle roads | ||||
| Ashland | Montgomery Township | 186.71 | 300.48 | 186 | ||||
| Wayne | Congress Township | 196.31 | 315.93 | 196 | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| 197.92 | 318.52 | 198 | ||||||
| Medina | Harrisville Township | 203.89 | 328.13 | 204 | ||||
| Westfield Township | 209.51 | 337.17 | 209 | Signed as exits 209A (I-76/US 224 east) and 209B (US 224 west); western terminus of I-76 (Ohio), exit 1 | ||||
| Medina Township | 218.86 | 352.22 | 218 | |||||
| 220.71 | 355.20 | 220 | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||||
| 222.91 | 358.74 | 222 | ||||||
| Brunswick | 226.03 | 363.76 | 226 | |||||
| Cuyahoga | Strongsville | 231.26 | 372.18 | 231 | Signed as exits 231A (east) and 231B (west) southbound | |||
| 233.06 | 375.07 | 233 | I-80/Ohio Turnpike exit 161 | |||||
| Middleburg Heights | 234.21 | 376.92 | 234 | |||||
| 235.37 | 378.79 | 235 | Bagley Road –Berea,Middleburg Heights | |||||
| Brook Park | 237.53 | 382.27 | 237 | Signed as exits 237A (east) and 237B (west, Engle) southbound | ||||
| Brook Park–Cleveland line | 238.77 | 384.26 | 238 | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-480 exit 11 | ||||
| Cleveland | 239.26 | 385.05 | 239 | Southbound left exit and northbound left entrance | ||||
| 240.57 | 387.16 | 240 | W. 150th Street | |||||
| 241.85 | 389.22 | 242A | W. 130th Street | Signed as exit 242 southbound | ||||
| Cleveland–Linndale line | 242.41 | 390.12 | 242B | Bellaire Road | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| Cleveland | 244.5 | 393.5 | 244 | Denison Avenue / W. 65th Street | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| 245.48– 246.20 | 395.06– 396.22 | 245 | ||||||
| 246.6 | 396.9 | 246 | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||||
| 246.98– 247.56 | 397.48– 398.41 | 247 | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-90 exit 170B; I-490 exit 1A | |||||
| 247.81– 248.15 | 398.81– 399.36 | Northern terminus; I-90 exit 170B | ||||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| ||||||||
I-71 has two auxiliary routes inGreater Cleveland and theCincinnati metropolitan area.I-471 links Downtown Cincinnati withI-275.I-271 provides access to Cleveland's eastern suburbs and enables travelers on I-71 to access I-90 east without going through Cleveland proper.
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