 U.S. Route 23 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 23 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Length | 1,435.17 mi[1] (2,309.68 km) | |||
| Existed | 1926[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |   US 1 /US 17 inJacksonville, FL | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| North end |  I-75 atMackinaw City, MI | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| States | Florida,Georgia,North Carolina,Tennessee,Virginia,Kentucky,Ohio,Michigan | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
U.S. Route 23 orU.S. Highway 23 (US 23) is a major north–southUnited States Numbered Highway betweenJacksonville, Florida, andMackinaw City, Michigan. It is an original 1926 route which originally reached only as far south asPortsmouth, Ohio, and has since been extended. It was formerly part of the major highway known as theDixie Highway. The highway's southern terminus is in Jacksonville, Florida, atUS 1/US 17. The northern terminus is atInterstate 75 (I-75) in Mackinaw City, Michigan.
| mi[1] | km | |
|---|---|---|
| FL | 37.67 | 60.62 |
| GA | 391.69 | 630.36 |
| NC | 109.22 | 175.77 |
| TN | 57.48 | 92.51 |
| VA | 60.91 | 98.03 |
| KY | 157.76 | 253.89 |
| OH | 234.86 | 377.97[3] |
| MI | 364.92 | 587.28 |
| Total | 1,435.17 | 2,309.68 |
US 23 begins atUS 1 (Main Street) at the northern end of downtownJacksonville, starting as aone-way pair, with the northbound lanes meeting withFlorida State College at Jacksonville. It is also unsigned State Road 139 (SR 139) from its southern terminus to its interchange with US 1 in northwestern Jacksonville (SR 139 continues east alongSR 10A from the end of US 23 toSR 115). West of I-95, US 23 ends the one-way pair, continuing as Kings Road through northwestern Jacksonville, as an off-grid road. A few miles to the west, US 23 meets with US 1/SR 15 (Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway), becoming concurrent with the highway through the rest of its journey through Florida. The road continues northwest, intersecting withI-295 and eventually makes its way out of Jacksonville. AtCallahan, US 1/US 23 meets withUS 301, beginning a three-way concurrency as the road continues northward toward theSt. Marys River, leaving Florida and entering Georgia.
In Georgia, US 23 enters from Florida running concurrently with US 1 and US 301 just south ofFolkston. WithinHomeland, US 301 branches off and US 23 continues northwesterly with US 1 as a divided four-lane highway towardWaycross where it intersectsUS 82. US 23 splits from US 1 seven miles (11 km) north ofAlma and continues toHazlehurst as a two-lane highway.
In Hazlehurst, US 23 intersectsUS 221 and begins running concurrently withUS 341, a divided four-lane highway designated the Golden Isles Parkway. Continuing intoMcRae the highway intersectsUS 280,US 319, andUS 441. InEastman, US 23 leaves US 341 to intersectI-16 nearMacon.
US 23 is two lanes from Eastman to the community ofEmpire, then five lanes with a center turning lane to theCochran bypass, which is two lanes. In Cochran, US 23 runs concurrently withUS 129 Alternate (US 129 Alt.). North of Cochran, it is undivided four lanes for 13 miles (21 km) to the junction withState Route 96 (SR 96) inTarversville, then two lanes for the next 24 miles (39 km) to the junction with I-16 near Macon near old Camp Wheeler. North of I-16, US 23, known as Ocmulgee East Boulevard, turns on Emery Highway and then turns onto Spring Street before crossing under I-75 and theOcmulgee River. After the river, US 23 turns onto Riverside Drive, then parallels the Ocmulgee River and I-75,US 41, andUS 80, and leaves US 129 Alt. US 23 then crosses I-75 again and continues toJackson.
InHenry County, US 23 continues north concurrently withSR 42. US 23 follows Moreland Avenue concurrently with SR 42 inClayton County andMetro Atlanta, running for several miles in a perfectly straight and due north–south line, which is also theFulton–DeKalb county line. The highway then turns onto Ponce de Leon Avenue, splitting from SR 42, to followUS 29,US 78, andUS 278. Farther along, US 23 turns onto Clairemont Avenue and onto Buford Highway to leave Metro Atlanta. InBuford, US 23 turns right ontoSR 20, then ontoI-985. The highway intersectsUS 129 inGainesville. At the end of I-985, US 23 then continues concurrently withSR 365 north.
US 23 intersectsUS 123 inCornelia and begins following US 441. InClayton, the highway then intersectsUS 76.
Though US 23 roughly parallelsI-75 from Macon toAtlanta, and the two routes come within a few miles in Atlanta, US 23 only intersects with I-75 at the Riverside Drive exit in Macon. It crosses back over I-75 a few miles south. This is the only place that US 23 runs west of I-75 until many miles to the north, inPerrysburg, Ohio, (nearToledo).
The highway runs concurrent withUS 441 between the Georgia state line andDillsboro, then withUS 74 throughWaynesville as theGreat Smoky Mountains Expressway, followed byUS 19 through Canton andEnka–Candler. West ofAsheville, the highway followsI-26 to the Tennessee state line.
US 23 runs concurrently with the newly upgraded I-26 from the North Carolina state line pastJohnson City andKingsport. Just west of Kingsport, I-26 stops at the junction withUS 11W, and US 23 continues to run north to the Virginia state line.
US 23 extends for 61 miles (98 km) through farSouthwest Virginia with the southern point beginning atWeber City and the northern point ending atPound. It runs concurrent withUS 58 andUS 421 fromGate City toDuffield. It crosses theClinch River nearClinchport. From Duffield toBig Stone Gap, it passes through theGeorge Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The entire route is a four-lane divided highway. The stretch of highway is known asThe Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail and is a symbol of the highway's importance to country music.
US 23 passes by the following towns, cities, and counties in Virginia as well: Gate City inScott County;Norton (anindependent city); and Big Stone Gap and Pound inWise County.
US 23 is known as the "Country Music Highway" as it enters Kentucky from Virginia after crossingPound Gap nearWhitesburg.Loretta Lynn,Dwight Yoakam,Billy Ray Cyrus,Patty Loveless,Crystal Gayle,Chris Stapleton,Hylo Brown, and more are all noted along US 23's path through Kentucky.[4] US 23 combines withUS 119 nearPikeville and continues northward. Just south of Pikeville, it joinsUS 460 andKentucky Route 80 (KY 80). It then passes through thePikeville Cut-Through and US 119 diverges from the route nearCoal Run Village. KY 80 splits to the south from US 23 nearPrestonsburg, and US 460 splits to the west inPaintsville. US 23 then passes through the outer edge ofLouisa and intersectsI-64 inCatlettsburg. The highway also begins to run concurrently with US 60 from Catlettsburg toAshland.
In Ashland, US 23 follows Winchester Avenue and then Greenup Avenue through downtown. Winchester Avenue continues north from 33rd Street asUS 23 Business (US 23 Bus.) until rejoining US 23 at 6th Street. From here, US 23 passes the Ashland Town Center Mall and the Melody Mountain shopping district before exiting the city limits. Continuing north nearBellefonte, the highway passesAK Steel's Ashland Works then entersGreenup County. It passes several shopping centers and downtownRussell and then briefly entersFlatwoods before enteringRaceland along the southern banks of theOhio River. After passing through the cities ofWurtland,Greenup, andSouth Shore, the highway crosses the Ohio River atSouth Portsmouth and entersOhio atPortsmouth.
Since 1999, the entire Kentucky portion is a four-lane divided highway; in some of the larger cities, there are additional traffic lanes present in both directions. In northeastern Kentucky, from the I-64 junction north into Ohio, some sections are four-lanes undivided, with a double yellow line instead of a median. These are the oldest four-lane sections of US 23 in Kentucky which were upgraded in 1950s and 1960s before divided highways became the design standard. They can be found on US 23 in the cities of Catlettsburg, Ashland, and Russell.
The majority of US 23 in Ohio is a divided expressway, with the exception of downtownColumbus and the portion of the route betweenCarey andUS 20 east ofPerrysburg.
US 23 crosses theOhio River fromKentucky, entersPortsmouth, and passes through the towns ofLucasville,Piketon,Waverly,Chillicothe, andCircleville, before reaching Columbus. The highway then mostly follows High Street in Columbus, which was the original route. However, it now bypasses the central business district and northern Columbus neighborhoods by following theone-way pairing of 4th Street (northbound) and 3rd/Summit Street (southbound) between the downtown area and Hudson Street, and Indianola Avenue north before returning to its original course on High Street at Morse Road. US 23 then follows High Street northbound from Columbus, going throughWorthington, passing the village ofLewis Center, enteringDelaware at the Cheshire Road intersection. After US 23 intersects the northern terminus ofState Route 315 (SR 315) and passes a retail district, it becomes a limited-accessfreeway, bypassing downtown Delaware, before resuming as anexpressway with at-grade crossings north of the city.[5]
AtWaldo, US 23 again becomes a freeway. It continues as a freeway throughout most ofMarion County, then resumes at-grade crossings with a mix of some freeway-style junctions which are otherwise signalized after theMorral interchange.[5] US 23 runs concurrently with dividedSR 15 until it takes a different route at theCarey exit. SR 15 continues on toFindlay and is designed to allow most traffic to bypass the northern stretch of US 23 by offering a fast connection toI-75. US 23 continues north through Carey,Fostoria, andRisingsun.
West ofWoodville, US 23 intersects US 20, where it has an overlap for several miles. US 23 then joins I-75 nearPerrysburg, then followsI-475 around the west side ofToledo, passing throughSylvania before enteringMichigan. In the portion where I-75 and US 23 overlap, this is awrong-way concurrency, with southbound I-75 concurrent with northbound US 23, and northbound I-75 concurrent with southbound US 23 in this stretch.
US 23 passes near the birthplace of PresidentRutherford B. Hayes inDelaware, as well as near the home of PresidentWarren G. Harding inMarion.
InSoutheast Michigan, US 23 serves as a north–south bypass to the west ofMetro Detroit. US 23 enters Michigan as a full freeway, sharing a brief concurrency withUS 223 until that highway splits west towardAdrian. US 23 continues north toAnn Arbor, where it intersectsI-94 and bypasses the city to the east and north, before turning northbound once more. US 23 shares an interchange withI-96 atBrighton before continuing north to theFlint area, where it begins a nearly 74-mile (119 km) concurrency withI-75. The combined freeway passes to the west of Flint, sharing an interchange withI-69, before continuing north towardSaginaw andBay City.
US 23 entersNorthern Michigan south ofStandish, exiting the I-75 freeway at atrumpet interchange and continuing easterly on a short freeway before intersectingM-13, where US 23 turns northbound along atwo-lane road. Beginning here, US 23 follows the shoreline ofLake Huron northerly, passing through cities such asTawas City,Alpena, andCheboygan. US 23 ends at a directional interchange with I-75 inMackinaw City, just south of the approach to theMackinac Bridge.
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Originally known as the Columbus–Sandusky Turnpike, the road was laid out about 1820. Within four years, it was noted as having frequent use, although it was in poor condition. As a result, on February 10, 1824,James Kilbourne of theOhio House of Representatives introduced apetition to revise and correct the state road leading from Columbus andWorthington toDelaware,Norton, and further north. Kilbourne believed that theSandusky Bay was the perfect place for a harbor to open up the Ohio marketplace toNew England. He fought relentlessly to establish roads from the capital toSandusky. He laid out a southern extension of the road to tiePortsmouth on the Ohio River to the central and northern parts of the state. As a result of Kilbourne's efforts, the state of Ohio chartered the Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike Company on January 31, 1826. The following year, the federal government gave 31,840 acres (12,890 ha) in trust to the state of Ohio for the turnpike company to finance road improvements and development.
An 1820 map of Ohio shows the turnpike leading from Columbus to Worthington, through Delaware intoMarion County. The southern portion of the improved road was built and in use by 1828. The Columbus–Sandusky Turnpike, also sometimes known as Kilbourne Highway, was completed to Sandusky in 1834. Although the Turnpike was much needed and well traveled, the Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike Company did not have the funds to maintain the road. Early maps show the route as "Mud Pike". Angry at the poor, muddy condition of the road, particularly in the rainiest seasons, travelers occasionally destroyed tollgates. The Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike Company was disbanded February 28, 1843, when the Ohio legislature repealed the act that incorporated it. Two years later, an act was passed that established the road as a publichighway.[6]
US 23 was established in 1926 as part of the originalU.S. Numbered Highway System. The original route began atUS 52 in Portsmouth, Ohio, and followed the old turnpike north to Sandusky, where it continued north to end atUS 31 in Mackinaw City, Michigan.
In 1929, US 23 was extended from Portsmouth, Ohio, into Kentucky, ending at Pikeville. The following highways form the original route of US 23:[7]
The southern terminus remained in Pikeville for only two years. In 1930, US 23 was extended to Atlanta.
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US 23 was extended into Florida alongUS 1 in 1951. When the20th Street Expressway was built around downtownJacksonville, US 1 was moved but US 23 remained. It has never changed its route in Florida, though, at one time, it was planned to extend south, maybe toFort Myers viaUS 17,SR 19,SR 33,US 98, andSR 31.
In the mid- to late 20th century when the coal industry declined in theAppalachian Mountains, US 23 was often dubbed theHillbilly Highway,[9] and it was said the three "R's" of the region were "reading, writing and Route 23",[10] as workers migrated to northern industrial cities such as Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, or Chicago. TheDwight Yoakam song "Readin', Rightin', RT.23" and theSteve Earle song "Hillbilly Highway" in particular reflect this heritage.
In 1985, US 23 was upgraded toInterstate standards on the initiative of Eddie Williams, chief executive officer of economic development forJohnson City,Jonesborough, andWashington County, Tennessee. "The original idea for that project happened in 1985, when two young men [later named as Don Kiel and Alan Bridwell] walked into my office with a plan to upgrade Highway 23 to interstate standards", Williams said. "And all it cost us was to change the signs." Later that year, a section of US 23 near Johnson City was designated asI-181, the first section of US 23 to be designated as an Interstate in either Tennessee or North Carolina. Williams claims that this project was a catalyst for the five-stateI-26 extension project.[11]
On March 1, 1994, a bill sponsored by State Representative Hubert Collins was passed by theKentucky General Assembly. This bill allowed US 23 to become known as "The Country Music Highway" in order to recognize all the country music stars that had come from the counties the highway passed through.[12] At every county line, there is a sign that lists the country music star or stars from that county. Also, in the early 2000s, theU.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum opened inPaintsville to further commemorate these legendary people.
Law enforcement officials from Ohio and Kentucky set up the "US Route 23 Drug Taskforce" in 1996 to patrol the highway for drug trafficking, attempting to halt a major artery of drug networks bringing high-qualitycannabis grown in Kentucky north for distribution in Ohio and elsewhere. Lately, it has been primarily used to stop the flow of narcotics from large Ohio cities like Columbus, Dayton, and Cleveland into Portsmouth, all of which have to pass through US 23 to reach Portsmouth. Signs can be spotted along US 23 in Ohio from Portsmouth to Columbus warning traffickers that efforts have been taken to prevent their actions. Some randompolice stings have been set up at portions of the highway.
During the past few years, the highway has been widened to four or more lanes through its entire length within Kentucky and is one of the more scenic routes in Kentucky. It is six lanes in parts of the city ofPikeville. In 2002, it was officially named aNational Scenic Byway.
US 23 also gains attention during college football season as it holds a direct connection betweenAnn Arbor, Michigan (home of theUniversity of Michigan) and Columbus, Ohio (site ofOhio State University) and theMichigan–Ohio State football rivalry. Each year at the end of November, a convoy of fans travels either north or south depending on where that year's game is being held. Unsubstantiated rumors that the host state of that year's game has theirstate police (either theMichigan State Police orOhio State Highway Patrol) force an increase enforcement of traffic laws along the route in their respective states to cite opposing fans adds to the rivalry.
US 1 /US 17 inJacksonville. US 17/US 23 travel concurrently through the city.
I-95 /US 17 in JacksonvilleUS 1 in Jacksonville. The highways travel concurrently to north ofAlma, Georgia.
I-295 in Jacksonville
US 301 inCallahan. The highways travel concurrently toHomeland, Georgia.
US 82 inWaycross. The highways travel concurrently to west ofDeenwood.
US 84 in Waycross. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 341 inHazlehurst. The highways travel concurrently toEastman.
US 221 in Hazlehurst. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 280 /US 319 /US 441 inMcRae
I-16 inSmithsonia
US 80 east ofMacon. The highways travel concurrently to Macon.
US 129 in Macon. The highways travel concurrently through the city.I-16 in MaconI-75 in MaconI-75 in MaconI-75 northwest of Macon
I-675 south-southwest ofRex
I-285 north ofConley
I-20 on theEast Atlanta–Edgewood neighborhood line
US 29 /US 78 /US 278 on thePoncey-Highland–Atkins Park neighborhood line. US 23/US 29/US 78 travel concurrently toDecatur. US 23/US 278 travel concurrently toDruid Hills.
I-85 on theNorth Druid Hills–Brookhaven city lineI-285 inDoraville
I-985 inBuford. The highways travel concurrently toGainesville.US 129 inGainesville. The highways travel concurrently through the city.US 441 northwest ofCornelia. The highways travel concurrently to north-northwest ofDillsboro, North Carolina.
US 123 east-southeast ofClarkesville
US 76 inClayton. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 64 inFranklin. The highways travel concurrently around the southeastern edge of the city.
US 74 /US 441 north-northwest ofDillsboro. US 23/US 74 travel concurrently to west ofClyde.
US 276 inWaynesville
US 19 inLake Junaluska. The highways travel concurrently to northeast ofMars Hill.
I-40 /US 74 inAsheville
Future I-26 /I-240 in Asheville. I-26/US 23 travel concurrently to northeast ofMars Hill. I-240 travel concurrently through the city.
I-240 /US 70 in Asheville. US 23/US 70 travel concurrently toWeaverville.
US 25 inWoodfin. The highways travel concurrently toWeaverville.
US 19W northeast ofErnestville. The highways travel concurrently toJohnson City.
US 321 inJohnson City
US 11E /US 19W in Johnson City.
I-81 inKingsport
US 11W in Kingsport
US 58 /US 421 inWeber City. The highways travel concurrently toDuffield.
US 119 southeast ofJenkins. The highways travel concurrently toPikeville.
US 460 inPikeville. The highways travel concurrently toStaffordsville.
I-64 south-southwest ofCatlettsburg
US 60 in Catlettsburg. The highways travel concurrently toAshland.
US 52 inPortsmouth
US 50 inScioto Township
US 35 /US 50 in Scioto Township. The highways travel concurrently through the township.
US 22 inCircleville
I-270 inHamilton Township
US 33 inColumbus. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 62 in Columbus. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 40 /US 62 in Columbus
I-670 in ColumbusI-270 in Columbus
US 42 inDelaware. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 36 /US 42 in Delaware
US 30 inCrane Township. The highways travel concurrently toSalem Township.
US 224 inLoudon Township.
US 6 on theMontgomery–Scott–Freedom–Madison township line
US 20 on theTroy–Woodville township line. The highways travel concurrently toPerrysburg.I-75 /US 20 inPerrysburg. I-75/US 23 travel concurrently through the city.
I-475 in Perrysburg. The highways travel concurrently toSylvania Township.
US 24 inMaumeeUS 20 inSylvania Township
US 223 inSylvania. The highways travel concurrently toWhiteford Township, Michigan.
US 12 inPittsfield Charter Township
I-94 inAnn Arbor
I-96 inBrightonI-75 inMundy Township. The highways travel concurrently toLincoln Township.
I-69 inFlint TownshipI-475 inMount Morris TownshipI-675 inBuena Vista Charter TownshipI-675 inZilwaukee Township
US 10 inMonitor TownshipI-75 inMackinaw City
| Browse numbered routes | ||||
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← KY 22 | KY | → KY 28 | ||
Routes initalics are no longer a part of the system. Highlighted routes are considered main routes of the system. |
