Stephens seeks to bring interstates through area

SOUTH POINT, Ohio - State Rep. Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, has introduced a House Concurrent Resolution urging Gov. Mike Dewine and the Ohio Department of Transportation to provide for the extension of I-73 and I-74 into Ohio.

The proposed interstates would run from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Toledo, Ohio, area connecting with Interstate 75 in the Findlay area, Stephens said.

To be funded and built, the interstate would have to be built through parts of West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina and Virginia. Both North Carolina and Virginia have designated sections of the highway as I-73 and I-74.

“Expanding I-73 and I-74 will bring great development opportunities to our state,” Stephens said. “These projects would significantly benefit our workforce and economy and provide easier access to the interstate system for millions of Ohioans.”

The extension of I-73 would include an upgrade of U.S. 52 between Huntington and Portsmouth, Ohio. The proposed extension also would upgrade U.S. 23 through Columbus to I-75 near Findlay, Ohio, he said.

Another proposal includes the extension of I-74 in Southern Ohio from Portsmouth to Cincinnati, Stephens said.

Ohio currently has eight primary interstate highways. Interstates are crucial in improving mobility and connectivity for goods, services and our workforce to all regions of the state, he said.

The resolution is non-binding, Stephens said.

“I have co-sponsors from Toledo to the Cincinnati area,” he said. “The basic infrastructure is already there.”

The Portsmouth bypass, which already is open to traffic, could be used and I-73 could cross the Ohio River via the Nick Joe Rahall bridge east of South Point and use four lanes of U.S. 52, he said.