Ohio State Route 104 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids State Route 104
Route of SR 104 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ODOT
Length	95.17 mi (153.16 km)
Existed	1924–present
Major junctions
South end	US 23 / SR 73 in Portsmouth
	US 23 in Waverly US 50 / SR 159 in Chillicothe US 35 in Chillicothe SR 207 near Chillicothe I-71 in Columbus
East end	US 33 in Columbus
Location
Counties:	Scioto, Pike, Ross, Pickaway, Franklin
Highway system
Ohio highways Interstates • U.S. Routes • State Routes ← SR 103 SR 105 → ← SR 111 SR 112 SR 113 →

State Route 104, also known as SR 104, is a major highway in Ohio. It travels for about 95 miles (153 kilometers). This road helps people get around Southern Ohio.

The southern end of SR 104 is in Portsmouth. It connects with U.S. Route 23 there. The northern end is in Columbus, where it meets U.S. Route 33. Along its way, SR 104 passes through or near towns like Waverly and Chillicothe.

Sometimes, SR 104 shares the road with other highways. For example, it travels along U.S. Route 23 between Waverly and Chillicothe. Even though it's mostly a north-south road, signs in Columbus might show it as an east-west route.

The Story of State Route 104

SR 104 has a long and interesting history. It was one of Ohio's first state highways. When it first opened in 1924, it had two separate parts. One part went from Portsmouth to Waverly. The other part connected Chillicothe to Columbus.

Changes Over Time

In 1926, the southern part of SR 104 was changed. This happened when U.S. Route 23 was created. The old southern part of SR 104 became a different road, State Route 112.

But in 1951, the southern part of SR 104 came back! It was reconnected to the northern part. To do this, SR 104 began to share the road with U.S. Route 23 for a section. Near Portsmouth, it also shared the road with State Route 73.

Testing New Road Signs

In 1951, a part of SR 104 near Columbus was used for a special test. The Ohio Department of Highways wanted to try out new traffic signs. These signs came from different countries around the world. The test was part of a bigger effort by the United Nations. They wanted to see if countries could agree on standard road signs.

The experiment didn't last long on SR 104. Too many curious people came to see the new signs. This made the road unsafe. But these tests eventually helped create international rules for road signs.

Growing Longer and Stronger

Over the years, SR 104 has been extended. In 1968, its northern end reached U.S. Route 23. Then in 1989, it was extended even further to U.S. Route 33. This new section was built as a fast, controlled-access highway.

The southern end of SR 104 also grew. In 1972, it was extended into Portsmouth. By 1974, it reached U.S. Route 23 in Portsmouth.

In 1998, a part of SR 104 in Scioto County was improved. This section often flooded because it was in a low area. Engineers raised the road to prevent future flooding. This was a big project that cost a lot of money.

More recently, in 2010, a section of SR 104 north of Chillicothe was made wider. It became a four-lane highway. This made travel easier and safer for drivers.

Connecting to Other Roads

SR 104 connects to many other important roads in Ohio. These connections help people travel across the state. It meets major highways like U.S. Route 23, U.S. Route 50, and U.S. Route 35. It also crosses I-71 in Columbus. These junctions are key points for traffic flow.

County	Location	Mile	Roads intersected	Notes
Scioto	Portsmouth	0.00	0.00		US 23 (Chillicothe Street / U.S. Grant Bridge) / SR 73 begins / Invalid type: road	Southern end of US 23 southbound / SR 73 concurrencies / Southern end of SR 104 / Eastern end of SR 73
		0.11	0.18		US 23 / Invalid type: road	Northern end of US 23 southbound concurrency
	Washington Township	1.09– 1.82	1.75– 2.93		US 52 / US 23 Truck south / SR 852 – Cincinnati, Kentucky, Ironton	Interchange; northern terminus of SR 852; no access from SR 104 northbound to US 52 eastbound
		2.35	3.78		SR 239 south to US 52	Northern terminus of SR 239
	Rush Township	6.37	10.25		SR 73 west – Hillsboro	Northern end of SR 73 concurrency
	Morgan Township	12.13	19.52		SR 348
Pike	Newton Township	24.27	39.06		SR 32 / SR 124 (James A. Rhodes Appalachian Highway)
	Pee Pee Township	28.34	45.61		SR 551 west	Eastern terminus of SR 551
		29.10	46.83		SR 552 west	Eastern terminus of SR 552
	Waverly	30.36	48.86		US 23 south / SR 220 Truck south (Emmitt Avenue) – Portsmouth	Southern end of US 23 / SR 220 Truck concurrency
		31.00	49.89		SR 220 (Market Street) / SR 335 begins / SR 220 Truck ends	Northern end of SR 220 Truck concurrency; southern end of SR 335 concurrency
		31.35	50.45		SR 335 south (Clough Street)	Northern end of SR 335 concurrency
Ross	Franklin Township	37.46	60.29		SR 372 east – Scioto Trail State Forest	Western terminus of SR 372
	Scioto Township	43.23– 43.70	69.57– 70.33		US 23 north / US 23 Bus. begins / CR 205 (Three Locks Road) – Columbus	Interchange; northern end of US 23 concurrency; southern end of US 23 Bus. Concurrency
	Chillicothe	46.62	75.03		US 50 east (Eastern Avenue) / Invalid type: road	Southern end of US 50 concurrency
		47.14	75.86		US 23 Bus. north / SR 159 north (Bridge Street) / Invalid type: road	Northern end of US 23 Bus. concurrency; southern terminus of SR 159
		47.56	76.54		SR 772 south (Paint Street)	Northern terminus of SR 772
		47.90	77.09		US 50 west (Western Avenue) / Invalid type: road – Hillsboro, Cincinnati	Northern end of US 50 concurrency
	Scioto Township	49.26– 49.43	79.28– 79.55		US 35	Interchange
	Union Township	52.77	84.93		SR 207 south to US 23	Southern end of SR 207 concurrency
		53.29	85.76		SR 207 north	Northern end of SR 207 concurrency
Pickaway	Wayne Township	66.85	107.58		US 22 – Circleville, Washington Court House
	Jackson Township	68.23	109.81		SR 56 – Circleville, London
	Scioto Township	76.20	122.63		SR 316 – Darbyville, South Bloomfield
		79.58	128.07		SR 762 – Commercial Point
Franklin	Grove City–Jackson Township municipal line	83.43	134.27		SR 665 – London, Groveport
	Columbus	89.93– 90.06	144.73– 144.94	89	I-71 / Invalid type: road – Columbus, Cincinnati	Exit 104 (I-71)
		Southern (western) end of freeway
		90.44– 90.65	145.55– 145.89	90	Haul Road / Impound Lot Road
		90.80– 91.14	146.13– 146.68	91	US 23 (High Street)
		91.57– 91.90	147.37– 147.90	92	Groveport Road / Parsons Road
		92.38– 92.79	148.67– 149.33	93	Lockbourne Road
		94.19– 94.43	151.58– 151.97	94	Alum Creek Road / Performance Parkway / Refugee Road
		Northern (eastern) end of freeway
		94.98– 95.17	152.86– 153.16	95 A-B	US 33 to I-70 / Invalid type: road – Lancaster	Eastern/northern end of SR 104
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi