Ohio State Route 553

State Route 553
Route information
Maintained by ODOT
Length:	2.33 mi[1] (3.75 km)
Existed:	1937 – present
Major junctions
South end:	SR 7 in Crown City
North end:	SR 218 near Crown City
Location
Counties:	Gallia
Highway system
Ohio highways Interstates • U.S. Routes • State Routes ← SR 552 SR 554 →

State Route 553 (SR 553, OH 553) is a north–south state highway in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. State Route 553 has its southern terminus at a T-intersection with State Route 7 in Crown City. The route's northern terminus is at State Route 218 approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Crown City.

Created in the late 1930s, this highway in extreme southern Gallia County acts primarily as a connector roadway between State Route 7 and State Route 218. State Route 553 is a steep, narrow, and somewhat dangerous route with a large incline from the Ohio River valley heading north into Wayne National Forest.

Route description

All of State Route 553 is located in the southern portion of Gallia County. The highway is not included as a part of the National Highway System.^[2]

State Route 553 begins at a T-intersection with State Route 7 in the village of Crown City. From this intersection, it ends up being an uphill trend for the state highway for its entirety, as it climbs out of the Ohio River valley. Overall, the route traverses forested terrain, as it goes through the Wayne National Forest, but it does pass amidst some open spaces and the occasional home along its way. State Route 553 heads northwesterly from State Route 7, and departs Crown City after a few blocks, entering into rural Guyan Township. At the Southers Road intersection, the highway turns east then promptly bends back north. At Sowards Ridge Road, the highway turns back to the northwest. While following a rather curvy path, the highway overall trends in a northwesterly direction, passing into an area that is more open prior to arriving at its endpoint at its junction with State Route 218.^[3]

History

The roadway that now carries the State Route 553 designation was originally a part of State Route 218 prior to 1926. State Route 218 was re-routed onto its present alignment in that year, and the roadway was placed under local jurisdiction.^[4][5] In 1937, this same stretch of roadway was brought back into the state highway system, and given the designation of State Route 553. Since its inception, State Route 553 has not experienced any significant changes to its routing.^[6][7]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Lawrence County.

Location	Mile[1]	Destinations	Notes
Crown City	0.00	SR 7	Southern terminus at T-intersection.
Guyan Township	2.33	SR 218	Northern terminus.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Ohio Department of Transportation. "Technical Services Straight Line Diagrams". http://www.odotonline.org/techservapps/SLD/default.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-09. 
2. ^ Federal Highway Administration (December 2003) (PDF). National Highway System: Ohio (Map). http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/nhs/maps/oh/oh_Ohio.pdf. Retrieved 2010-12-09. 
3. ^ Yahoo! Inc. Yahoo! Maps – Overview Map of State Route 553 (Map). Cartography by NAVTEQ. http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=h&lat=38.609323&lon=-82.295086&zoom=13&q1=38.59299%2C-82.28307&q2=38.617338%2C-82.30427. Retrieved 2010-12-09. 
4. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (1925). Ohio State Map (Map). 
5. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (1926). Ohio State Map (Map). 
6. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (1936). Ohio State Map (Map). 
7. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation (1937). Ohio State Map (Map).