EDITORIAL: Addressing infrastructure questions

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, July 30, 2025

In recent days, U.S. Rep. David Taylor, R-Ohio, has been making a push for the proposal for an Interstate 73 in southern Ohio, running from the state’s northern border, through Columbus and down to Lawrence County.

Advocates of the idea of this highway say it would be critical infrastructure, helping to connect southern Ohio with the capital city.

Lawrence County is not as isolated as West Virginia’s southeast coalfields or those of eastern Kentucky, having Interstate 64 within a 10-minute drive of most parts of the county.

But it is true that southern Ohio is somewhat cut off from Columbus and larger cities in the state.

While things such as the Portsmouth Bypass have lessened the drive, there is still no direct interstate route to Columbus, and starts and stops occur at traffic lights many times along the way, and some sections drop down to a two-lane highway.

One notable aspect of the proposed I-73 is that it would not require much construction or, apparently, have massive impacts environmentally, as it would largely follow the routes of U.S. 52 and U.S. 23 through Ohio, much of which is already four-lane and would simply streamline those highways.

This is an idea long sought by local leaders, including State Rep. Jason Stephens, who championed the proposal during his stint as Ohio’s speaker of the House.

Such proposals are in their early stages, and there is still must room for amending before any work can be done, but, the key to growth for Lawrence and Scioto counties, as well as much of southern Ohio, may very well hinge on accessibility to other regions of the state and nation.

We commend Taylor for keeping the focus on this idea with federal officials and we hope it generates further discussion on the matter.