I-275

This 84-mile circumferential bypass of Cincinnati traverses three states -- Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. It offers interchanges with all major routes which enter the greater Cincinnati area, including I-71, I-74 and I-75, and US 25, 27, 42, 50, 52 and 127. The highway was built in sections. The older sections are the northern ones in Ohio, in the vicinity of I-71 and I-75. The Kentucky portions were among the last ones built. I-275 is the preferred route for the Lexington to Indianapolis, I-75 to I-74 corridor, and it also serves the Northern Kentucky-Greater Cincinnati International Airport (or whatever they call it these days). Since through trucks and RVs are prohibited on I-71 and I-75 northbound through northern Kentucky into Cincinnati, and also prohibited on I-471, I-275 is the route which through trucks and RVs must use.

In Kentucky, I-275 is signed as an east-west route and it links the rural sections of western Boone County with the shopping area of Kenton County, and the urbanized area of Campbell County. It provides interchanges with all major routes leading into the area.

Exit numbering for I-275 begins at the Kentucky interchange with I-71 and I-75, and runs clockwise. In Kentucky, this means the exit numbers run counter to the standard that they begin at the western entrance to the state and run east. This chart will list the exit numbers from west (Indiana state line) to east (Ohio state line).

Exit 11	To KY 20	To KY 20	Exit 11
	Petersburg	Petersburg
This route is actually the westernmost of three unconnected segments of KY 8, and is signed as such on the road itself, but not on the exit signs. This is a new route, built when the interstate was built, and it links I-275 to KY 20 one mile south of the interchange. KY 20 west leads to Petersburg, a small town on the Ohio River, and you can eventually reach the historic town of Rabbit Hash via this route. East KY 20 passes through Hebron and ends at the middle section of KY 8 at Constance, also on the Ohio River. East KY 20 also allows access to Burlington and Florence via KY 338 and KY 18.

Exit 7	KY 237	KY 237 South	Exit 7B
	Hebron	Hebron
		KY 237 North	Exit 7A
KY 237 links KY 8 along the Ohio River with US 42 and US 127 southwest of Florence.

Exit 4	KY 212	KY 212 East	Exit 4A
	To KY 20 Airport	To KY 20
	Turfway Park Race Course	KY 212 West	Exit 4B
		Airport
		Turfway Park Race Course
KY 212 serves the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport. It runs from KY 20 to the north, crossing I-275 and KY 236, before ending at the airport. It is more of a north-south route than an east-west route.

Exit 2	Mineola Pike	Mineola Pike	Exit 2
This is a newer exit. Mineola Pike is KY 3076, but this is not noted on the exit signs. It connects KY 236 near the airport to KY 1017 (which eventually becomes Turfway Road).

Exit 84	I-71 / I-75	I-71 / I-75	Exit 84
	Cincinnati Lexington Louisville	Cincinnati Lexington Louisville
All through trucks and RVs prohibited on northbound I-71 and I-75 All through northbound trucks and RVs must use I-275
I-75 is the main north-south route through Kentucky, carrying traffic from northern Michigan all the way south to Miami, Fla. In Kentucky, it cuts through the east-central part of the state, intersecting I-71 here and I-64 at Lexington. Other major towns served by I-75 include Georgetown, Richmond, London and Corbin. I-71 is a northeast-to-southwest route from Cleveland to Louisville, also serving Columbus. In Kentucky, it generally follows the path of the Ohio River and provides access to Carrollton. Because of a treacherous hill at Fort Mitchell, and a multitude of construction projects that are always underway in Kentucky and Ohio, through trucks and RVs are prohibited on these routes in northern Kentucky and in Cincinnati. Through trucks and RVs are required to use the I-275 bypass around Cincinnati.

Exit 83	US 25 / US 42 / US 127	US 25 / US 42 / US 127	Exit 83
	Dixie Hwy.	Dixie Hwy.
US 25 is the companion route to I-75 in Kentucky (and used to be in Ohio, before it was decertified north of 3rd Street in Cincinnati). US 42 parallels I-71 for its entire length from Louisville to Cleveland. US 127 is a major north-south road in Kentucky, serving Owenton, Frankfort, Lawrenceburg, Harrodsburg, Danville, Liberty, Jamestown/Russell Springs and Albany. From the south, US 42 and US 127 join in Gallatin County, pick up US 25 at Florence, and proceed through several small municipalities before crossing the Ohio River at Covington.

Exit 82	KY 1303	KY 1303	Exit 82
	Turkey Foot Road	Turkeyfoot Road
	Thomas More College	Thomas More College
Why this road is called "Turkey Foot" on the eastbound exit signs, and "Turkeyfoot" on the westbound signs, I have no idea. Anyway, KY 1303 offers access to Thomas More College and several suburban municipalities.

Exit 80	KY 17	KY 17	Exit 80
	Covington Independence	Independence Covington
KY 17 eventually crosses the Ohio River in Covington. It runs south through Independence (which is the county seat of Kenton County, not Covington) and ends at US 27 near Falmouth.

Exit 79	KY 16 (Taylor Mill Rd.)	KY 16 (Taylor Mill Rd.)	Exit 79
	Covington	Covington
KY 16 ends north of this exit at KY 17, which provides the route to downtown Covington. South of this exit, the road runs to Walton and Verona before ending at US 127 at Glencoe.

Exit 77	KY 9 / AA Highway	KY 9 / AA Highway	Exit 77
	Wilder Maysville	Wilder Maysville
	Newport Alexandria	Newport Alexandria
This exit has always been for KY 9; however, KY 9 has not always been the AA Highway. Originally, the AA Highway was numbered KY 546, but that was changed in December 1994. Now, the main portion of the AA Highway to Vanceburg, and the Grayson Spur, is numbered KY 9. From just west of Vanceburg to the Greenup Dam, the highway is numbered KY 10. KY 9 and KY 546 split south of this interchange; now the old KY 9 is KY 915. The AA Highway (so named because its original endpoints were to be Alexandria and Ashland) is a high-speed link across northern Kentucky. The route roughly parallels the Ohio River to Vanceburg, where it splits into two spurs. The Grayson Spur (KY 9) intersects I-64; the Greenup Spur (KY 10) crosses US 23 north of Greenup and crosses the Greenup Dam into Ohio, where it becomes OH 253 and ends at US 52. The AA Highway provides access to Brooksville, Augusta, Maysville and Vanceburg along its route. It's an excellent shortcut for I-64 and I-75 traffic between the Ashland/Huntington area and Cincinnati. Watch your speed on this route, however. Although it's conducive to driving 70 mph or more, the speed limit is 55 mph and the cops strictly enforce the limit.

Exit 76	Three Mile Rd.
	Northern Kentucky University
	No Re-Entry Eastbound
This exit has been built in later years, and it provides access to NKU for traffic heading east on I-275. Entrance to I-275 is available only for traffic wishing to head west. Westbound traffic wishing to access NKU must use Exit 74A

Exit 74B	I-471 North	I-471 North	Exit 74B
	Newport Cincinnati	Newport Cincinnati
All through northbound trucks and RVs prohibited on I-471 All through northbound trucks and RVs must use I-275
Exit 74A	To US 27	To US 27	Exit 74A
	Alexandria	Alexandria
	Highland Heights Cold Spring	Highland Heights Cold Spring
		Northern Kentucky University
	Kincaid Lake State Park	Kincaid Lake State Park
I-471 provides access to the east side of downtown Cincinnati and I-71, intersecting several major streets in Kentucky on its way north across the Ohio River. The exit to I-471 is a left exit from eastbound I-275, and a right exit from westbound I-275. Northbound trucks are banned from I-471 -- I presume to keep them off of I-71 in Cincinnati, since the downhill descent on I-471 is not nearly as steep as the hill on I-71 and I-75. I-471 ends at US 27, which runs through Falmouth, Cynthiana and Paris on its way south to Lexington. Westbound on I-275, the US 27 exit is a left exit, and I-471 is a right exit. Westbound I-275 traffic must use Exit 74A to reach NKU, since there is no westbound exit at Three Mile Road (Exit 76 eastbound).