Ohio State Route 83

At the 1923 Ohio state highway renumbering, the State Route 83 designation was applied to a route from the original alignment of State Route 46 in Ashtabula east to the Pennsylvania state line through Plymouth, Sheffield, and Monroe townships.[2] It was rerouted in 1928 through Kingsville along the current State Route 84 alignment and Monroe Center Road through Kelloggsville to State Route 7.[3] SR 83 was rerouted again in 1938, with the portion from Ashtabula to Kelloggsville following a previously unnumbered road, while the portion from Kelloggsville to SR 7 remained the same. The previous section of SR 83 between Ashtabula and Kelloggsville passing through Kingsville was recertified as SR 84.[4] This alignment lasted until 1958 when the original SR 83 was decertified.[5][6]

Southbound near Burbank, Ohio

The current SR 83 follows what had previously been State Route 76. SR 76 was established in 1923 between Wooster and New Concord. It followed the current SR 83 route from Wooster to just south of Millersurg, where it then followed the current alignment of US 62 to Killbuck and the current alignment of State Route 60 from Killbuck to Coshocton. From Coshocton to New Concord, it followed the current alignment of SR 83.[2] SR 76 was realigned in 1926, with the portion between Millersburg and Coshocton rerouted to the current alignment of SR 83, and the route was extended south to Cumberland at SR 146.[7] The following year, 1927, it was extended again to the current southern terminus of SR 83, just north of Beverly at what is now SR 60.[8]

The northern end at US 6 in Avon Lake.

SR 76 was extended to the north in 1937 through Wooster to Avon Lake over the route what is now generally SR 83.[9] It was rerouted around Wooster in 1968 along with US 250 and State Route 3.[10][11] The current designation of SR 83 came about in 1972 when Interstate 80S was renumbered as Interstate 76 to avoid having two routes with the same number. At this time, SR 83 was also rerouted along a new western bypass of Coshocton with US 36 and State Route 16.[12]

SR 83 was planned to be relocated in Lorain County, but only two short segments of this relocation were built, at Interstate 90/State Route 2 and at State Route 10, with the rest of the plans abandoned after 1991.[13] The latter segment carries part of SR 83C.

Route 83C is an unsigned, ¾-mile route connecting SR 83 with SR 10 in North Ridgeville and Eaton Township. SR 83C runs southwest from SR 83 along Lorain Road and Butternut Ridge Road, then turns northwest, intersecting SR 10 then ending just beyond at Chestnut Ridge Road.[14] The latter road is one of the two constructed segments of the once-proposed relocation of SR 83.[13] The route is marked "To SR 10/I-480/I-80" westbound and "To SR 83" eastbound.[15] (SR 83 as it has remained has not received direct access to SR 10.)