(Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway) westbound approaching the
Ohio 13 (Main Street) exit in Mansfield
Highways and roads Mansfield is located on a major east–west highway corridor that was originally known in the early 1900s as "Ohio Market Route 3". This route was chosen in 1913 to become part of the historic
Lincoln Highway which was the first road across
America, connecting
New York City to
San Francisco. The arrival of the Lincoln Highway to Mansfield was a major influence on the development of the city. Upon the advent of the federal numbered highway system in 1928, the Lincoln Highway through Mansfield on Park Avenue East and Park Avenue West became
U.S. Route 30. On September 1, 1928, the Lincoln Highway was marked coast-to-coast with approximately 3000 concrete posts set by the
Boy Scouts of America. Each post featured a medallion of
Abraham Lincoln's profile. One of these concrete markers was erected at curbside in front of Central Methodist Episcopal Church, 378 Park Avenue West. It now stands in downtown's Central Park, on Park Avenue's center divider. The Lincoln Highway Association observed the highway's centennial in June 2013. The celebration's eastern transcontinental tour group visited Mansfield for an overnight stay on June 25 at the Holiday Inn on Park Avenue West, the highway's route through the city. Mansfield is connected to the
Interstate Highway System. Three highway exits from
Interstate 71 connects Mansfield to
Columbus, Ohio,
Cincinnati, Ohio,
Louisville, Kentucky, and points southwest, and to
Cleveland, Ohio, to the northeast. One
limited-access highway serves Mansfield.
U.S. Route 30, which carries the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway along its length through the city has several local highway exits from U.S. Route 30 connects Mansfield to
Bucyrus, Ohio,
Fort Wayne, Indiana, and points west, and to
Wooster, Ohio,
Canton, Ohio, and points east. Two
divided highways serve Mansfield.
Ohio 309, which connects travelers from the major shopping area of the suburban city of
Ontario and points west, and continues east into Mansfield before it merges into U.S. Route 30.
Ohio 13 turns into a four-lane divided highway at South Main Street and Chilton Avenue and runs to Interstate 71 (full-access interchange) and runs another and turns back into a two-lane highway just north of
Bellville. The city has several
arterial roads.
U.S. Route 42 (Ashland Road and Lexington Avenue), North U.S. Route 42 downtown (South Main Street, East 2nd Street, Hedges Street and Park Avenue East), South U.S. Route 42 downtown (Park Avenue East, Hedges Street, East 1st Street and South Main Street),
Ohio 13 (North Main Street and South Main Street), North Ohio 13 downtown (East 2nd Street, South Diamond Street and North Diamond Street), South Ohio 13 downtown (West 5th Street, North Mulberry Street, South Mulberry Street and West 1st Street),
Ohio 39 (Springmill Street, North Mulberry Street, West 5th Street, East 5th Street, Park Avenue East and Lucas Road),
Ohio 430 (Park Avenue East and Park Avenue West), and
Ohio 545 (Wayne Street and Olivesburg Road). According to city officials, trucks that happen to be over get stuck under the subway about five to six times a year on average due to not following advanced warning signage. Mansfield Checker Cab operates local and regional taxi service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. C & D Taxi also operates local and regional taxi service (Richland and Ashland Counties) seven days a week.
Airports C-27J Spartan was displayed at Mansfield Lahm Airport in May 2011.
Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport (
IATA: MFD,
ICAO: KMFD,
FAA LID: MFD), a city-owned and operated, joint usage facility with global ties, located north of downtown Mansfield. The
Mansfield Lahm Air National Guard Base and the
179th Airlift Wing of the
Ohio Air National Guard is located at the airport. It uses huge C-130 aircraft, and sponsors an annual air show in July. Downtown Mansfield is roughly centrally located between both
John Glenn Columbus International Airport and
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, both of which offering moderate choices for commercial flights.
Akron–Canton Airport is located closer to Mansfield, but does not have any international flights unlike Columbus and Cleveland.
Railroads Three railroads previously served Mansfield, but currently only two, the
Norfolk Southern and the
Ashland Railway, provide service in the area. The
Sandusky, Mansfield and Newark Railroad opened in 1846 and became part of the Washington-Chicago main line of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) and then later part of a B&O branch line from
Newark to
Sandusky. In 1849 the
Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway (later
Pennsylvania Railroad mainline) reached Mansfield, and in 1863 the
Atlantic and Great Western Railroad (later
Erie Railroad mainline) reached Mansfield. Passenger services operating into the opening of the 1970s were the
Erie Lackawanna's Chicago-Hoboken, New Jersey
Lake Cities (discontinued, 1970); and the
Penn Central's
Manhattan Limited and
Pennsylvania Limited (both discontinued, 1971, at the transfer over to Amtrak). After the B&O branch line was abandoned, the section from
Butler to North Lake Park in Mansfield was opened in 1995 as the recreational Richland B&O Trail. The former B&O track from Mansfield to
Willard combined with a piece of the abandoned Erie Railroad east of Mansfield to
West Salem to form the L-shaped Ashland Railway (1986). A spur of the abandoned Erie Railroad leads west to
Ontario to what used to be the
General Motors metal stamping plant there. • ==Sister cities==