State Route 59 (SR 59) is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of Ohio, serving the Akron metropolitan area. The western terminus of State Route 59 is in downtown Akron at a partial interchange with the Interstate 76/Interstate 77 concurrency, and the eastern terminus is at State Route 5, east of Ravenna. The route is approximately long and was certified in 1969 over what had previously been part of SR 5. It serves as a major or as the primary east–west roadway for the cities of Cuyahoga Falls, Kent, Ravenna, and Stow, the village of Silver Lake, and Franklin and Ravenna Townships. Route description State Route 59 traverses parts of Summit and Portage Counties, with a western terminus at a partial interchange with Interstates 76 and 77 in Akron and an eastern terminus at State Route 5 in Ravenna Township. The entire length of the road is included within the National Highway System, a network of routes deemed most important for the economy, mobility and defense of the nation. The western terminus of SR 59 is the Akron Innerbelt, a limited access highway originally meant to bypass downtown. The interchange with Interstates 76 and 77 is only partial, with direct access to SR 59 from eastbound 76/southbound 77 and direct access to westbound 76/northbound 77 from SR 59. Traffic going the opposite directions must use surface streets to access the other highway. Westbound SR 59 traffic wishing to access east 76 and south 77 must exit the freeway and follow Rhodes Avenue, while west 76 and north 77 traffic wishing to access eastbound SR 59 must use the Dart Avenue exit, accessing SR 59 via Russell Avenue, Rhodes Avenue, and Dart Avenue. At Opportunity Parkway, SR 59 has its first of four junctions with State Route 261. After crossing Cedar Avenue and Exchange Street, SR 59 exits the freeway section and is known as Martin Luther King Boulevard. It passes under State Route 18 (Market Street) as it veers to the east and becomes a regular surface street with signalized intersections. The second of four junctions with SR 261 is at the All-America Bridge, which connects North High Street (261 West) and North Broadway Streets (261 East). After crossing Prospect Street, the roadway is known as Perkins Street. At State Route 8, eastbound SR 59 turns north and enters the freeway with SR 8 at Fountain Street, while