Over an 18 year period starting in 1967, about 36 fatalities were reported in this section of Route 35 known as “suicide strip” or “blood strip.” In 1967 alone, seven fatalities were reported. In 1985, at least two semi-tractor trailer drivers were killed, according to previous reports by this news organization.
Some of the highway’s “more dangerous” features included sharp curves, narrow lanes with no shoulders and steep ditches.
Suicide strip was not the most accident prone area in the mid-1980s. A section of Colonel Glen Highway near Wright Patterson Air Force Base had more accidents, but the crashes on Route 35 were more serious. In an effort to get part of the highway relocated, the Jamestown Lions Club and Jamestown Emergency squad posted signs warning drivers about a dangerous highway between Jamestown and Xenia.
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