Ohio State Route 821 hugs alongside Interstate 77 as a north-south highway in southeastern Ohio. Its predecessor and namesake, US Route 21, was heavily truncated and removed from Ohio decades ago. In its wake, several different state highways like Ohio Route 821 picked up some of the slack in select areas here the State of Ohio still wanted a state highway. Ohio Route 821 is one of the longest of such routes, running from Byesville to Marietta. It acts as a surface road alternative to Interstate 77, from an exit common to Ohio Route 209 at Byesville, to its southern terminus at Ohio Route 60 in Marietta. (Just before that intersection at Ohio Route 60, Ohio Route 821 has another full interchange with Interstate 77 so vehicles can return to the Interstate.)
My photo for Ohio Route 821 is a guide marker in downtown Caldwell, Ohio. In fact, the walkway up to the Logan County Courthouse is seen on the right edge of the photo. As US Route 21 once did, Ohio Route 821 winds through the streets of Caldwell. This sign was taken looking north in March 2021, on part of the great tour of southeastern Ohio. This scene is just to the north of Ohio Route 78.