Indiana State Road 46

State Road 46 marker
State Road 46
Map
SR 46 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by INDOT
Length156.72 mi[1][page needed] (252.22 km)
ExistedOctober 1, 1926[2]–present
Major junctions
West end I-70 / US 40 at Terre Haute
Major intersections
East end US 52 near West Harrison
Location
CountryUnited States
StateIndiana
CountiesBartholomew, Brown, Clay, Dearborn, Decatur, Monroe, Owen, Ripley, Vigo
Highway system
  • Indiana State Highway System
SR 45 SR 47

State Road 46 in the U.S. state of Indiana is an east–west state highway in the southern half of Indiana.

Route description

[edit]

The western terminus of SR 46 is at US 40 east of Terre Haute. It is a four-lane highway with signalized intersections from US 40 past SR 42 and Terre Haute Regional Airport to I-70, where it meets the SR 641 bypass. After departing 641 a mile south of the Interstate, 46 becomes a heavily traveled modernized 2-lane highway through Spencer where it intersects SR 67 and US 231. It then proceeds to Ellettsville where it becomes a 4-lane expressway until an Interchange with I-69. It then enters the college town of Bloomington. It multiplexes with SR 45 on a road known as "The Bypass" just north of Indiana University where it passes by the athletic complex. It then goes by the College Mall in Bloomington where it makes a left turn and winds towards the artist colony of Nashville passing by SR 446 and Lake Monroe. After making a right turn at SR 135 in Nashville it proceeds to Columbus, where it goes under I-65 at an interchange. It then heads to Greensburg where it multiplexes with SR 3 and again becomes a 4-lane expressway.

At this point it makes a right turn and becomes a minor 2-lane highway as it closely follows I-74 until its eastern terminus at US 52 in northeastern Dearborn County.

History

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Until 1936, SR 46's western terminus was at the Illinois–Indiana state line north of West Terre Haute. When U.S. Route 150 (US 150) was commissioned on that route, SR 46 was pulled back to end with SR 42 at Poplar and Seventh streets in downtown Terre Haute.[3] Later, when the north-south four-lane road from I-70 to US 40 was completed, the terminus was moved to US 40 east of the city. And, briefly, it was moved south to the SR 46 exit from SR 641 when US 40 was relocated from Wabash Avenue to I-70, before being returned to form a "wrong way" multiplex with the US route, which continues as of 2024.[4]

The former eastern terminus was at the Ohio–Indiana border when US 52 was commissioned along that portion of the route.

In 1974, the portion of the route west of Columbus to the Brown County Line was named Jonathan Moore Pike, after a settler in the area who served in the Revolutionary War as a member of the Commander-in-Chief's Guard.[5]

Until recently, "The Bypass" portion in Bloomington had congestion. However, a major construction project completed in November 2012 widened the road to 4 lanes and alleviated the issue on this part of the roadway. SR 46 as a result of this project is now four lanes from Elletsville until the intersection with SR 446.[6]

Major intersections

[edit]
CountyLocationmi[1][page needed]kmDestinationsNotes
VigoTerre Haute0.000.00
I-70 / US 40 / SR 641 south – Terre Haute, Indianapolis
Exit 11 on I-70 - Western terminus of SR 46; Northern end of SR 641 and concurrency
1.502.41
SR 641 south
Southern End of SR 641 concurrency
Riley3.926.31
SR 159 south – Jasonville
Northern terminus of SR 159
ClaySugar Ridge Township11.8319.04 SR 59 – Linton, Brazil
OwenVandalia32.0151.52
SR 246 west – Clay City
Eastern terminus of SR 246
Spencer37.5960.50

US 231 south / SR 67 south – Worthington
Western end of US 231 and SR 67 concurrences
38.4261.83

US 231 north / SR 67 north – Greencastle, Mooresville
Eastern end of US 231 and SR 67 concurrences
Washington Township40.3264.89
SR 43 south
Northern terminus of SR 43
MonroeBloomington52.4384.38
I-69 / SR 45 south – Evansville, Indianapolis
Western end of SR 45 concurrency
55.7889.77
SR 45 north
Eastern end of SR 45 concurrency
57.7592.94
SR 446 south
Northern terminus of SR 446
BrownNashville73.02117.51
SR 135 north – Nashville
Western end of SR 135 concurrency
Washington Township76.10122.47
SR 135 south – Brownstown
Eastern end of SR 135 concurrency
BartholomewColumbus89.00143.23 I-65 – Indianapolis, LouisvilleExit 58 on I-65
90.58145.77
SR 11 south – Seymour
Northern terminus of SR 11; trumpet interchange
Columbus Township95.39153.52
SR 7 south – North Vernon
Northern terminus of SR 7
96.52155.33 US 31 – Columbus, Seymour
Clifty Township
SR 9 north – Shelbyville
Southern terminus of SR 9
DecaturGreensburg116.48187.46
SR 3 south – North Vernon
Western end of SR 3 concurrency
119.78192.77
SR 3 north – Rushville
Eastern end of SR 3 concurrency
121.61195.71
US 421 north – Indianapolis
Western end of US 421 concurrency
122.02196.37
US 421 south – Madison, Versailles
Eastern end of US 421 concurrency
RipleyBatesville136.52219.71 SR 229 – Batesville, Oldenburg
138.00222.09
SR 129 south – Versailles
Northern terminus of SR 129
Adams Township143.82231.46 SR 101 – Sunman
DearbornSt. Leon151.43243.70 SR 1 – Lawrenceburg, Brookville
Harrison Township156.72252.22
US 52 to I-74 - Cincinnati
Eastern terminus of SR 46
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

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  1. ^ a b "INDOT Roadway Referencing System" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-15.
  2. ^ "Road Numbers to Be Changed". The Hancock-Democrat. The Indianapolis News. September 30, 1926. Retrieved June 9, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ Illinois Secretary of State; Rand McNally (1936). Road Map Illinois (Map). [c. 1:950,000 and c. 1:1,110,000]. Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State. Retrieved October 12, 2020 – via Illinois Digital Archives.
  4. ^ Tribune-Star, Arthur FoulkesThe (2011-09-07). "Recent change in road designation causes confusion on Terre Haute's east side". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  5. ^ "Road 46 West of Columbus Renamed by City Council Monday night". The Republic (Columbus, Indiana). 1974-06-24.
  6. ^ staff. "45/46 Bypass Construction Updates". Retrieved August 6, 2011.
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