Over the past almost six years, while researching topics for both the Facebook group and this blog, I have found a lot of things that were interesting, yet wouldn’t make a complete entry for this blog. This includes a lot of things that I have snipped from newspapers that I have shared in the group. Some of those are one off items that I found interesting. Today, I want to share some of those.

This picture appeared in the Indianapolis News on 4 October 1960. It was part of a larger advertisement by the Portland Cement Association about the opening of Interstate 74 from what would eventually become I-465 to Shelbyville that had just opened. It states very bluntly that the “Old Michigan Road” was replaced by the new interstate. The Michigan Road, in that section, had been in place for around 130 years or so, but now found itself not only relegated to becoming a frontage road, but also completely removed in one section from Acton Road to London Road, when the interstate was built directly on top of the old right-of-way. I found this picture recently (26 February 2020), although I covered the topic (“Replacement of US 421 in Marion, Shelby and Decatur Counties“) on 19 July 2019.

Another tidbit I found on 26 February 2020 involved a topic that I have covered several times in ITH. SR 100 was originally planned, though not built, as a bypass of the city of Indianapolis in 1932. Eventually, when I-465 was built to replace SR 100, the Federal Government paid 90% of the cost. But the section that is now 465 from 62nd Street to north of 96th Street on the west side wasn’t included in the original design. At that time, state roads were paid by the Feds in a 50/50 arrangement. When the state decided to connect the two sections of 465 with this new road, it was built as SR 100 (hence the location of Park 100!). The state, therefore, paid half the cost. It lasted as SR 100 for about a year, before it was recommissioned as I-465, creating a 25 year confusion with the “dogleg,” which was the actual 465 in the beginning.

Proof that INDOT still believes that the section of 465 that connects the north leg to the original west leg is an afterthought is shown in the signage that INDOT itself installs. This sign is located at Township Line Road on -465 West. Notice that the destination on the sign shows I-465 South, and that the mileage to I-65 North is listed. This sign was probably put in place in the late 1960’s when the interstate was constructed. I want to mention that this picture was taken in April 2019, after the sign was just replaced by INDOT and I-865 had existed for around two decades. (The sign wasn’t actually replaced. All of the signs in that section were covered over with segments that were riveted to the old sign, those lowering the cost of replacement.)

When I started the ITH blog, one of the first articles talked about how US Highways are merely state roads. (“US Highways: They are actually State Roads,” 12 February 2019) This is shown when it comes to signs that INDOT install along these roads. The pictures shown here come from the Pleasant View interchange with Interstate 74/US 421. Or State Road 421, depending on which sign you look at. The first of these two pictures shows not only a SR 421 marker on the BGS (big green sign), but also a US 421 trailblazer on the right shoulder closer to the exit. 421 has this signing situation in numerous places along its route. It should be noted that the sign that shows the SR 421 marker is newer than that of the one with the US 421 marker. This can be seen by the fact that the directions use smaller upper case letters, as is now Federal standard.

An article from the Indianapolis Star of 24 August 1944 shows the contract for the final section of US 40 that needed widened to four lanes has been let. 10.75 miles of the road, from Dunreith to Dublin, were all that was left of making US 40 across the state into a divided highway. Notice that the road was to be 22 feet wide and made of concrete. The paving company that won the contract, Calumet Paving Company, still exists today as Calumet Civil Contractors, Inc. (www.calumetcivil.com) According to its website, the company started in 1928 and its first project was SR 6 in Gary.

References to the Madison & Indianapolis State Road still exist in legal descriptions. The above snippet shows a property description in Franklin which still uses the original name of the road that would become, later, Original State Road 1 and, hence, US 31.

The Jeffersonville, Madison & Indianapolis Railroad is also still listed in property descriptions in Franklin, as well. This, to me, is strange, since the JM&I was actually a later company name for what was the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad. For an idea of the age of this reference, the railroad would later become known as: the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis (Panhandle); the Philadelphia, Baltimore & Washington; the Penn Central; Conrail; and now as the Louisville & Indiana. The last two snippets were published in the Daily Journal of Franklin concerning construction work at the Masonic Home.

When I was writing a blog entry concerning Indiana Toll Roads (“The Indiana Toll Road(s),” 25 May 2019), +I found this article concerning the possibility of building a toll road from Chicago to Miami (you know, basically a toll version of the Dixie Highway!). I am sure that the concept of a $2 billion highway was frowned upon when this editorial was written for publication on 28 September 1953. When the interstate system came into being less than three years later, the need for such a mammoth project, as a toll road, declined.

I am currently digging through my backup DVDs/BluRays to see if there are even more things along this line to share. I welcome any comments that you may have.

Much has been made about an idea in the early 1960’s bringing Interstate 69 to downtown Indianapolis. Many people believe that having the I-69 route connecting directly to downtown would alleviate much of the congestion that occurs on I-70 and I-465 with people trying to get back and forth to locations northeast of the heart of the city. I am of a different view on that perception. But that’s neither here or there at this point. But the idea of the “Interstate 169” wasn’t the first such plan that was shut down by the Federal Bureau of Public Roads.

It should be noted that the original plan for the entire interstate system was to provide access routes between cities for National Defense purposes. The law of 1956 creating the system was later relaxed to allow for the highways to “conform more to the needs of the various communities.” This change would allow for the interstate system to serve the public, as well as the Defense Department. So, when originally created, Interstates 65, 69, 70, and 74 would get you in the general direction of Indianapolis…not completely to the city itself. After the relaxation of the rules, the plan in 1965 called for the system to include “I-465 (the outer loop); an inner loops comprised of I-65 and I-70, both stretching beyond the county boundaries; I-74 which connects with the northwest and southeast edges of the outer loop, and I-69 which joins the northeast corner of the outer loop.” (Indianapolis Star, 06 November 1965)

It should also be noted here that the original plan for the end of I-69 was very different. The original route of I-69 was planned to connect to a point on Interstate 70 near 21st Street and German Church Road. This would have brought the interstate through the Geist area to connect to a point in Hamilton County in the area of 126th Street and where I-69 is today. Travel to downtown would have been much different had this plan been put into place.

Anyone that has looked at the “north split” of Interstates 65 and 70 can tell that there was more to the plan than what exists. There are bridges over ghost ramps, and ghost ramps, that were started and left to rot. The Indiana State Highway Commission had pushed for the idea of connecting the northeastern part of Marion County to the interstate system very early. The push was a continuation of I-69. But one thing that most people don’t take into consideration is that all of the interstate plans had to be approved by the Federal Bureau of Public Roads, since the Feds were footing most of the bill.

One of the first modifications to the original plan to cut down on the costs was to combine interstates 65 and 69 north out of downtown. The Indianapolis News of 15 May 1962 reported that “I-65 and I-69 Routes in City Get Restudy.” The original plan, and the one that was ultimately built, brought I-65 across the 12th Street corridor to meet I-70 coming in from the east side. The original plan for I-69 was to have it end in the northeastern of the county, as it does. The I-69 plan, added to by the state and city officials as a wish, was to leave due north from the north split, then turn northeast to meet with the Fall Creek Parkway corridor between 30th and 38th Streets.

A plan submitted to the Bureau of Public Roads wold have brought I-65 across the city along, roughly, the 30th Street corridor to meet I-69, then turn south to meet I-70 near 12th Street. This new plan would, in theory, reduce the cost of building the interstates by $4.8 million. This new study was “prompted by the federal bureau, which questioned whether I-65 and I-69 should parallel each other.” The study was submitted to the Chicago regional office of the Bureau on 15 May 1962. It was expected to be rule on by that summer.

The Bureau of Public Roads questioned the necessity and cost of bringing Interstate 69 into the downtown area. Even with the new duplex plan. But by July, the Bureau had verbally denied teh idea. The state was considering an appeal of the decision. The Indianapolis News of 14 August 1962 reported that the state was submitting a request to end I-69 just south of Castleton if the plan to bring it downtown was not approved. The state, if they couldn’t get a route to downtown, determined that travelers would be better served if I-69 would connect to a point near the two legs of SR 100 (82nd Street and Shadeland Avenue) where I-465 would be built. This would bring motorists to the SR 37 corridor, which was built in the mid 1950’s, allowing access to downtown. Another thought was that the new plan would allow for continuation of the highway, should it be approved at a later date, to downtown instead of ending it on the far eastside.

The request in August was submitted because the plans being mulled over by the Bureau was delaying engineering work on the entire highway system. Such work had been stalled to allow for any changes to be implemented. Without those changes forthcoming, nothing was getting done. The state was anxious to get the ball rolling when it came to the interstate system in Marion County.

The state had, according to the Indianapolis News of 25 October 1968, asked for more interstate mileage. One project was, again, the much wanted, and often denied, Northeast Expressway project as an extension of I-69. As pointed out in the article, the tri-level interchange at the north split was also planned, and adding I-69 to the mix wouldn’t require any type of redesign. Another project would connect the south leg of I-465 to I-65 near 38th Street along roughly the Harding Street corridor on the city’s west side. This project would have also contained an extension of I-65 across the 12th Street corridor to connect to the new Harding Street highway. And yet another project was asked to be added at that time would be a connector route across the 30th Street corridor connecting I-65 to the asked for I-69. These expansions, called “the first formal request for additional interstate mileage since the birth of the expressways about 12 years ago,” were shot down…at least the Indianapolis projects. (There were other requests at that time, and I will cover those later.)

I have seen news stories about the possibility of bringing Interstate 74 from Speedway to downtown. That project never got past the city recommendation stage. It would have connected to the extended 12th Street corridor of I-65, then aiming toward the interchange with I-465 on the northwest side. This was in conjunction with a requested change in the I-65 route from downtown to 38th Street. The proposed change would have had I-65 moved to west of White River, to follow the route of the proposed SR 37 (Harding Street) Expressway. (Indianapolis Star, 26 August 1965) The 12th Street corridor would have been extended to west of White River, then I-65 would turn roughly north along the Lafayette Road corridor, behind Marian College (University) to 38th Street. Before turning north, the “future I-74” would connect to I-65’s proposed route. None of these plans, obviously, came to fruition.

Over the past year, Indiana Transportation History has covered quite a few topics. Today, I want to focus on those articles that have been published so far when it comes to railroad history. Railroads have played a major part in the history of Indiana. Indianapolis, the Hoosier capitol, was legally just a town before the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad came to town in 1847. That same year, Indianapolis was made legally a city. Places like Fort Wayne and Logansport became major hubs when it came to railroads. Some have come, some have gone. All have played their part in building the Indiana we have today.

This article is essentially a lot of links, 59 of them to be exact, but it does go to show how much railroads were not only covered on ITH, but how important they were to Indiana in general.

The entire state was covered on 27 January 2020 in an article appropriately named Indiana – A Rail Center.

The first long distance railroad in Indiana was that of the Madison & Indianapolis. The company itself was set up and run by the state of Indiana. It saw both good times and bad during its history. Some of those bad times had as much to do with the management of the company as it did with the actual physical constraints set in place when Madison was chosen as the starting point. Two railroads (Shelbyville Lateral Branch and the Knightstown & Shelbyville), abandoned very early in Indiana railroad history, would play into the Madison & Indianapolis and its competitor (and ultimate buyer), the Jeffersonville. The M&I also found itself with an increased mission, covered in Expansion of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad.

But the M&I wasn’t the first railroad in the state – that was in Shelbyville, and covered in Indiana’s First Railroad.

I have covered the Monon and its history several times. From its start (The Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway and The Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway, Part II) to its end (Abandoning The Monon), and some of the branches that would become part of the road (Bedford and Bloomfield Railroad), the Monon has been an important fixture to a lot of Hoosiers over the years.

What would become the Nickle Plate in Indiana started life as the Lake Erie And Western Railroad. Another small railroad that would become part of not one, but two, bigger companies would be The Midland Route. And, another eastern company that moved into Indiana was The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway of Indiana.

What would become the second largest railroad company in Indiana, the New York Central, would be covered, in whole and in parts, over the past year. Smaller lines, such as Fairland, Franklin & Martinsville Railroad and the Columbus, Hope & Greensburg. The majority of the New York Central, prior to 1930, was controlled by two companies: The Big Four Railway and the New York Central. The Big Four did have a large crash that was covered in two articles on the same day – 1903: Big Four Special crash kills 15 Purdue Footballers and Extra: Big Four Purdue Special Crash. One of the largest railroad yards in the United States was covered in Big Four Yards at Avon. And Avon was built after one of the former largest yard facilities in the country at Beech Grove.

Of course, it wasn’t the last time that I covered rail crashes. Major Indiana Railroad Disasters up to 1903 came about as a follow up to the Big Four Special crash mentioned above. 1968 also saw the Train Wreck at Dunreith, a large Pennsylvania Railroad crash that, in my mind, saw what was to come with the pending Pennsylvania – New York Central merge that would become official one month later. Another crash was covered in 1883: Train Wreck Near Salem.

Indianapolis, home of the first Union Depot in the United States, was covered several times on just that subject. Indianapolis Union Depot was the first such building. The combination of the trackage at the station was covered in an article called Indianapolis Union Station: How the Tracks Came to Be. I also spent time covering what was in place Before Indianapolis Union Depot, listing the stations that existed before they were consolidated into the Union Depot. And of course, the ultimate project when it came to Union Station would include Indianapolis Track Elevation.

While the New York Central was the second largest railroad company in Indiana, the Pennsylvania was the largest…by far. Its history in Indiana, including the Madison & Indianapolis mentioned above, was covered quite a bit, as well. Pennsylvania Lines West of Pittsburgh and Erie covered the holding company that represented PRR interests in the state until it was completely absorbed into the parent company. Part of the Pennsylvania Lines included the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway that connected the title cities across northern Indiana. The Vandalia was another part of the the PL, and part of that was the Indianapolis & Vincennes Railroad. The PRR at Logansport detailed the history of the building of the PRR hub in Cass County. A PRR stub line was mentioned in The Pennsylvania Railroad in South Bend. Indianapolis PRR yards were covered in PRR’s Hawthorne Yards and Pennsylvania Railroad Repair Shops at Indianapolis.

What is now the Indiana Railroad was covered in a more detailed history called the Indianapolis Southern Railway. As a side note, the name of that company would be referenced in 1987 when the City of Indianapolis closed Bluff Road to replace an old bridge over the Indianapolis Southern Railroad, even though at that time it was the Indiana Railroad. The Indianapolis Southern was also affected by nature, as covered in White River on Indianapolis’ South Side, and its Effects.

Most of the railroads in Indiana were part of what could be considered “eastern” railways. But I did cover one of the “western” roads when I talked about The Milwaukee Road in Indiana.

Railroad towns were covered, as well: Brightwood, Railroads in Fort Wayne, 1880; and Cambridge City – Railroad Center.

Of course, Interurbans were covered in great detail, as well, since they played a very important, albeit short, part in transportation history in the state. Indiana Railroad (1930) was the company created to control most of the Central Indiana traction companies. Indianapolis and the Interurban covered how the electric traction companies entered the city, since they legally ended at the city limits.

More interurban coverage included:
– Interurbans in Marion County, Where Were They?
– End of the (Traction) Line in Greenfield
– Indianapolis-New Castle Traction
– Marion County Interurbans, and Their Remaining Property Lines
– Chicago, South Shore and South Bend Railroad
– Interstate Public Service
– Street Car and Electric Traction Franchises
– Martinsville Traction
– Danville Traction
– Lebanon Traction
– 1904: Interurbans Before the Traction Terminal
– Fort Wayne Electric Traction Options
– Interurbans, Part 1
– Interurbans, Part 2.

And, finally, Railroad Abandonments in Indianapolis covered just that. And connecting to state roads, a popular subject here, was ISHC and Railroad Grade Crossing Removal: 1937.

When the Great Renumbering occurred on 1 October 1926, the new United States Highway number 41 left Evansville aiming due south. At that time, there was a ferry across the Ohio River, allowing passengers to connect to the rest of the country via US 41 through Kentucky. For a brief time in 1930, US 41 was rerouted along the Ohio River, crossing via a ferry directly into Henderson, Kentucky. By 1932, it was back to the old route, due south of Evansville…and still using the ferry. Bridge construction was on the minds of the people on both sides of the river. It took a while…but it happened.

What most people don’t understand about the Ohio River at Evansville is that 1) there are actually two crossings…one in entirely in Kentucky and 2) crossing the Ohio River required not only the states to agree, but also the Federal Government. The legal state line separating Kentucky and Indiana is the low water mark of the Ohio River on the north side of said river. At Evansville, that low water mark is actually north of the main channel of the river. A channel separates the state of Indiana from Green River Island, which is entirely in Kentucky. The actual location of the state line makes me question the whole financing deal with crossing the river. Indiana and Kentucky tend to share the entire cost of bridges across the Ohio 50/50…even though most of the river, 80% or more, is in Kentucky.

Crossing the Ohio also requires permission from the Army Corps of Engineers due to its use as a major water highway. From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the place it empties into the Mississippi River, the river falls into a Federal jurisdiction. Which makes sense, actually, since the river forms the state lines between West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois along its course.

The first mention of a bridge at Evansville was before the Great Renumbering. The Muncie Star-Press of 31 December 1924 mentions that the United States Senate had passed a bill allowing for the construction of three bridges across the Ohio River: one at Evansville; one connecting Portsmouth, Ohio, to Fullerton, Kentucky; and one from Huntington, West Virginia, to a point in Ohio opposite.

There were several attempts to bridge the Ohio River as part of US 41 in the years leading up to the final construction. Newspapers in 1928 were all covering a new law being pushed through Congress for that very purpose. According to press reports at the time, the building of a bridge in the area “has been the cause of heated discussions at Evansville for a year or more.” One solution was the “reported formation of a private company to seek a federal franchise for a toll bridge at Evansville.” This is after “other private efforts to build the Ohio river bridge at Evansville have failed.” In December, 1927, the Indiana State Highway Commission turned down three private offers to build a bridge. ISHC Director John D. Williams issued a statement “to the effect that a provision for private financing of public bridge projects, such as the Evansville bridge, would be an aid to the commission, in that it would not tie up a large part of the available funds in one project.”

In 1928, a hearing for a temporary restraining order against building the Ohio River bridge at Evansville was to be held on 20 October 1928. It was filed along with and injunction suit in Marion County Superior Court. The suit and restraining order was asked for by four Evansville residents and the directors of the Hoosier Motor Club. The argument was that Indiana would be paying half the cost of the bridge which would essentially be a loan to the Commonwealth of Kentucky since Kentucky would be collecting all of the toll revenue. That revenue would be used, it was argued, to repay said loan. “The suit said approval of the interstate contract was made ‘unlawfully and without warrant or authority in law.'” A suit by the Commonwealth of Kentucky would be heard by the United States Supreme Court wanting to have Indiana follow the terms of the agreement for financing the bridge. This put the former suit on hold until the Supreme Court ruled. The Supreme Court did rule on 19 May 1930, requiring Indiana to carry out said contract.

It wouldn’t be until October 1930 that contracts, totaling $2,079,866.24, were let for the bridge to be built. The bridge itself would be massive. According to reports, with the opening of the bridge, the structure would total 5,395 feet with a curb width of 30 feet. “Main cantilever superstructure has four spans of 540, 600, 720 and 432 respectively, or a total length of 2,290 feet.” The bridge would have a navigation clearance of 45 feet above the level of the Ohio River at the time of the flood of 1913. That was, at the time, the highest recorded flood of the Ohio at that point. The piers for the bridge dive 80 feet below low water level. The approach spans were also mammoth: south approach was 2,038 feet; and the north approach was 1,063 feet.

It was also mentioned that although the bridge is entirely in Kentucky, the cost for the structure was shared equally by both states. This “has been the cause of many heated words, especially in the Hoosier legislature, but the two states’ highway officials reached their agreement in a friendly, peaceful conference.”

The bridge’s opening ceremony would span several days in the beginning of July, 1932. Evansville and Henderson, Kentucky, would have multiple groups celebrating the opening of the new span. The new bridge would require tolls to be paid to use it. These tolls would be in place until 20 March, 1941, when an agreement between the two states allowed the bridge tolls to be removed. Although the last Kentucky bond for the bridge would be paid off on 1 January 1941, the agreement to continue tolls until March would be for Kentucky to recoup maintenance costs of $216,8383.37.

A contract was let in February 1936 to the Swanson-Nunn Electric Company of Evansville to install navigation lights on the structure. There was no completion date set for the $4,569 contract.

The bridge that opened in 1932 would serve dutifully until it was decided that a second, parallel structure, was needed. This new facility would cost $5.5 million dollars. It would be located 150 feet downstream from the first bridge, and would carry southbound US 41 traffic to Kentucky, with the old bridge being used for northbound travelers. Both bridges would be configured for two lanes of traffic, even though the original bridge was configured to carry three lanes. Financing for the new bridge would be shared by the Federal government (50%), with Indiana and Kentucky sharing equally the rest of the cost, “even though the Ohio River is in Kentucky.” This was due to US 41’s status as a “primary” highway as opposed to being an “interstate” highway. The contract for the substructure of the second bridge was announced in newspapers on 27 June 1962.

The status of the “Twin Bridges” between Evansville and Henderson are currently in flux. There are many differing plans concerning the spanning of the Ohio River by Interstate 69, which ends, as of this writing, at US 41 in Evansville. It’s possible that one of the bridges will remain, carrying US 41 traffic, while new facilities are built for the interstate. I am sure that when something is set in stone, I will cover it here. I am also sure that the state of Indiana will again share the cost of a set of bridges that are entirely in Kentucky.

After the first decade or so of Indianapolis’ existence, street names throughout the city, and the county, were a hodge podge of miscellanious names. From 1894 to 1899, many street names in the city were changed to give a more cohesive plan to Indianapolis. I have covered some of these: Changes of Indianapolis Street Names in 1895; Indianapolis: State Named Streets; and Why Do Indianapolis Street Numbers Start at 9? But that wasn’t the end of the street name changes in Indianapolis…and especially throughout Marion County. Today, I want to look at some of the old names that went by the wayside.

In 1918, rumored to be due to anti-German sentiment in the Indianapolis area, two street names had been changed. First, Bismarck Avenue became Pershing Street. Second, Germania Avenue became Belleview Place. This was two years after Schurman Avenue became henceforth known as Harding Street from what was Speedway Avenue (nee Lafayette Road/Crawfordsville Road, now Waterway Boulevard) north to 30th Street.

16th Street, at one point, had been known as Tinker Street. Audubon Road was the new name given, in 1903, to College Avenue in Irvington when that town was annexed by the city. 1916 also saw Fairgrounds Avenue changed to Fairfield. Bosart was the new name given to what was Mozart Street.

In June 1939, a series of street name changes occurred that would add some names to the city, while moving some around. 48th Street from the Monon to Keystone Avenue became 49th Street. 49th Street from Arsenal to Baltimore became 51st Street. Hunter Street, from Morris to Woodlawn, became St. Patrick Street.

Two streets without names were given names that were continuations of the streets they connected to: both 29th Street and 30th Street from Riverside to the White River bridge were given those names, even though to that point they had no official designation other than “unnamed public way.” The street that connected Limestone Street to the Michigan Street bridge over White River went from “unnamed street” to Michigan Street. And Michigan Street was changed to Michriver Street.

White River Parkway, East Drive, was the new name given to an unnamed street east of White River from Michigan Street to 10th Street, and from (the now named) 30th Street to 38th Street. Another parkway, this time Pleasant Run North Drive, took over the old Gale Street from English Avenue north to Avon Street, Avon Street from Gale to Front Street, and an unnamed street from Front Street to Sherman Drive. On the opposite side of the Pleasant Run, Lake Avenue from English Avenue to Sherman Drive became Pleasant Run Parkway South Drive.

An unnamed street from Fall Creek south to 16th Street would become Aquaduct Street. Mitchell Street would take over the first unnamed street from 10th to 11th west of Centennial. The first alley north of Palmer, from Meridian to Charles Streets, was renamed Heart Street, in reference to Sacred Heart Church. Oliver Avenue was continued from its end at White River Parkway West Drive to Kentucky Avenue. Northern Avenue became Caroline Street, and Jackson Street became Adams Street, from 34th to 38th.

Moving out to Marion County as a whole, quite a few of the old county roads were given names to better fit Indianapolis. Isenhour Road from Eagle Creek east to Michigan Road became 62nd Street. Poplar Grove Road and The Sheets Road became 86th Street. The Sheets Road was across Washington Township, from the Pike-Washington township line through the village of Sterling (at the Springhill and Williams Road) to the village of Nora at the Westfield Road. The road through Sterling was changed to Spring Mill Road, and Westfield Road was changed to Westfield Boulevard.

What is now Moller Road from 52nd Street north to 62nd Street was called Zionsville Road, and Zionsville Road from 62nd Street to 96th Street was called Pike Township Road. The old Platt-Whitehead Road became Ditch Road north of Westlane Road, and Grandview Drive south of the same. 21st Street outside the city limits of Indianapolis had been Shearer Pike. German Church Road, before being named after the interurban stop at the National Road (Washington Street) was known by both Franke Road (changed, apparently, due to confusion with Franklin Road) and Bade Road. Muessing Street and Muessing Road through Cumberland were also called Cumberland Road (the name it still has above 10th Street).

There were other names given to roads that weren’t because they were a straight line, but because they were the responsibility of a particular toll road company before Marion County took them over. For instance, Southport Road connected Antrim, at Mann Road, to what is now Sherman Drive, then turned south along Sherman to County Line Road. What is now Southport Road from what is now Emerson Avenue to Arlington Avenue, and Arlington Avenue from Southport Road to County Line Road was called Bunker Hill Road. Frye Road was the original name for Stop 11 Road. Center Church Road and Stop 8 Road were both names for what is now Edgewood Avenue (which, strangely, is 1/2 mile south of what was the town of Edgewood, which was on Norwood Road [now Epler Avenue]).

There are so many more that I could cover, but I feel like I have rambled on enough. Feel free to share, in the comments below, some that you know of.

One of the biggest misconceptions about the time of World War II in the United States is that most everything pretty much stopped for the duration of the war. While this is mostly correct, due to shortages of materials for all items available, the state of Indiana still had to maintain its state highway system. The number of projects would be brought way down. But there were still needs. Especially when it came to projects that would, seemingly, help the war effort at home. The beauty of the whole thing is that even during the war, Indiana still had laws requiring publication of contracts for bidding. Hence, the newspapers of the state had listings of the projects to come.

All of the following projects were being bid by the Indiana State Highway Commission. They were published in May, June and August of 1942. The construction work would continue into 1943, and some bids were taken into 1944 for some of these projects.

Allen County: 5.625 miles on State Road (US) 24, from New Haven northeast. Concrete pavement and resurface.

Carroll County: Bridge on State Road 75. Structure 75-J-3486, 65 foot plain concrete arch over Middlefork Creek, 1.7 miles north of State Road 26.

Clark County: .692 mile on State Road 62, Sleeper Lanes between Watson and Charlestown. Concrete pavement.

Clarke County (sic): .637 mile on Dutch Lane Road entrance U. S. Quartermaster Depot at Jeffersonville. Bituminous stabilized widening and bituminous surface treatment.

Daviess and Greene Counties: 2.809 miles on State Road 45, from 1.8 miles south to 1 mile north of the Daviess-Greene County Line. Bituminous retread surface or concrete pavement.

Greene County: 4.122 miles on State Road 45 from 3/4 mile west of Scotland to 1/2 mile east of Doans. Bituminous retread surface or concrete pavement.

Green County: 4.673 miles on State Road 45 from 0.5 mile east of Doans to original State Road 45. Bituminous retread surface of concrete pavement.

Hancock and Henry Counties: 5.971 miles on State Road (US) 40 from Cleveland to Knightstown. Concrete pavement.

Jackson County: Bridge on State Road 250. Structure 250-F-3489, re-erect 75 foot St. Truss bridge with untreated timber floor over Hough Creek, .4 miles southeast of Brownstown.

Johnson County: .516 mile, east entrance to Camp Atterbury from U. S. 31 near Edinburg (sic). Concrete pavement.

Kosciusko County: Bridge on State Road 13. Structure 13-M-1864, reinforced concrete slab over Turkey Creek in Syracuse.

Lagrange County: Bridge on State Road 120. Structure 120-J-3090, Treated timber over Pigeon River – one at 18 feet, eight at 20 feet, and one at 18 feet – 2.7 miles west of Howe.

Lake County: 1.933 miles on Riley Road and Canal Street in East Chicago, Indiana. Concrete pavement and resurface.

Marion County: 1.003 miles, 16th Street from Emerson to Arlington Avenues at Indianapolis. Concrete pavement.

Martin and Daviess Counties: 4.643 miles on State Road 45 from 1.7 miles south to 3 miles north of C. M. St. P. & P. R. R. (Milwaukee Road) west of Burns City. Bituminous retread surface or concrete pavement.

Martin and Daviess Counties: 1.786 miles from proposed State Road 45 to U. S. Naval Depot Area. Bituminous retread surface or concrete pavement.

Porter County: 3.267 miles on State Road (US) 20 from 3.2 miles west to .1 mile east of N.Y.C. Railroad underpass at Porter. Concrete pavement and resurface.

Porter County: 2.802 miles on State Road 20 (US 20) from .1 mile east of N.Y.C. Railroad underpass at Porter to .6 mile east of State Road 49. Concrete pavement and resurface.

Porter and LaPorte Counties: Bridges on State Road (US) 30. Structure 30-D-540A, treated timber over Hutton Ditch, 5.3 miles wast of Valparaiso. Structure 30-E-600A, treated timber over Slocomb Ditch in Wanatah.

Pulaski County: 5.841 miles on State Road 39, from State Road 14 north 6 miles. Compacted aggregate surface.

Vanderburgh County: 1.230 miles on Twelfth Avenue, Broadway and St. Joseph Avenue in Evansville. Concrete pavement.

Today, we go back to looking at the history of automobile manufacturing in Indiana. Today, we start in New Albany, working our way through Muncie, Peru, and Elkhart. Before it comes up, I DO plan on covering Studebaker…I promise. One can not simply ignore the longest Indiana owned auto maker when covering such a topic. I am deciding whether to cover the company as a separate entry, or as a part of this series.

American Automobile Manufacturing Company – New Albany (1908 – 1913): This company really wasn’t based in Indiana…but it was manufactured in the state. The company started in 1908, when the American Automobile Manufacturing Company started by acquiring the Jonz Automobile Company of Beatrice, Nebraska. The offices were moved to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1910, with the factory built on six acres along Vincennes Street in New Albany. The factory had been that of the New Albany Woolen Mill Company. By February 1912, a receiver had been appointed for the company on the application of Chester C. Jones, patentee of the gasoline engine made by the company. The financial trouble was reported as lack of working capital. The bankrupt company was purchased by Ferdinand N. Kahler, a New Albany businessman. Kahler had been making wooden body and frame components for cars since 1908. In December 1912, the company became the Ohio Falls Motor Company…but that was dissolved in July 1913. It was reincorporated as the Falls City Motor Company. The Kahler Company, which basically owned the motor car company continued after the 1914 final bankruptcy and liquidation of the Falls City Motor Company. All assets were sold to the Crown Motor Company (later Hercules Motor Car), and Kahler continued to manufacture parts for other companies, including making frames, floor boards battery boxes and other components for Henry Ford’s Model T.

Bryan Steam Motors – Peru [1918 – 1923]: This company, founded by former Santa Fe Railroad engineer George A. Bryan, generally made what were called light steam tractors. The plan of the company was to start making cars, of which they had built roughly half a dozen. The company had actually always been named the Bryan Harvester Company. The company still exists to this day, building steam boilers for building use as Bryan Boilers in Peru.

Crow-Elkhart Motor Company – Elkhart [1909 – 1923]: This company was founded by Martin E. Crow. The company produced 16 models of cars in their 14 year history, with one being rebadged by the Black Motor Company of Chicago as the “Black Crow.” One of the features that Crow-Elkhart had in their cars was the popular seating arrangement at the time: Cloverleaf seating. This was described as “staggered seats, with the driver’s usually ahead of the others.” This gave way to “rumble seats,” of bench seats, in the 1920s. Color choices available from Crow-Elkhart were: napier green; live green; black; fern green; white; cherry red; battleship gray; rover gray; cobalt blue; and cream. The logo consisted of a heart shaped insignia with a antlered elk’s head in the center. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1922, and was sold for $78,000 in 1923.

Elkhart Carriage and Motor Car Company – Elkhart [1905 – 1931]: Originally started as the Elkhart Carriage and Harness Company, the owners of the company decided in 1905, some 30 years after the company’s founding, to start producing automobiles. The first product, the Sterling, was offered from 1905 to 1909. Later expansion of the company’s offerings created a niche market that Elcar, the new name of the concern, filled very well – taxi cabs. By 1931, competition from Henry Ford and the brothers Dodge, led to the demise of Elcar. The last car to be manufactured at their Elkhart factory was the Mercer, a car for another manufacturer. There were only two of these built before the company gave up entirely.

Sheridan – Muncie [1920 – 1921]: I included this one simply because it was based and built in Muncie. The Sheridan was the first automotive company that was created by William Durant’s General Motors from the ground up. To that point, all other car companies that were a part of General Motors was purchased and folded into the company (Chevrolet, Oakland, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac). But things weren’t going to go well for the new company. Durant was fired by GM before Sheridan could really get off the ground. He bought the nameplate and factory from GM. The Sheridan nameplate, endorsed by Eddie Rickenbacker, was destined for great things. As it turned out, by the summer of 1921, Sheridan started sliding into oblivion. The company had been renamed Durant Motors, and the Sheridan name, despite a backlog of orders, went by the wayside. The Sheridan nameplate disappeared completely by September 1921.

A topic that has always interested me, but I have never covered in either the ITH Facebook group, or here on the blog, are some of the strange things that one can find listed in city ordinances when it comes to “rules of the road.” Some things are “universal.” A stop sign means stop…usually. A red light means stop…again, usually. Crossing gates being lowered at a railroad crossing means a train is coming. But there are some things that are set by the city to give more specific instructions to those that travel city streets. Today, I want to look at Indianapolis. To be honest, the reason I picked Indianapolis is because it was the first one that I ever looked up way back when…exactly, I couldn’t tell you. But Indianapolis has had their ordinances online for a very long time.

The one that always caused me to laugh is weight limits on streets and bridges. Section 441-364 is the part of the city’s ordinances that lists “vehicles on certain streets restricted.” Most of these have been in place for many, many years. Paragraph (e) states “no motor vehicle of the following designated gross weights, with load, shall use the following enumerated streets, except such portions thereof as may be state highways.”

To show how long some of the streets in the list have been on that list, I only need to point out that there is a weight limit of 10,000 pounds gross weight on 17th Street from Belleview Place to Lafayette Road (U.S. Highway 52). And that is how it is written in the city code. Lafayette Road hasn’t been US 52 since I-465 was completed to Brookville Road on the east side of the city.

Two other streets that are included in the weight limit list, and have been, again, for a long time, are Meridian Street from 16th Street to 86th Street and Madison Avenue from Pleasant Run Parkway to Southern Avenue. Remember when I mention paragraph (e) a couple of paragraphs ago? The Madison Avenue mention caught my attention pretty quickly when I saw it the first time. Well, technically, that section of Madison Avenue, a six lane divided highway, stopped being a state highway on 1 July 1999. As did the Meridian Street section. So I guess if the city REALLY wanted to make money…errr…enforce its ordinances, Madison Avenue can really help the cause. What makes it worse is that trucks, using the expressway section just north of Pleasant Run Parkway, have no place to go without violating the ordinance. Pleasant Run Parkway has the weight restrictions. Even if you COULD turn a truck onto that narrow road. At the south end, turning on Southern Avenue is something I wouldn’t want to try in a truck. Oh, no.

Another restriction that makes me chuckle when I read it is the weight restrictions on 16th Street. The 10,000 pound gross weight limit on 16th Street applies to that section from Arlington Avenue to the east city limits. Since most of these rules were coded in the 1970’s, the city limits were, technically, as they are today…the county line. A quick look at a map of Indianapolis will show that the county line is past the end of 16th Street…by two miles. Some are just short restrictions. 51st Street can not be used by trucks from Hillside Avenue east for a span of 150 feet. Trucks are also banned from a section of the east side I refer to as “the alphabets.” East from Franklin Road, the streets are named in order, starting with B, up through H. The restrictions, hence, are on Bazil, Cecil, Devon, Eaton, Fenton, Gibson and Harbison, between Washington and 10th Streets. Occasionally, out here near ITH headquarters, a truck will find itself wandering down the survey line road between Washington Street and Brookville Road. That section of German Church Road also has a weight restriction. And only that section.

Most of the streets on the weight limit list actually make sense. Most are residential neighborhood streets that make driving a car on them a test of a driver’s skill. I wouldn’t want to contemplate how someone would put a large truck on those. Of course, these limits don’t apply if there is a local delivery necessary.

Another thing listed in the city ordinances is speed limits. As a general rule, Indianapolis has a 30 miles per hour for residential streets. This is subject to change depending on alterations listed in Section 441-323. To give an idea of how the speed limits were changed at different times, let’s take a look at East 10th Street. The speed limit along 10th Street is 35 miles per hour from Sherman Drive to Cumberland Road. But it is actually listed in the city code in three places: Sherman Drive to Mitthoefer Road; Mitthoefer Road to German Church Road; and German Church Road to Cumberland Road. The highest speed limit mentioned in this section of the Municipal Code is on 38th Street from Cold Spring Road to the west junction of I-65. The city has set that speed limit at 55 miles per hour. The lowest, with quite a few entries, is 20 miles per hour.

Other things listed in the Municipal Code are: Section 441-336 – Left turns prohibited at enumerated locations (this includes no left turns at all times, and no left turns at certain times); Section 441-337 – Restriction on left turns in the central traffic district; Section 441-338 – Required right turn; and Section 441-339 – Authority of board of public works to prohibit right turns on red at certain locations. All of the one way streets in the city are listed in Section 441-342. Four streets are listed in Section 441-344 because these streets have middle lanes that designated reversible travel. And East Street on that list is for one block…from Sanders Street to Orange Street.

All of the information used in this post comes from the Indianapolis – Marion County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 441. It is available online at https://library.municode.com/in/indianapolis_-_marion_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIIPUORSA_CH441TR. There are a lot more things in that chapter than I covered here. If you really are interested to know what the City of Indianapolis regulates when it comes to traffic, I recommend checking out that link.

Today, part two of covering the automobile industry in Indiana.

Haynes Automobile Company – Kokomo [1895 – 1925]: Elwood Haynes was a Hoosier automobile pioneer. He started working on ideas for an automobile in 1891. By 1894, Haynes, with Elmer and Edgar Apperson, formed the Haynes-Apperson Automobile Company, and released his first car, called the Pioneer. The number of innovations that Elwood Haynes left on the car industry are too numerous to post here, and will require his own entry. In 1905, after the Appersons left to create their car company, Haynes dropped the word Apperson from his company’s name. Haynes continued working on making cars better, more powerful and lighter for the years his company was in existence. 1914 saw the introduction of a car called a Light Six, which claimed to get 22 to 25 miles per gallon of gasoline. In 1923, Haynes offered a new car called the 57 in three different varieties. The company went into receivership in 1924, with the final cars assembled in early 1925. Later that year, the company would be liquidated and Elwood Haynes would pass away.

Auburn Automobile – Auburn [1900 – 1937]: The company that would become Auburn grew out of a carriage company that was founded in 1874 in Auburn. Experimental cars were made at the turn of the 20th Century. Frank and Morris Eckhart, sons of the founder of the predecessor company (Eckhart Carriage Company) entered making cars full time before acquiring two other car makers and moving into larger factory facilities in 1909. World War I materials shortages caused the factory to close for the duration. The Eckhart brothers sold the company in 1919, but the company would remain unprofitable. The new owners approached Errett Lobban Cord in 1924 about running the company. Instead, Cord offered to buy the company, which the owners accepted. The company found itself on rocky ground with the Great Depression. Auburn made upscale cars, which sold extremely poorly at a time when money was scarse. Cord was later forced to give up his automobile companies, which included Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg due to stock manipulation. In 1937, the companies stopped all production.

Overland Automobile Company – Terre Haute (1903 – 1905), Indianapolis (1905 – 1912): Although the Overland company name has been gone for almost a century, the company, or at least its successors, still live today and the name is still used by that company. In 1903, Rose Polytechnic Institute graduate Claude Cox created the Overland while working for Standard Wheel Company in Terre Haute. Two years later, Standard Wheel allowed Cox to move the company to Indianapolis. In 1908, the company was purchased by John North Willys. The company would be renamed to Willys-Overland in 1912. The Overland marquee continued to be used on cars until 1926, when the name was dropped in favor of the Willys Whippet. The Overland name made a comeback when the successor company, Jeep, started using the name for a trim package on the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

DeWitt Motor Company – North Manchester (1907 – 1910): A short lived company, started by Swedish immigrant Virgil DeWitt, basically made motorized carriages. The company was created in August 1907. It was incorporated in October 1908. There were two models of DeWitt cars – both having two seats and air cooled two cylinder engines. By April 1910, production had slowed down to one vehicle a day. On 29 April 1910, a fire that started in the paint shop spread to the entire factory, burning the whole building to the ground. The plant, it was reported, cost $22,000. Insurance on the factory was reported to be $13,000. The company never reopened.

George W. Davis Motor Car Company – Richmond (1909 – 1929): In 1909, George W. Davis started making motorized buggies in Richmond, as most cars were at that time. The original factory for the Davis company was located just east of the Pennsylvania Railroad depot in Richmond. In 1911, cars more in the modern sense were designed and built by the company. In 1920, the company purchased a plant that they had been leasing for several years. That plant had been leased by a former Richmond automobile company that moved to Springfield, Ohio – Westcott Motor Company. This kept the Davis company in Richmond, as they were planning to move to another location. Toward the end of the 1920’s, Davis cars were becoming outdated, and the company started on a downhill financial state. February 1928 saw the company purchased by Automotive Corporation of America, based in Baltimore, Maryland. The company built the last of its cars, 1929 models, using leftover parts from the 1928 models. Legal battles started between the reorganized company, G. W. Davis Corporation and the original company, George W. Davis Motor Car Company, in late 1929.

Huffman Brothers Motor Company – Elkhart (1918 – 1924): This short lived company was created in 1918, but their first cars were released in 1920. By May 1921, the company was in financial trouble, with creditors (including the Goshen Buggy Top Company and the Ligonier Auto Body Company) requesting that a receiver be named for the company. This was after the Goshen company filed a suit against the Huffman Brothers Company in October 1920 for non-payment. A receiver was named in October 1921 for the “involuntary bankruptcy” of the company. The Huffman factory, in 1924, as well as that of the Crow-Elkhart Motor Company, had been sitting idle for several months due to financial difficulties…with both plants being used at that time for storage for Studebaker automobiles. Even though the factory had been idle as of March 1924, the company was buying ads in the South Bend Tribune looking for a sales person to sell their trucks in April 1924.

Today (10 February 2020) marks the first anniversary of Indiana Transportation History in blog form. The first post went up one year ago at 0446, which is three hours and 46 minutes from when this post goes live. The six days a week started a year from tomorrow (11 February 2019). Thank you for sharing the past year with me.

Today, I want to focus on the interstate system in Indiana. There were several ways I was going to do this…and finally decided that I would just do a chronological list of how the system was created in Indiana. The information contained in this post comes from the Indiana State Highway Official Maps as released by the State Highway Department (1960) and the Indiana State Highway Commission (1961-1977). Keep in mind that the information was passed along through the official maps was usually the year after the actual completion. For example, the “innerloop” of I-65/70 in downtown Indianapolis was opened in late 1976. It appeared on official maps in 1977, although the map itself was actually printed in 1976.

The first interstate in Indiana really is a matter of discussion. The Indiana Toll Road, which would become (according to the map of 1960) I-80/90/94 was built in the mid-1950’s. It was actually completed from state line to state line before the Interstate system came into being. Another contender would be I-65 at Lebanon. Construction on I-74 east of Indianapolis was started in 1959, with the road opening in October 1960 from southeastern Marion County to SR 9 north of Shelbyville. Construction on I – 74 from the Illinois-Indiana state line east to between Covington and Veedersburg was also listed as under construction in 1959, completed in 1960. After I – 90, which would be the route of the Indiana Toll Road across Indiana, I – 74 was the first that was completed. Technically, I – 90 wasn’t completed across the state until 1965, since before that, what is now the Tri-State (I-80/I-94) was actually part of I-90, and what is now I-90 west of Portage was I-94. The following year (1966), I-74 was completed across Indiana.

1959

I – 65: Under construction: Jeffersonville to Clark-Scott County line near Underwood.
I – 74: Under construction, Illinois-Indiana State Line to between Covington and Veedersburg.
I – 74: Under construction, near SR 100, Marion County, to SR 9, Shelby County.

1960

I – 65: Completed from Jeffersonville at SR 3/62 to Underwood (Clark-Scott County line).
I – 65: Under construction from Underwood to SR 256.
I – 65: Completed from SR 256 to US 50 east of Seymour.
I – 65: Under construction from ramps from I-465 to Hendricks-Marion County Line.
I – 65: Completed from Hendricks-Marion County Line to end of US 52 Lebanon Bypass.
I – 70: Under construction, Centerville Road east to US 40 east of Richmond.
I – 74: Completed from Illinois-Indiana State Line to between Covington and Veedersburg.
I – 74: Completed from near SR 100, Marion County, to SR 9, Shelby County.
I – 74: Under construction from SR 9 to SR 244.
I – 80: Under construction from Illinois-Indiana State Line to Portage.
I – 80: Designation given to Indiana Toll Road from Portage east to Ohio State Line.
I – 90: Under construction from Illinois-Indiana State Line to Portage.
I – 90: Designation given to Indiana Toll Road from Portage east to Ohio State Line.
I – 94: Designation given to Indiana Toll Road from Illinois-Indiana State line west to Portage.
I – 294: Under construction from Illinois-Indiana State Line to Portage.
I – 465: Under construction from US 40 (west leg) to end of ramps to I-65.

1961

I – 65: Completed from Underwood to SR 256.
I – 65: Under construction, US 50 to SR 46 west of Columbus.
I – 69: Under construction, US 24 southwest of Fort Wayne to Allen-Dekalb County Line.
I – 70: Under construction, Current SR 1 to Centerville Road.
I – 70: Completed from Centerville Road to US 40 east of Richmond.
I – 74: Under construction, SR 39 to I-465.
I – 74: Completed from SR 9 to SR 244.
I – 80: Completed from Calumet Avenue (US 41) to SR 55.
I – 90: Completed from Calumet Avenue (US 41) to SR 55.
I – 294: Completed from Calumet Avenue (US 41) to SR 55.
I – 465: Under construction, US 40 to White River in southern Marion County.

1962

I – 65: Under construction, SR 46 to US 31 at Taylorsville.
I – 65: Completed from Lafayette Road exit to Hendricks-Marion County Line.
I – 69: Under constrcution, Allen-Dekalb County Line to east of St. Johns.
I – 70: Under construction, US 40 east of Richmond to Indiana-Ohio State Line.
I – 74: Completed from SR 39 to I – 465.
I – 74: Under construction, SR 244 to east of Batesville.
I – 465: Completed from US 40 to I-65.
I – 465: Under construction, Emerson Avenue (Beech Grove) to I-74 in southeastern Marion County.

1963

I – 65: Completed US 50 to US 31 at Taylorsville.
I – 69: Completed from US 24 southwest of Fort Wayne to Allen-Dekalb County Line.
I – 74: Completed to US 136 west of Veedersburg.
I – 74: Completed from SR 244 to Shelby-Rush-Decatur County Line.
I – 74: Completed from US 52 in Dearborn County to Indiana-Ohio State Line.
I – 80: Completed from Illinois-Indiana State Line to Calumet Avenue (US 41).
I – 90: Completed from Illinois-Indiana State Line to Calumet Avenue (US 41).
I – 294: Completed from Illinois-Indiana State Line to Calumet Avenue (US 41).
I – 465: Completed from US 40 to future SR 37 (Harding Street).

1964

I – 69: Under construction, from SR 38 west of Pendleton to SR 18 east of Marion.
I – 69: Completed from Allen-Dekalb County Line to St. Johns.
I – 69: Under construction, from St. Johns to US 27/SR 8 west of Auburn.
I – 70: Completed from (now old) SR 1 to Centerville Road.
I – 74: Completed from Shelby-Rush-Decatur County Line to SR 1 near St. Leon.
I – 74: Under construction, from SR 1 to US 52.
I – 465: Completed from Harding Street (SR 37) to US 31 (East Street).
I – 465: Completed from US 52/Brookville Road to Emerson Avenue. It should be noted that the section from US 52 south to I-74 would become part of SR 100/Shadeland Avenue later.

1965

I – 64: Location approved, entire length in Indiana.
I – 65: Location approved, US 31 at Taylorsville to I-465.
I – 65: Location approved, end of Lebanon Bypass to SR 2 in Lake County.
I – 65: Under construction, from SR 2 to SR 8/53, both locations in Lake County.
I – 65: Location approved, SR 8/53 to I-90.
I – 69: Location approved, SR 37 to SR 38.
I – 69: Completed from SR 38 west of Pendleton to SR 18 east of Marion.
I – 69: Under construction, from SR 18 east of Marion to US 24 southwest of Fort Wayne.
I – 69: Completed from St. Johns to US 6.
I – 69: Under construction, from US 6 to US 20.
I – 69: Location approved, US 20 to Indiana-Michigan State Line.
I – 70: Under construction, Illinois-Indiana State Linet o US 41/150.
I – 70: Location approved, US 41/150 to I-465.
I – 70: Location approved, SR 100 (Shadeland Avenue) to (now old) SR 1.
I – 74: Location approved, US 136 west of Veedersburg to west of SR 341.
I – 74: Under construction, west of SR 341 to SR 39.
I – 74: Completed from SR 1 near St. Leon to US 52, thus completing road from Indianapolis to Ohio.
I – 90: Designation moved to Indiana Toll Road from Portage west.
I – 94: Designation moved to Tri-State Highway (with I-80) from Portage west.
I – 94: Location approved, Indiana Toll Road to Indiana-Michigan State Line.
I – 265: Location approved, I-64 to I-65.
I – 294: Removed from Indiana.
I – 465: Location approved, I-74/SR 100 to I-65 in Boone County. (What is now 865 was original 465.)

1966

I – 64: Under construction, SR 64 to US 150.
I – 65: Under construction, from near Kankakee River to near US 6 in Hobart.
I – 69: Completed from US 6 to US 20.
I – 69: Under construction, from US 20 to SR 127.
I – 70: Under construction, US 41/150 to SR 46.
I – 70: Under construction, west of SR 243 to east of US 231.
I – 70: Under construction, south of Mohawk to east of SR 109.
I – 70: Under construction, SR 3 to (now old) SR 1.
I – 74: Completed from US 136 west of Veedersburg to SR 39, thus completing entire road in Indiana.
I – 80: Completed from SR 55 to Indiana Toll Road.
I – 94: Completed from SR 55 to Indiana Toll Road.

1967

I – 64: Under construction, SR 165 to US 41.
I – 65: Completed from Southport Road to I-465.
I – 65: Under construction, from US 231 north of US 24 to I-90.
I – 69: Under construction, from SR 37 to SR 38.
I – 69: Under construction, from US 20 to Indiana-Michigan State Line.
I – 70: Under construction from SR 59 east to I – 465 west of Indianapolis.
I – 70: Completed from SR 3 to SR 1.
I – 465: Under construction, from 56th Street/SR 100 to I-74/SR 100.
I – 465: Under construction, from US 421 to US 31 on north side.

1968

I – 64: Under construction, from Illinois-Indiana State Line to SR 57.
I – 64: Completed from SR 64 to connection in Kentucky.
I – 65: Completed from 38th Street, Indianapolis, to Lafayette Road, Indianapolis.
I – 65: Under construction, SR 43 north of Lafayette to US 30.
I – 65: Completed from US 30 to I-90.
I – 69: Completed from US 20 to Indiana-Michigan State Line.
I – 70: Completed from US 41 to SR 46.
I – 70: Completed from SR 243 to US 231.
I – 70: Completed from SR 9 to SR 3.
I – 465: Under construction, from SR 37A (Allisonville Road) to I-65 near Royalton.
I – 465: Completed from Pendleton Pike (US 36/SR 67) to I-74.

1969

I – 64: Completed from SR 65 to US 41.
I – 65: Under construction, from US 31 at Taylorsville to SR 252.
I – 65: Under construction, from SR 28 to SR 16.
I – 65: Completed from SR 16 to US 30.
I – 70: Completed from Illinois-Indiana State Line to US 41/US 150.
I – 70: Completed from US 421 to I-465.
I – 70: Completed from SR 100 to SR 9.
I – 94: Under construction, from I-90 to SR 249.
I – 465: Under construction, from I-65 to 56th Street/SR 100.
I – 465: Completed from 56th Street/SR 100 to Pendleton Pike (US 36/SR 67).
SR 100: (Included because it will become the west leg of I-465 between I-65 to I-465 north leg.) Under construction, from I-465 west leg to I-465 north leg.

1970

I – 64: Completed from Illinois-Indiana state line to SR 65.
I – 65: Under construction from Taylorsville to Greenwood.
I – 65: Under construction from Lebanon to US 24/231.
I – 65: Completed from US 24/231 to SR 16.
I – 69: Completed form SR 238 to SR 38.
I – 70: Completed from SR 46 to SR 243.
I – 70: Completed from I – 465 to Holt Road.
I – 94: Completed from I – 90 to SR 249.
I – 94: Under construction, from SR 249 to SR 149.
I – 94: Under construction, for Waterford to Indiana-Michigan State Line.
I – 465: Completed from I-65 in Boone County to 56th Street/Shadeland Avenue.
SR 100: Completed connector between I-65 and I-465 north leg, soon to become northwest leg of 465.

1971

I – 64: Completed from SR 65 to US 41.
I – 64: Under construction, from US 41 to SR 61.
I – 64: Under construction, from SR 337 to SR 64.
I – 65: Under construction, Greenwood to Southport Road.
I – 65: Completed from SR 25 northeast of Lafayette to US 24/231.
I – 69: Completed from SR 37 to SR 238.
I – 94: Under construction, from SR 249 to Indiana-Michigan State Line.
SR 100: Redesignated I-465, causing confusion until creation of I-865.

1972

I – 64: Completed from US 41 to SR 57, and Lanesville to SR 64.
I – 64: Under construction from SR 57 to SR 162, and SR 66 to Lanesville.
I – 65: Completed from West Street, Indianapolis, to 38th Street, Indianapolis.
I – 65: Completed from US 52 northwest of Lebanon to SR 25 northeast of Lafayette.
I – 69: Completed from I-465 to SR 37, thus completing original planned route in Indiana.
I – 94: Completed from SR 249 to US 20, west of Chesterton.
I – 94: Completed from US 20/35 east of Michigan City to Indiana-Michigan State Line.

1973

I – 65: Completed from SR 252 to Southport Road, Marion County.
I – 94: Completed from US 20 west of Chesterton to US 20/35 east of Michigan City. Thus completing the route in Indiana.

1974

I – 64: Completed from SR 57 to SR 61.
I – 64: Completed from SR 135 to Lanesville.
I – 65: Under construction, Keystone Avenue to West Street, Indianapolis.
I – 70: Under construction, Holt Road to Shadeland Avenue, Indianapolis.

1976

I – 64: Completed from SR 61 to US 231.
I – 64: Completed from SR 37 to SR 135.

1977

I – 64: Completed from SR 61 to SR 37, thus completing route through Indiana.
I – 65: Completed from Keystone Avenue to West Street, thus completing route through Indiana.
I – 70: Completed from Holt Road to Shadeland Avenue, thus completing route through Indiana.
I – 265: Completed from I-64 to I-65.

Now, there are additional interstates that have been added to Indiana since the end of this timeline: I – 469, the Fort Wayne beltway; I – 164, the Evansville access to I-64, which is now a part of I-69; I – 865, the original I-465 that became “the dogleg” for many years; and, of course, the I-69 extension, which as of this writing extends from Martinsville to Evansville. There is also the outside possibility that should US 31 be completed to interstate standards between Indianapolis and South Bend, which is slowly becoming a reality, it will receive an interstate number, as well. I am not holding my breath.