Interstate 65 in Indiana

Interstate 65 (I-65) in the U.S. state of Indiana traverses from the south-southeastern Falls City area bordering Louisville, Kentucky, through the centrally located capital city of Indianapolis, to the northwestern Calumet Region of the Hoosier State which is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The Indiana portion of I-65 begins in Jeffersonville after crossing the Ohio River and travels mainly north, passing just west of Columbus prior to reaching the Indianapolis metro area. Upon reaching Indianapolis, the route alignment of I-65 begins to run more to the northwest and subsequently passes Lafayette on that city's east and north sides. Northwest of there, in west-central Jasper County, the route again curves more northward as it approaches the Calumet Region. Shortly after passing a major junction with I-80 and I-94, I-65 reaches its northern national terminus in Gary at I-90 which is carried on the Indiana East–West Toll Road. I-65 covers 261.27 miles (420.47 km) in the state of Indiana. This is one of the principal interstate highways that cross the state, and, more specifically, intersect at the city of Indianapolis, that has given the state the nickname of "Crossroads of America".

Interstate 65
I-65 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by INDOT
Length261.27 mi[1] (420.47 km)
Existed1956–present
Major junctions
South end I-65 at Kentucky state line
 
North end I-90 / Indiana Toll Road / US 12 / US 20 in Gary
Location
CountiesClark, Scott, Jackson, Bartholomew, Shelby, Johnson, Marion, Hendricks, Boone, Clinton, Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Lake
Highway system
SR 64SR 65

Route description

I-65 enters the state northbound at Jeffersonville (across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky) on the Abraham Lincoln Bridge; traffic exiting the state travels on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge. I-65 travels past Clark State Forest before reaching Seymour to the north. I-65 intersects with U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) providing access to Seymour to the west. US 31 runs parallel to the Interstate until it reaches Indianapolis. North of Seymour, I-65 passes through Columbus. Just north of Columbus, I-65 runs near Camp Atterbury, an Indiana National Guard training base. The Interstate continues north into Indianapolis.

I-65 just outside Indianapolis

I-65 crosses the I-465 loop before reaching Indianapolis. The section of I-65 in Downtown Indianapolis overlaps I-70. The junctions are often referred to as the "North Split" and the "South Split", forming a section of Interstate locally known as the "Inner Loop" or "Spaghetti Bowl" due to the visual complexity of the overlapping freeways. In 1999, the 25-mile (40 km) segment of I-65 between the two I-465 interchanges was renamed the Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds Highway. At mile marker 116, I-65 passes Crown Hill Cemetery, burial site and memorial of President Benjamin Harrison. I-65 leaves the I-465 loop on the northwest side of Indianapolis. The highway travels past Eagle Creek Park and it then passes the terminus of I-865 and picks up US 52.

The segment of I-65 north of Indianapolis heads in the direction of Chicago, Illinois. US 52 runs concurrently until the north side of Lebanon. From this point US 52  runs parallel to I-65. At about the halfway point to the end of I-65 and Indianapolis, I-65 passes through Lafayette. I-65 crosses the Wabash River in Lafayette and passes next to Prophetstown State Park. North of Lafayette, I-65 passes through the open flatlands of northwest Indiana. Protruding from the fields are some of the hundreds of wind turbines of the Benton County Wind Farm and Fowler Ridge Wind Farm.

At approximately mile 199.4 is the time zone boundary between Central Time (Jasper County) and Eastern Time (White County). As with all time zone changes on highways maintained by the Indiana Department of Transportation, this change in time zone is not marked with any roadside signage.

Upon crossing into Lake County, over the Kankakee River, the highway is known as the Casimir Pulaski Memorial Highway.[2] It is known as this from that point to its northern terminus. The northern terminus of I-65 is only 18 mile (0.20 km) north of I-90 (Indiana Toll Road).

History

Initial construction

Like all Interstate Highways in Indiana, I-65 was constructed in segments. There were six segments in the southern portion of the state between the Kentucky border and the south leg of I-465 in Indianapolis, nine within the I-465 loop and eleven more that made up the northern portion connecting the northwest side of Indianapolis to the Indiana Toll Road (I-90) in Gary.[3]

The first section of I-65 to be completed in Indiana was a 13.39-mile (21.55 km) stretch between a temporary connection with US 52 near Royalton in Boone County (just south of the present-day interchange with I-865) and the US 52 junction northwest of Lebanon, which opened in December 1960. The initial southern Indiana portion, running 45.71 miles (73.56 km) between then-US 31E (now US 31) in Clarksville and US 50 east of Seymour, saw its first traffic in November 1961. The final of the 17 segments of I-65 outside of I-465, 23.09 miles (37.16 km) from SR 252 near Edinburgh to Southport Road on Indy's far south side, opened on June 30, 1972.[3]

Unlike for most of portions of I-70 within the I-465 beltway, several inner sections of I-65 were built throughout the overall project lifespan.[3] However, the final three segments from the south side through the heart of the city, including the common portion of I-65 and I-70 (east leg of the "Inner Belt"), were not finished and opened to traffic until around 1974.

Subsequent improvements

Prior to 2004, the interchange from the Indiana Toll Road to southbound I-65 required making a physical left turn onto I-65 via a traffic signal; traffic from northbound I-65 to I-90 bypassed the traffic signal via an isolated right-turn lane. This deficiency has since been corrected by a grade-separation.

As part of the Operation Indy Commute project, INDOT began work in 2013 to widen I-65 on both northbound and southbound mainlines from exit 103 at Southport Road northward to the southern junction with I-465 (exit 106), adding auxiliary lanes in this section to improve merging of traffic entering southbound I-65 from I-465 and entering northbound I-65 from westbound Southport Road. To reduce congestion on I-65 South from I-465 West, the loop ramp from westbound I-465 was replaced by a flyover ramp to southbound I-65. The eastbound I-465 exit to southbound I-65 South was also expanded for improved merging with traffic from the new west-to-south flyover. Most of this work was completed in late 2014.[4]

Exit list

CountyLocationmi[5]kmExitDestinationsNotes
Ohio River0.000.00 I-65 south LouisvilleContinuation into Kentucky
John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge (southbound)
Abraham Lincoln Bridge (northbound)
ClarkJeffersonville0.320.510Court Avenue / 6th StreetNo southbound exit
JeffersonvilleClarksville line0.62–
1.73
1.00–
2.78
110th Street / Stansifer Avenue New Albany
US 31 south Jeffersonville, Clarksville
Northbound signage; US 31 serves as service drives for I-65 through exit 4
Southbound signage; last free exit southbound before toll bridge
2.073.332Eastern Boulevard
3.826.154 US 31 north / Lewis & Clark ParkwayFormerly SR 131
Clarksville5.038.105Veterans Parkway
5.709.176 I-265 west / SR 62 / SR 265 east New AlbanyI-265 east exit 7, west exits 7A-B; signed as exits 6A (east) & 6B (west)
Sellersburg7.3611.847 SR 60 Salem
9.1014.659Charlestown Road Speed, Sellersburg, New AlbanyFormerly SR 311
Memphis15.7825.4016Blue Lick Road
Henryville19.2530.9819 SR 160 Charlestown, Henryville
ScottScottsburg29.3247.1929 SR 56 (McClane Avenue) Scottsburg, SalemSigned as exits 29A (east) and 29B (west) southbound
Austin33.5053.9134 SR 256 (Main Street) AustinSigned as exits 34A (east) and 34B (west) southbound
JacksonVernon Township36.5258.7736 US 31 (Armstrong Street) Crothersville, Austin
41.0866.1141 SR 250 Uniontown, Crothersville
Seymour49.5579.7450 US 50 (Tipton Street) North Vernon, Seymour, BrownstownSigned as exits 50A (east) and 50B (west)
Redding Township55.3289.0355 SR 11 Jonesville, Seymour
BartholomewColumbus63.72102.5564 SR 58 west (450 South) Walesboro, Ogilville
68.29109.9068 SR 46 (Jonathan Moore Pike) Nashville, Columbus, Bloomington
Taylorsville75.74121.8976 US 31 Taylorsville, Columbus, EdinburghSigned as exits 76A (south) and 76B (north)
ShelbyJackson Township80.06128.8480 SR 252 (Shelbyville Road) Edinburgh, Flat Rock
JohnsonFranklin89.54144.1090 SR 44 (King Street) Shelbyville, Franklin
Pleasant Township94.41151.9495Whiteland Road Whiteland
97.22156.4697Worthsville RoadDiverging diamond interchange opened November 23, 2015
Greenwood99.13159.5399Main Street Greenwood
JohnsonMarion
county line
Greenwood–Indianapolis line100.65161.98101County Line Road
MarionIndianapolis103.03165.81103Southport Road
105.90170.43106 I-465 / I-74 / US 31 / US 36 / US 40 / SR 37 / SR 67 Peoria, CincinnatiI-465 exits 53A-B; future I-69
107.05172.28107Keystone Avenue
108.90175.26109Raymond Street
109.97176.98110AMorris Street, Prospect StreetNorthbound exit; Southbound entrance
110.10177.19110B I-70 west St. LouisSouthern end of I-70 concurrency; I-70 east exit 80; northbound left exit to westbound I-70, left entrance by eastbound I-70
110.39177.66110AEast StreetSouthbound exit only
110.52177.86112BFletcher AvenueSouthbound exit (from C/D lanes) and northbound left entrance (via Calvary Street)
111.02178.67111Washington StreetNorthbound exit and southbound entrance (to C/D lanes); formerly US 40/US 52/US 421
111.20178.96112BOhio StreetSouthbound exit (from C/D lanes) and northbound entrance via Pine Street (at Michigan Street)
111.49179.43112BNew York Street, Michigan StreetSouthbound exit (from C/D lanes) via Davidson Street (at North Street) and northbound entrance via Pine Street (at Michigan Street)
111.60179.60112 I-70 east Columbus, DaytonNorthern end of I-70 concurrency; I-70 west exit 83B; split entrance from Pine Street (at Michigan Street) onto eastbound I-70 and left entry onto northbound I-65
112.96181.79113Pennsylvania Street, Meridian Street, Illinois StreetSplit diamond interchange: Northbound exit to 12th Street (at Pennsylvania) and entrance (from 12th at Illinois); southbound exit to 11th Street (at Illinois) and entry (from 11th at Delaware Street); formerly US 31/SR 37
113.51182.68114Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street, West StreetNorthbound left exit and southbound left entrance; formerly US 36/US 52/US 421/SR 67
114.26183.8811521st Street
115.32185.5911629th Street, 30th StreetNo southbound exit; no access from 29th Street to north I-65
115.79186.35117Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. StreetNo northbound exit; formerly US 36/US 421/SR 67
118.89191.3311938th StreetDirectional access only; 38th Street serves as collector/distributor lanes for interchange with Kessler Boulevard and right-in/right-out access to/from Guion Road (no access to northbound I-65 from Guion)
120.69194.23121Lafayette RoadFormerly US 52
122.69–
123.28
197.45–
198.40
123 I-465 Indianapolis International AirportDirectional access only; airport signed southbound only; I-465 exit 20
124.17199.8312471st Street
Hendricks
No major junctions
BooneEagle Township129.09207.75129 I-865 east / US 52 east to I-465 eastSouthern end of US 52 concurrency; western terminus of I-865; southbound exit and northbound entrance
129.85208.97130CR 650 South/Oak Street Zionsville, WhitestownFormerly SR 334
Perry Township133.08214.17133 SR 267 south Brownsburg, Whitestown
Lebanon137.44221.19138LebanonNorthbound exit connects to Indianapolis Avenue, southbound exit connects to Hall Baker Road; no access from northbound Hall Baker Road to southbound I-65
138.61223.07139 SR 39 (Lebanon Street) Lizton, Lebanon
139.88225.12140 SR 32 (South Street) Lebanon, Crawfordsville
141.29227.38141Lafayette AvenueSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
Center Township141.61227.90141 US 52 westNorth end of US 52 concurrency; northbound exit and southbound entrance
Washington Township145.61234.34146 SR 47 Thorntown, Sheridan
ClintonWashington Township157.56253.57158 SR 28 Frankfort, Attica
TippecanoeDayton168.16270.63168 SR 38 (Walnut Street) Dayton, Lafayette
Lafayette171.73276.37172 SR 26 east / South Street Lafayette, RossvilleWestern end of eastern segment of SR 26
174.77281.27175 SR 25 east / Schuyler Avenue Lafayette, DelphiSouthern end of the northern segment of SR 25
West Lafayette177.90286.30178 SR 43 north / River Road Brookston, West LafayetteSouthern end of SR 43
WhitePrairie Township187.54301.82188 SR 18 Brookston, Fowler
West Point Township192.96310.54193 US 231 Chalmers, Wolcott
JasperCarpenter Township200.94323.38201 US 24 / US 231 Wolcott, Remington
204.51329.13205 US 231 Remington, Rensselaer
Newton Township214.24344.79215 SR 114 Morocco, Rensselaer
NewtonUnion
township line
219.94353.96220 SR 14 Winamac
Keener Township229.00368.54230 SR 10 Roselawn, Demotte
Newton
No major junctions
LakeEagle Creek Township239.31385.13240 SR 2 (181st Avenue) Lowell, HebronHebron signed northbound only
Crown Point246.68396.99247 US 231 Crown Point, HebronHebron signed southbound only
249.48401.50249109th Avenue Crown Point, WinfieldInterchange opened September 30, 2010
Merrillville252.06405.65253 US 30 (Lincoln Highway) Merrillville, Valparaiso, Schererville
254.57409.6925561st Avenue
HobartLake Station line257.67414.68258
Bus. US 6 (Ridge Road)
Gary259.06416.92259 I-80 / I-94 / US 6 (Borman Expressway) Chicago, Toledo, DetroitI-80/I-94 east exit 11, west exit 12; signed as exits 259A (west) & 259B (east)
260.59419.3826115th Avenue
261.22420.39262 I-90 / Indiana Toll Road Illinois, OhioI-90 exit 17; northbound exit and southbound entrance
261.27420.47262 US 12 / US 20 / LMCT (Dunes Highway) Portage, GaryAt-grade intersection; northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Auxiliary routes

I-65 has three auxiliary routes in Indiana:

  • I-265: the Indiana segment of the incomplete beltway around Metro Louisville, running from I-65 in Clarksville to I-64 in New Albany and signed the Lee H. Hamilton Freeway. The Indiana segment, plus the Lewis and Clark Bridge across the Ohio River to connect the Indiana segment of I-265 with the Kentucky segment, was completed in December 2016, but is currently not signed as I-265 between I-65 and the new bridge.
  • I-465: beltway around Indianapolis, signed as the USS Indianapolis Memorial Highway
  • I-865: a connector from I-65 to the northwest corner of I-465 in Indianapolis

References

  1. Adderly, Kevin (February 21, 2017). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2016". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  2. Indiana Department of Transportation. "Memorial Highways and Bridges". Indiana Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  3. Ripple, David Alan (1975). History of the Interstate System in Indiana. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University.
  4. Indiana Department of Transportation. "Operation Indy Commute: I-65 & I-465 South". Indiana Department of Transportation.
  5. Indiana Department of Transportation. "INDOT Roadway Referencing System" (PDF). Indiana Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2011.

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Interstate 65
Previous state:
Kentucky
Indiana Next state:
Terminus
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