U.S. Route 50 in Indiana

U.S. Route 50
Route information
Maintained by INDOT
Length:	171.38 mi[1] (275.81 km)
Existed:	1926 – present
Major junctions
West end:	US 50 towards Lawrenceville, IL
	US 41 in Vincennes US 150 from Vincennes to Shoals I-69 in Washington US 231 in Loogootee I-65 in Seymour US 31 in Seymour US 421 in Versailles
East end:	US 50 towards Cincinnati, OH
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List Bannered Divided Replaced Indiana State Roads Interstate US State Former ← SR 49 SR 51 →

U.S. Route 50 (US 50) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from West Sacramento, California, to Ocean City, Maryland. In the U.S. state of Indiana, it is part of the state road system. US 50 enters the state in Vincennes. The 171.38 miles (275.81 km) of US 50 that lie within Indiana serve as a major conduit. All of the highway is listed on the National Highway System. Various sections are rural two-lane highway, urbanized four-lane undivided highway and one-way streets. The easternmost community along the highway is Lawrenceburg at the Ohio state line. US 50 passes through urban areas, farmland and woodland.

Route description

US 50 enters Indiana over the Wabash River and a CSX railroad track as a four-lane, divided highway passing through rural farmland. The highway heads east, turning southeast, having a cloverleaf interchange with US 41 and US 150. The three routes head southeast; the concurrent ends when US 41 keeps heading south and US 50 and US 150 turn east. The two routes head east towards Washington, as a four-lane divided highway passing through rural farmland. In Wheatland the highway has an intersection with both SR 550 and SR 241. The road bypasses Washington around the south side of town, intersecting SR 57 and SR 257. On the east side of Washington the highway has an interchange with Interstate 69 (I–69). After the interchange with I–69, the highway narrows to a two-lane highway and heads east towards Loogootee.^[2][3][4]

In Loogootee, the highway begins a concurrency with US 231. The concurrency heads north passing through the downtown area of Loogootee as a two-lane highway, passing commercial and residential properties. The concurrency ends when US 50 and US 150 turn east and with US 231 still heading north. The highway heads east from Loogootee towards Shoals; in Shoals US 150 heads southeast and US 50 heads northeast towards Bedford. The highway passes through the Hoosier National Forest and an intersection with SR 650. Southwest of Bedford US 50 begins a concurrency with SR 37. The two routes head north, turning northeast crossing the east folk of the White River. After the river the concurrency turns northwest and the concurrency ends at an intersection with SR 450. SR 37 heads north and US 50 heads east, concurrent with SR 450, towards downtown Bedford. The concurrency heads towards downtown Bedford, passing through commercial and residential properties, as a four-lane highway with a center turn lane. Downtown the highway divided into one-way streets at an intersection with M Street, with eastbound on Sixteenth Street and westbound on Fifteenth Street. This intersection is also the eastern terminus of SR 450. The streets head through downtown and have the Lawrence County Court House between them. A block after the court house the one-way streets end at an intersection with H Street. The highway leaves downtown as a two-lane highway passing through mostly residential properties.^[2][3][4]

US 50 heads east-northeast from Bedford towards Brownstown, passing through farmland and woodland as a two-lane highway. The route has an intersection with SR 446 and SR 235. After SR 235 the road passes through mostly farmland with a few houses. The highway passes through a concurrency with SR 135, before entering Brownstown. In Brownstown the routes has an intersection with SR 250. From Brownstown the route heads northeast towards Seymour, passing through rural farmland with a few houses. US 50 enters Seymour and becomes a four-lane undivided highway, passing through commercial and residential properties, parallel to a CSX Railroad track. In downtown Seymour, the highways becomes a four-lane highway with a center turn lane and it has a short concurrency with SR 11. The route leaves downtown Seymour heading east passing through commercial properties and having an interchange with I–65. East of the interchange the road has an intersection with US 31 and the roadway narrows to a two-lane highway.^[2][3][4]

The highway leaves Seymour and heads northeast towards North Vernon, as a two-lane highway passing through farmland. The route enters North Vernon head northeast, passing through residential properties. In downtown North Vernon US 50 has an intersection with SR 3 and SR 7 concurrency. The highway head through downtown crossing the Madison Railroad track. The highway leaves downtown, heading east passing through industrial and residential properties. The road leaves North Vernon heading northeast towards Versailles, passing through farmland. The route passes just north of the Jefferson Proving Ground. West of Versailles, the highway begins a concurrency with US 421. The concurrency enters Versailles, heading southeast passing residential properties. US 421 turns south ending the concurrency with and a concurrency with SR 129 begins. The two routes head east leaving Versailles and entering the Versailles State Park. East of the state park the concurrency with SR 129 ends when SR 129 heads due north and US 50 heads southeast.^[2][3][4]

US 50 entering Indiana from Ohio

The route heads south east toward Dillsboro, passing through an intersection with State Road 101. At the intersection with SR 101, US 50 becomes a four-lane divided highway passing through woodland and farmland. In Dillsboro the road passes north of town and it has an intersection with SR 62. After Dillsboro the highway heads northeast towards Aurora, passing through woodlands. On the way to Aurora the highway becomes a four-lane undivided, before becoming a divided highway again. In Aurora the road has an intersection with SR 56 and SR 350. The highway heads northeast towards Lawrenceburg as a four-lane highway with a center turn lane, passing through commercial properties. In Lawrenceburg the route has an intersection with SR 48, followed by an intersection with SR 1, SR 1 provides access to I–275. The route leaves Lawrenceburg heading northeast as a four-lane undivided highway passing through woodland. US 50 enters Ohio as a four-lane undivided highway west of an underpass of I–275.^[2][3][4]

The entire length of US 50 in Indiana is included as a part of the National Highway System (NHS).^[5] The NHS is a network of highways that are identified as being most important for the economy, mobility and defense of the nation.^[6] The highway is maintained by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) like all other U.S. Highways in the state. The department tracks the traffic volumes along all state highways as a part of its maintenance responsibilities using a metric called average annual daily traffic (AADT). This measurement is a calculation of the traffic level along a segment of roadway for any average day of the year. In 2010, INDOT figured that lowest traffic levels were the 2,690 vehicles and 480 commercial vehicles used the highway daily between SR 446 and Lawrence–Jackson county line. The peak traffic volumes were 31,720 vehicles and 1,920 commercial vehicles AADT along the section of US 50 between SR 148 and SR 48.^[7]

History

US 50 was first signed 1917 as Main to Market Highway number Five, from Illinois state line to Mitchell. East of Mitchell to the Ohio state line it was Main Market Highway number Four.^[8][9] The number US 50 was given to this route when the United States Numbered Highway System began in 1926.^[10][11][12]

Future

State Road 750
Location:	North Vernon

INDOT has conceived a bypass routing of US 50 around North Vernon, splitting it into two projects, North Vernon West^[13] and North Vernon East.^[14] North Vernon West opened December 10, 2013, carrying a temporary State Road 750 designation until North Vernon East is completed and US 50 routed over the entire bypass.^[15]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Knox	Vincennes	0.00	0.00	US 50 west – Lawrenceville	Illinois state line
		1.84	2.96	US 41 north / US 150 west to SR 67 north – Terre Haute	Western end of US 41/US 150 concurrency
		3.04	4.89	US 41 south – Evansville	Eastern end of US 41 concurrency
	Wheatland	13.16	21.18	SR 550 west – Emison	Eastern terminus of SR 550
		13.67	22.00	SR 241 south – Decker	Northern terminus of SR 241
Daviess	Washington	20.53	33.04	SR 57 – Evansville, Petersburg, Washington, Worthington
		22.72	36.56	SR 257 – Otwell
				I-69 – Evansville
Martin	Loogootee	36.02	57.97	US 231 south – Jasper	Southern end of US 231 concurrency
		36.49	58.72	US 231 north – Bloomfield	Northern end of US 231 concurrency
		36.78	59.19	SR 550 east	Western terminus of SR 550
	Center Township	42.65	68.64	SR 450 east – Bedford	Western terminus of SR 450
	Shoals	44.18	71.10	US 150 east – Paoli, Louisville	Eastern end of US 150 concurrency
	Halbert Township	48.19	77.55	SR 650 east	Western terminus of SR 650
Lawrence	Spice Valley Township	54.33	87.44	SR 60 east – Mitchell	Western terminus of SR 60
	Bedford	64.09	103.14	SR 37 south – Mitchell	Southern end of SR 37 concurrency
		68.16	109.69	SR 37 north / SR 450 west to SR 158 west – Bloomington	Northern end of SR 37 concurrency; western end of SR 450 concurrency
		69.88	112.46	SR 450	Eastern terminus of SR 450
	Shawswick Township	78.24	125.92	SR 446 north – Bloomington, Heltonville	Southern terminus of SR 446
Jackson	Owen Township	88.63	142.64	SR 235 south – Medora	Northern terminus of SR 235
		91.27	146.88	SR 135 north – Medora	Western end of SR 135 concurrency
	Brownstown	94.33	151.81	SR 135 south – Freetown	Eastern end of SR 135 concurrency
		95.12	153.08	SR 250 east	Western terminus of SR 250
	Seymour	105.26	169.40	SR 11 south	Western end of SR 11 concurrency
		105.57	169.90	SR 11 north – Columbus	Eastern end of SR 11 concurrency
		107.83	173.54	I-65 – Indianapolis, Louisville
		108.30	174.29	US 31 – Scottsburg, Columbus
Jennings	North Vernon	120.54	193.99	SR 3 / SR 7 – Vernon, Columbus, Greensburg
Ripley	Versailles	141.07	227.03	US 421 north – Greensburg	Western end of US 421 concurrency
		141.99	228.51	US 421 south / SR 129 south – Madison, Vevay	Eastern end of US 421 concurrency; western end of SR 129 concurrency
	Johnson Township — Washington Township	145.91	234.82	SR 129 north – Batesville	Eastern end of SR 129 concurrency
	Washington Township	149.04	239.86	SR 101 north – Milan	Southern terminus of SR 101
Dearborn	Dillsboro	154.28	248.29	SR 62 west / SR 262 east – Madison, Rising Sun	Eastern terminus of SR 62; eastern terminus of SR 262
	Aurora	163.14	262.55	SR 56 west / SR 350 west – Rising Sun, Osgood	Eastern terminus of SR 56; eastern terminus of SR 350
		163.63	263.34	SR 148 west	Eastern terminus of SR 148
	Lawrenceburg Township	166.59	268.10	SR 48 west – Napoleon	Eastern terminus of SR 48
	Lawrenceburg	169.07	272.09	I-275 / SR 1 north – Ohio, Kentucky	Southern terminus of SR 1
	Lawrenceburg Township	171.38	275.81	US 50 east – Cincinnati	Ohio state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

See also

• U.S. Roads portal

References

1. Staff (2004). "Reference Post Book" (PDF). Indianapolis: Indiana Department of Transportation. U-50. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
2. Indiana Department of Transportation (2011). Indiana Railroad Map (PDF) (Map). Indianapolis: Indiana Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
3. Indiana Department of Transportation (2012). Indiana Transportation Map (PDF) (Map) (2011–12 ed.). Indianapolis: Indiana Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
4. Google (December 8, 2012). "Overview of US 50 in Indiana" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
5. Federal Highway Administration (December 2003). National Highway System: Indiana (PDF) (Map). Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
6. Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike; Adderly, Kevin (September 26, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
7. Staff (2010). "Indiana Traffic Counts". Indianapolis: Indiana Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
8. Indiana State Highway Commission (1917). Main Market Highways (Map) (1917 ed.). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
9. Staff. "Main Market Highways of Indiana" (PDF). Indiana Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
10. Weingroff, Richard F. (January 9, 2009). "From Names to Numbers: The Origins of the U.S. Numbered Highway System". Highway History. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
11. Rand McNally (1926). Road Map of Indiana (Map) (1926 ed.). Rand McNally. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
12. Indiana State Highway Commission (1927). State Highway System of Indiana (PDF) (Map) (1927 ed.). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
13. U.S. 50 North Vernon West. Indiana Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
14. U.S. 50 North Vernon East. Indiana Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
15. "Lt. Governor Cuts Ribbon on North Vernon Bypass" (Press release). Indiana Department of Transportation. December 10, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google