Indiana State Road 37

State Road 37 marker

State Road 37
Route information
Maintained by INDOT
Length: 229.4 mi (369.2 km)
Existed: October 1, 1926[1] – present
Southern segment
Length: 215 mi[2] (346 km)
South end: SR 66 in Tell City
Major
junctions:		 I-64 in St. Croix
I-69 in Bloomington
I-69 in Indianapolis
I-69 / I-74 / I-465 / US 36 / US 40 in Indianapolis
I-69 in Indianapolis
North end: SR 9 in Marion
Northern segment
Length: 14.4 mi[3] (23.2 km)
South end: I-469 / US 24 / US 30 in Fort Wayne
Major
junctions:		 SR 101 in Springfield Township
North end: SR 2 in Scipio Township
Location
Counties: Perry, Crawford, Orange, Lawrence, Monroe, Morgan, Johnson, Marion, Hamilton, Madison, Grant, Allen
Highway system
← US 36SR 38 →

State Road 37 (SR 37) is a major route in the U.S. state of Indiana, running as a four-lane divided highway for 110 miles of its course.

At one time, the route ran from the southwest corner of the state to the northeast corner. In the pre-Interstate Highway era, Indiana 37 was the most direct route between Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. Interstate 69 has supplanted it as a through route, and State Road 37 now consists of two disconnected segments. The segment in northeastern Indiana runs from the Ohio state line to Interstate 469 near Fort Wayne. The other segment starts at Tell City on the Ohio River and ends in Marion in north central Indiana.

Route description

Southern segment

The southern section has its northern terminus just south of Marion at a junction with State Road 9. It runs south and southwest, passing near Elwood. From here it continues south to Noblesville where it becomes 4-lane divided highway. After this it merges with Interstate 69 near Fishers, joining Interstate 465 northeast of Indianapolis, running along the portion of I-465 concurrent with US 31, US 36, US 40, US 52, US 421, and SR 67 (from exits 42 to 46).

It then departs Interstate 465 on the south side of Indianapolis at Exit 4 where it is a 4-lane divided highway until its southern junction with IN-60 75 miles later. The road runs south and southwest through Martinsville, Bloomington, Bedford and Mitchell.

The next 45 mile segment is part of the above southern section but is a 2 lane rural route that has a lot less traffic. It begins in Orleans and runs through Paoli and the Hoosier National Forest. At English, it turns west along State Road 64 for about 8 miles (13 km) west before turning south at Eckerty (along the Frank O'Bannon Highway), meeting its southern terminus at the junction with State Road 66 on the Ohio River in Tell City.

Northern segment

The northern section begins at the Ohio state line near Harlan, where it continues east as State Route 2. Indiana 37 runs southwest approximately 20 miles (32 km) to end at a junction with Interstate 469 on the northeast side of Fort Wayne.

History

Southern section

SR 37 was a section of the Dixie Highway from Indianapolis to Paoli.

For its part, Indiana 37 now turns to the east and is concurrent with Indiana 64 from Eckerty to English, where it exits the eastbound highway and rejoins the old route. The old, winding stretch of 37 from I-64 at Exit 86 north to English has been renumbered as Indiana 237.

In the 1950s, Indiana 37 ran north of Bloomington on the roads now called Cascades Drive and Old 37 to the northern end of Monroe County. South of Bloomington, Indiana 37 followed Walnut Street Pike, Fairfax Road, Valley Mission Road, Guthrie Road, and Kentucky Hollow Road (Old 37) to Oolitic. These were replaced in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the straighter sections called College Avenue and Walnut Street north of Bloomington and the sections called Walnut Street and Old 37 (Kentucky Hollow Road) to Oolitic. As soon as the current 4-lane 37 was finished in 1976, a portion of Kentucky Hollow Road was abandoned north of Oolitic and a stone quarry that was alongside Indiana 37 for years consumed the road.[4][5]

Indianapolis

SR 37 originally ended at the junction of SR 35 (SR 135) and US 31 at Meridian and South Streets in downtown. The route that became SR 37 was originally numbered SR 13 in Marion and most of Hamilton Counties. SR 13 began at Meridian and Michigan Streets, then the junction of US 31, SR 13 and SR 367.[6]

SR 13 then followed Meridian St. (US 31) north to Fall Creek Parkway N. Drive, where it turned northeast. SR 13 then followed Fall Creek and Allisonville Road to Strawtown in Hamilton County, where what is now SR 37 was undesignated until 1940. In 1940, the portion from north of Strawtown to south of Elwood was made part of SR 13. From south of Elwood to Marion, the road that is now SR 37 was numbered SR 15.[7] By 1945, the entire route described above became a continuation of SR 37 from the south side of Indianapolis. SR 37 was designated along Michigan St. (westbound) and Vermont St. (eastbound) from Meridian St to West Street (at the time US 36, SR 29 and SR 67). SR 37 then turned south on West Street, until it became Bluff Road, at which point it was already part of SR 37. (This also removed the Bluff Road section of SR 37 from the state road system, removing the connection with SR 135.)[8]

In 1953, the state rerouted SR 37 to multiplex with US 36/SR 67 along 38th Street starting at Fall Creek Parkway.[9] (This would be part of the route the road would follow until decommissioning in 1999 or 2000.) The three roads would be multiplexed from 38th and Fall Creek, to 38th and Northwestern Ave. (now Dr. MLK Jr. St.), then south along Northwestern Ave. and West St. until the above mentioned location at Michigan and West Streets.

In 1957, construction was started on the Noblesville Bypass of SR 37. This bypass was designed to go to the east side of Noblesville, through Fishers, and along a newly constructed road in Marion County to connect to Fall Creek Parkway just north of the then route of SR 37 (Allisonville Road).[10] One of the "quirks" in the design of the new SR 37 was a five point intersection with SR 100, at the corner of Shadeland Road (now Avenue) and 82nd Street. By 1958, SR 37's Noblesville bypass was completed to the JCT SR 100 from the north. SR 37 then was rerouted along 82nd St to Allisonville, where it turned south to connect to Fall Creek Parkway has it had for the previous 35 years.[11] By 1959, the new route was completed, with the Allisonville Road route renumbered SR 37A.[12]

In the early to mid-1960s, two changes were made to SR 37. One which would eventually become part of I-69: interchanges were built at SR 100 and 116th St., as well as a connection to the under construction I-465. The second was the construction of an exit ramp (now Exit 4) on I-465 for the eventual construction of a Bluff Road bypass through southern Marion and northern Johnson Counties.[13]

In 1967, there were two SR 37s on the south side of Indianapolis: one along Bluff Road, one along the Bluff Road bypass. The two did not directly connect to each other at all.[14] By 1969, SR 37 was multiplexed with US 31 (along Meridian, North, Pennsylvania/Delaware, Madison and East Streets) to I-465/I-74 at what is now Exit 2. The route then was multiplexed with I-465/I-74 between Exits 2 and 4. This made the Bluff Road route abandoned in its connections to the state road system, so it was decommissioned. Some unofficial maps list Bluff Road as SR 37A for some time after this, although the state of Indiana never recognized it as such.[15]

By 1972, I-69 was completed along the SR 37 corridor from I-465 to where it had ended to that point at the JCT SR 37 Noblesville bypass (now Exit 205).[16]

SR 37 stayed pretty much the same until 1999 or 2000, when all state and US highway designations were completely removed from inside the I-465 loop. SR 37 was then officially rerouted along I-465 along the east and south sides of Indianapolis. The current exit for SR 37 from I-465 is Exit 37.

Northern section

In 1940, the section of SR 37 from its current northern junction with SR 13 to Marion (west of its current routing) was designated SR 15. Another section that was to become SR 37, from Fort Wayne northeast to the Ohio border, was already designated SR 14.[7]

By 1945, SR 37 had been routed along its current route from Rigdon to south of Marion to the junction of SR 9.[8] SR 37 was then multiplexed along SR 9 from that junction to Huntington, then with US 24 from Huntington to Fort Wayne. The state then moved SR 14 from what became SR 37 to what was SR 230.[6]

In Fort Wayne, it followed Jefferson Boulevard until it met up with SR 14 where the route was split into Jefferson Boulevard (westbound) and Washington Boulevard (eastbound). It turned onto Anthony Boulevard northbound, then turned right into Crescent Avenue, it turned into Stellhorn Road at Hobson Road. It turned left onto Maysville Road from there.

By 1980, the official multiplex along SR 9 and US 24 was decommissioned[17] (although there is a reference to SR 37 being multiplexed along I-69 around the west side of Fort Wayne in 1980, that reference was gone by 1982).[18]

Future

Due to the fact that SR 37 is already a 4-lane limited access highway (although it is still well short of freeway standards as it contains many at-grade intersections, including 19 traffic lights) it will be upgraded with some work to become Interstate 69 from north of Victor Pike in Bloomington to the curve south of Epler Avenue in Indianapolis, where I-69 will run straight north to Interstate 465.[19] The part between Bloomington and Martinsville is already under construction and will be completed in 2017.

On March 29, 2016, the final leg of I-69 between Martinsville and I-465 was chosen along SR 37.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[20]kmExitDestinationsNotes
PerryTell City0.000.00 SR 66 south – Evansville, Tell CitySouthern terminus of SR 37
Troy Township SR 237 south – Canneltonnorthern terminus of the southern section of SR 237
Anderson Township SR 145 north – St. MeinradSouthern terminus of SR 145
Union Township SR 70 east – DerbyWestern terminus of SR 70
St. Croix SR 62 – Evansville, New Albany
I-64 – St. Louis, Louisville
CrawfordEckerty SR 64 west – HuntingburgWestern end of SR 64 concurrency
English SR 64 east / SR 237 south – Sulphur, GeorgetownEastern end of SR 64 concurrency; northern terminus of SR 237
OrangePaoli US 150 west / SR 56 west – Loogootee, JasperWestern end of US 150 and SR 56 concurrency
US 150 east / SR 56 east – New Albany, SalemEastern end of US 150 and SR 56 concurrency
Orleans SR 337 southNorthern terminus of SR 337
LawrenceMitchell SR 60 east – SalemSouthern end of SR 60 concurrency
SR 60 west – GeorgiaNorthern end of SR 60 concurrency
Marion Township US 50 west – Shoals, Washington, VincennesSouthern end of US 50 concurrency
Bedford US 50 east / SR 450 to SR 158 – Bedford, SeymourNorthern end of US 50 concurrency
SR 58 east – ColumbusSouthern end of SR 58 concurrency
Oolitic SR 54 west / SR 58 west – AvocaEastern terminus of SR 54; northern end of SR 58 concurrency
MonroeBloomington I-69 south – EvansvilleTemporary northern terminus of I-69, exit 114.
SR 45 southSouthern end of SR 45 concurrency (Interchange);
SR 48 westEastern terminus of SR 48 (Interchange)
SR 45 north / SR 46 – Spencer, BloomingtonNorthern end of SR 45 concurrency (Interchange)
MorganMartinsville SR 39 north to SR 67 – MartinsvilleSouthern terminus of SR 39 (Interchange)
SR 252 east – MorgantownWestern terminus of SR 252
SR 44 east – FranklinWestern terminus of SR 44
JohnsonWaverly135.21217.60 SR 144 west – MooresvilleEastern terminus of SR 144
MarionIndianapolis145.10233.524 I-74 west / I-465 west / US 36 west / US 40 west
SR 67 south		Western end of I-74/I-465/US 36/US 40/SR 67 concurrency.
2 US 31 south – Greenwoodsouthern end of US 31 concurrency
54 I-65 – Indianapolis, Gary, Louisville
49 I-74 east / US 421 south – CincinnatiEastern end of I-74 concurrency; southern end of US 421 concurrency
47 US 52 east – CincinnatiSouthern end of US 52 concurrency
46 US 40 east – DaytonEastern end of US 40 concurrency
44 I-70 – Indianapolis, St. Louis, Dayton, Columbus
Lawrence42 US 36 east / SR 67 north – PendletonEastern end of US 36/SR 67 concurrency
Indianapolis165.69266.6537
200		 I-69 / I-465 west
US 31 north / US 52 west / US 421 north		Eastern end of I-465 concurrency; northern end of US 52/US 421 concurrency; southern terminus of I-69 concurrency
HamiltonFishers170.86274.97205 I-69 north – Fort WayneNorthern end of I-69 concurrency
Noblesville175.04281.70 SR 32 / SR 38 – Noblesville, Anderson, Pendleton
MadisonJackson Township186.76300.56 SR 13 south – LapelSouthern end of SR 13 concurrency
Elwood193.04310.67 SR 13 north – ElwoodNorthern end of SR 13 concurrency
195.73315.00 SR 28 – Tipton, Elwood, Albany
GrantHackleman207.23333.50 SR 26 – Lafayette, Hartford City, Portland
Marion211.77340.81 US 35 / SR 22 – Kokomo, Gas City
214.23344.77 SR 9 – Marion, AndersonNorthern terminus of the southern section of SR 37
Gap in route
AllenFort Wayne214.23344.77 I-469 / US 24 / US 30 / Maysville Road – Fort Wayne, New HavenI-469 exit 25; southern terminus of SR 37's northern part.
Springfield Township230.16370.41 SR 101 – Woodburn, Butler
Scipio Township234.37377.18 SR 2 east – Hicksville, Bryan, ToledoOhio state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ↑ "Road Numbers to Be Changed". The Hancock-Democrat. The Indianapolis News. September 30, 1926. Retrieved June 9, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ Google (August 12, 2009). "Length of Indiana Route 37: Southern Segment" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
  3. ↑ Google (August 12, 2009). "Length of Indiana Route 37: Northern Segment" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
  4. ↑ Monroe County, Indiana (1964) [1954]. Map of Bloomington and Monroe County (Map). Monroe County, IN: Monroe County.
  5. ↑ Rand McNally (1963). Rand McNally 1964 Road Atlas (Map). Chicago IL: Rand McNally. p. 37.
  6. 1 2 Indiana State Highway Commission (1939). Official Indiana Highway Map (Map). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission.
  7. 1 2 Indiana State Highway Commission (1940). Official Indiana Highway Map (Map). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission.
  8. 1 2 Indiana State Highway Commission (1945). Official Indiana Highway Map (Map). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission.
  9. ↑ Indiana State Highway Commission (1953). Official Indiana Highway Map (Map). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission.
  10. ↑ Indiana State Highway Commission (1957). Official Indiana Highway Map (Map). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission.
  11. ↑ Indiana State Highway Commission (1958). Official Indiana Highway Map (Map). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission.
  12. ↑ Indiana State Highway Commission (1959). Official Indiana Highway Map (Map). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission.
  13. ↑ Indiana State Highway Commission (1965). Official Indiana Highway Map (Map) (1965–66 ed.). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission.
  14. ↑ Indiana State Highway Commission (1966). Official Indiana Highway Map (Map) (1966–67 ed.). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission.
  15. ↑ Indiana State Highway Commission (1969). Official Indiana Highway Map (Map). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission.
  16. ↑ Indiana State Highway Commission (1972). Official Indiana Highway Map (Map) (1972–73 ed.). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission.
  17. ↑ Indiana State Highway Commission (1980). Official Indiana Highway Map (Map). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission.
  18. ↑ Indiana State Highway Commission (1982). Official Indiana Highway Map (Map) (1982–83 ed.). Indianapolis: Indiana State Highway Commission.
  19. ↑ Indiana Department of Transportation. "I-69 Evansville to Indianapolis Preferred Route". Indiana Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on May 23, 2006.
  20. ↑ Indiana Department of Transportation. "INDOT Roadway Referencing System" (PDF). Indiana Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
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