Interstate 64 in Indiana
Interstate 64 (I-64) in the US state of Indiana is a major east–west highway providing access between Illinois and Kentucky. It passes through southern Indiana as part of its connection between the two metropolitan areas of St Louis, Missouri, and Louisville, Kentucky.
Interstate 64 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
I-64 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by INDOT | ||||
| Length | 123.33 mi[1] (198.48 km) | |||
| Existed | 1956–present | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  I-64 at Illinois state line | |||
 US 41 near Haubstadt  I-69 / SR 57 near Elberfeld US 231 near Dale  SR 62 / SR 64 in Georgetown US 150 near Greenville I-265 / SR 62 in New Albany | ||||
| East end | I-64 / US 150 at Kentucky state line | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Indiana | |||
| Counties | Posey, Vanderburgh, Gibson, Warrick, Spencer, Dubois, Perry, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
I-64 has a route through the state which travels through mostly rural areas, passing through all four Indiana counties of the Evansville metropolitan area, but the final portion of the route is encompassed by the Louisville metropolitan area. The highway enters Indiana after crossing the Wabash River from Illinois. It passes through Posey County before straddling the Gibson–Vanderburgh county line, where it connects with U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) and I-69 which travels south to Evansville and north to Martinsville, both intersections being within Gibson County. Continuing eastward, I-64 passes through Warrick County before straddling the Spencer–Dubois county line, which is also the boundary between the Central and the Eastern time zones.[2] It continues into and through Perry County (back in the Central Time Zone), before crossing into Crawford County where, from that point on, it remains in the Eastern Time Zone. (Between milemarkers 60 and 80, I-64 crosses the Central/Eastern time zone boundary five times). This portion of the route also travels through Hoosier National Forest through several sharp valleys and steep hills, largely in Perry, Crawford, and Harrison counties with some large hills in Spencer and Dubois counties as well. Beyond the forest, the Interstate travels through Harrison and Floyd counties, before crossing the Sherman Minton Bridge over the Ohio River into Louisville, Kentucky. Between Spencer County and Louisville, the highway traverses sharp valleys and hills.
History
I-64 was built across the eastern US between St. Louis and the Hampton Roads area of Virginia in the 1960s and 1970s. In Indiana, the highway was originally routed along US 50, but political influences from Evansville rerouted the highway along US 460 (since decommissioned in Indiana).[3]
Initial construction
Like all Interstate highways in Indiana, I-64 was constructed in segments which, when all were complete, made up the route in use today. There were eight segments in all, with the first to be opened being the very short segment from the Kentucky state line on the Sherman Minton Bridge to Spring Street in New Albany, which became operational on December 22, 1961. By the end of 1968, two more segments consisting of 12.94 miles (20.82 km) had opened, one near each end of the route in the state. By the end of 1972, two more segments were completed in southwestern Indiana, and I-64 was open from State Road 57 (SR 57; later, also I-164 and now part of the extension of I-69) north of Evansville west to the Illinois state line.[4] The three final segments of I-64 in the long stretch between SR 57 and SR 64 in Floyd County were completed later in the decade, with the final stretch opening near Ferdinand in 1979.
Future
The Ohio River Bridges Project in the Louisville/Falls City metro area, while mainly affecting I-65 and I-265, has sparked opposition, most notably 8664, which calls for I-64 to be rerouted out of downtown Louisville (and, thus, the Minton Bridge) onto the new, extended route for I-265. They suggest the portion of I-64 between the current I-64/I-265 interchange in New Albany and its Kentucky counterpart be resigned as I-364.[7]
Exit list
| County[8] | Location[8] | mi[9] | km | Exit | Destinations[3] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wabash River | 0.0 | 0.0 |  I-64 west | Continuation into Illinois | ||
| Posey | Griffin | 4.3 | 6.9 | 4 |   SR 69 south – New Harmony, Mount Vernon, Griffin | Northern terminus of SR 69 |
| Poseyville | 11.9 | 19.2 | 12 |  SR 165 – Poseyville | ||
| Vanderburgh | Armstrong Township | 17.6 | 28.3 | 18 |  SR 65 – Cynthiana, Evansville | |
| Vanderburgh–Gibson county line | Scott–Johnson township line | 24.9 | 40.1 | 25 | US 41 – Evansville, Terre Haute | Signed as 25A (south) and 25B (north) |
| Gibson–Warrick county line | Johnson–Greer township line | 29.4 | 47.3 | 29 | I-69 / SR 57 – Evansville, Henderson, KY, Indianapolis | I-69 exits 21A-B; signed as exits 29A (south) and 29B (north); Former Interstate 164; no control city northbound. |
| Warrick | Lynnville | 39.3 | 63.2 | 39 |  SR 61 – Lynnville, Boonville | |
| Pigeon Township | 53.5 | 86.1 | 54 |  SR 161 – Holland, Tennyson | ||
| Spencer | Dale | 56.4 | 90.8 | 57 | US 231 – Dale, Huntingburg, Jasper | Signed as exits 57A (south) and 57B (north); Central time zone |
| Dubois–Spencer county line | Ferdinand | 62.9 | 101.2 | 63 |  SR 162 – Ferdinand, Jasper, Santa Claus | Exit 63 is in Dubois County in Eastern time zone; re-enters Spencer County/Central time zone; re-enters Dubois County/Eastern time zone |
| Perry | Clark Township | 72.2 | 116.2 | 72 |  SR 145 – Birdseye, Bristow | Central time zone |
| Oil Township | 78.4 | 126.2 | 79 |  SR 37 – Tell City | Central time zone | |
| Crawford | Union Township | 85.7 | 137.9 | 86 |   SR 237 north – English, Sulphur | Terminus of SR 237; Eastern time zone |
| Jennings Township | 92.0 | 148.1 | 92 |  SR 66 – Marengo, Leavenworth | ||
| Harrison | Corydon | 105.3 | 169.5 | 105 |  SR 135 – Palmyra, Corydon | |
| Franklin Township | 112.5 | 181.1 | 113 | Lanesville | ||
| Floyd | Edwardsville | 117.8 | 189.6 | 118 |  SR 64 west / SR 62 west – Edwardsville, Georgetown | Western end of SR 62 overlap; eastern terminus of SR 64 |
| New Albany | 119.4 | 192.2 | 119 | US 150 west – Greenville | Western end of US 150 concurrency | |
| 121.5 | 195.5 | 121 |       I-265 east (Lee H. Hamilton Freeway) / SR 62 east to I-65 / SR 265 | I-265 exit 0; eastern end of SR 62 concurrency. | ||
| 123.3 | 198.4 | 123 | New Albany | Unsigned SR 111 | ||
| Ohio River | 123.33 | 198.48 | Sherman Minton Bridge | |||
| I-64 east / US 150 east | Continuation into Kentucky | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
References
- Adderly, Kevin (January 15, 2014). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2013". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- Indiana Roadway Map 2014 (PDF) (Map). Indiana Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- "Interstate 64". AARoads. 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- Ripple, David Alan. "History of the Interstate System in Indiana", Purdue University, 1975.
- "Sherman Minton Bridge Shut Down: Cracks Found in Bridge". Louisville, KY: WDRB-TV. September 10, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- "Sherman Minton Bridge Open". Louisville, KY: WDRB-TV. February 18, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- 8664 Overview Presentation (Flash video). Louisville, KY: 8664.org. 2009. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- Staff. "I-64 from Griffin to New Albany". Interchange Book. Indiana Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- Google (August 2, 2014). "Overview Map of Interstate 64 in Indiana" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 2, 2014.