State Road 46 in the U.S. state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

is an east–west

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the southern half of

Route description

The western terminus of SR 46 is at I-70 east of Terre Haute at an interchange before becoming a heavily traveled modernized 2-lane highway through Spencer where it intersects SR 67 and US 231. It then proceeds to Ellettsville where it becomes a 4-lane expressway until an Interchange with I-69. It then goes directly through the college town of Bloomington. It multiplexes with SR 45 on a road known as "The Bypass" just north of

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

where it passes by the athletic complex. It then goes by the

College Mall College Mall is a regional shopping mall located in Bloomington, Indiana. This is home to Indiana University's flagship campus. The mall's anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods and Target. The mall also features a Fresh Thyme Farmers Market ( ...

in Bloomington where it makes a left turn and winds towards the artist colony of

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passing by SR 446 and Lake Monroe. After making a right turn at SR 135 in Nashville it proceeds to

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

where it goes under I-65 at an interchange. It then heads to Greensburg where it multiplexes with SR 3 and again becomes a 4-lane expressway. At this point it makes a right turn and becomes a minor 2-lane highway as it closely follows I-74 until its eastern terminus at US 52 in northeastern

Dearborn County Dearborn County is one of 92 counties of the U.S. state of Indiana located on the Ohio border near the southeast corner of the state. It was formed in 1803 from a portion of Hamilton County, Ohio. In 2020, the population was 50,679. The count ...

History

Until 1936, SR 46's western terminus was at the

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

–Indiana state line and when

U.S. Route 150 U.S. Route 150 (US 150) is a 571-mile (919 km) long northwest-southeast United States highway, signed as east–west. It runs from U.S. Route 6 outside of Moline, Illinois to U.S. Route 25 in Mount Vernon, Kentucky. Route description ...

(US 150) was commissioned on that route. The eastern terminus was at the

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

–Indiana border when US 52 was commissioned along this route. In 1974, the portion of the route west of Columbus to the Brown County Line was named Jonathan Moore Pike, after a settler in the area who served in the Revolutionary War as a member of the

Commander-in-Chief's Guard The Commander-in-Chief's Guard, commonly known as Washington's Life Guard, was a unit of the Continental Army that protected General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. Formed in 1776, the Guard was with Washington in all o ...

. Until recently "The Bypass" portion in Bloomington had congestion. However, a major construction project completed in Nov. 2012 widened the road to 4 lanes and alleviated the issue on this part of the roadway. SR 46 as a result of this project is now four lanes from Elletsville until the intersection with SR 446.

Major intersections

References

{{Attached KML, display=title,inline 046 Transportation in Brown County, Indiana Transportation in Clay County, Indiana Transportation in Dearborn County, Indiana Transportation in Decatur County, Indiana Transportation in Franklin County, Indiana Transportation in Bartholomew County, Indiana Transportation in Monroe County, Indiana Transportation in Owen County, Indiana Transportation in Ripley County, Indiana Transportation in Vigo County, Indiana