State Road 120 (SR 120) is a

state road 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 state or ...

in the northeastern section of the state of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. Running for about in a general east–west direction, connecting rural portions of Elkhart,

LaGrange Joseph-Louis Lagrange (born Giuseppe Luigi LagrangiaSteuben Steuben or Von Steuben most commonly refers to Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730–1794), Prussian-American military officer, or to a number of things named for him in the United States. It may also refer to: Places *Steuben Township, Marshall C ...

counties. The western terminus is a junction with Jackson Boulevard and Middleton Run Road in Elkhart. The eastern terminus is at the Indiana–Michigan border, east of Fremont. The modern route of SR 120 was originally just small part of a much longer Native American trail. In the early 1920s a project to construct a road replacing the Native American trail took place. SR 120 was introduced in 1937 routed along its current routing, as a state road number for Vistula Road, which was falling apart. The western end of SR 120 has been moved a couple of different times within the city of Elkhart.

Route description

SR 120 begins in Elkhart at the intersection of Middleton Run Road and Jackson Boulevard. It follows Jackson Boulevard, northeasterly paralleling the St. Joseph River and the

Grand Elk Railroad The Grand Elk Railroad is a Class III railroad which operates in the states of Indiana and Michigan. It is one of 40+ short-line railroads owned by Watco. The company leases a line from the Norfolk Southern running south from Grand Rapids, Mich ...

. The road leaves the city of Elkhart and enters Elkhart County before entering the town of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

. In Bristol the road runs along Vistula Street and has a short

concurrency Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with SR 15. As SR 120 leaves Bristol it crosses over the Grand Elk Railroad. East of Bristol SR 120 curves and becomes an east-west roadway, passing through rural Elkhart and LaGrange Counties, having intersections with SR 13 and SR 5. In LaGrange county the road enters the town of

Howe Howe may refer to: People and fictional characters * Howe (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters * Howe Browne, 2nd Marquess of Sligo (1788–1845), Irish peer and colonial governor Titles * Earl Howe, two titles, an exti ...

, passing through an intersection with SR 9. After the SR 9 intersection SR 120 is concurrent with Defiance Street, until SR 120 turns south onto 3rd Street, before turning east again on Wayne Street. East of Howe SR 120 passes north of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and through an intersection with the northern end of SR 3 near

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. Then, upon entering Steuben County, SR 120 enters the town of Orland on Toledo Street, before having a

four-way stop An all-way stop – also known as a four-way stop (or three-way stop etc. as appropriate) – is a traffic management system which requires vehicles on all the approaches to a Intersection (road), road intersection to stop at the intersection be ...

with SR 327. After SR 327, SR 120 leaves Orland heading northeasterly before turning easterly again, closely paralleling the

Indiana Toll Road The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East–West Toll Road, is a controlled-access toll road that runs for east–west across northern Indiana from the Illinois state line to the Ohio state line. It has been advertised as the "Main ...

. SR 120 passes through an intersection with the northern end of SR 127, before crossing over

Interstate 69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of eight unconnected segments. The longest segment runs from Evansville, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, and includ ...

. After Interstate 69, SR 120 has an entrance to the Indiana Toll Road and then passes under the toll road. SR 120 enters the town of Fremont, running along Toledo Street, having an all-way stop with the northern end of SR 827 (Wayne Street). After Fremont SR 120 passes near Clear Lake, as the road turns towards the southeast. Before the Indiana-Michigan state line SR 120 has an intersection with the former northern end of SR 1. At the Indiana-Michigan border SR 120 becomes

Territorial Road A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international relations, international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the po ...

, a county road in

Hillsdale County, Michigan Hillsdale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 45,746. The county seat is Hillsdale. Hillsdale County is the only county in Michigan to border both Indiana and Ohio. Due to an a ...

; this roadway was formerly M-120 which connected to OH-120.

History

The first path along part of the modern SR 120 roadway was the Vistula Trail, an old Native American trail, between Fort Duquesne and Green Bay via South Bend and the south shore of Lake Michigan. In 1922 Vistula Road was built at a cost of $87,500, . During 1930 SR 19 was proposed and accepted as a state road along modern SR 120 from Elkhart to Bristol. The second state road proposed along modern SR 120 was SR 827 from Fremont east to the Michigan/Indiana border in 1934. The right-of-way for SR 827, east of Fremont, was purchased in 1935. The following year Steuben County was having trouble maintaining the roadway, with bridges needing replacement and the gravel road surface was deteriorating. The state highway commission accepted Vistula Road as a state road in 1937 and it becomes part of SR 120. In late 1938 or early 1939 two parts of SR 120 opens to traffic with the first being between SR 13 and SR 3 and the second being throughout Steuben County. By 1941 SR 120 went between Elkhart and the Michigan state line, east of Fremont, uninterrupted. The entire roadway was paved by 1965. In late 1969 or early 1970 SR 120s western end was moved from an intersection between Middleton Run Road and US 20 (now Old US 20/Toledo Road) to an intersection between Goshen Avenue and Jackson Boulevard. The western end of SR 120 was moved once again to an intersection between Jackson Boulevard and Middleton Run Road on September 9, 2000. At one time, State Road 120 was to have been rerouted onto Elkhart County Road 17 to end at U.S. 20.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
Old Indiana 120 Bridge

120 120 may refer to: *120 (number), the number *AD 120, a year in the 2nd century AD *120 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *120 film, a film format for still photography * ''120'' (film), a 2008 film *120 (MBTA bus), a Massachusettes Bay Transport Aut ...

Transportation in Elkhart, Indiana Transportation in Elkhart County, Indiana Transportation in LaGrange County, Indiana Transportation in Steuben County, Indiana