U.S. Route 421 (US 421) enters

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 ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, proceeding northwest to

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, joining

Interstate 465 Interstate 465 (I-465), also known as the USS Indianapolis Memorial Highway, is the beltway circling Indianapolis, Indiana. It is roughly rectangular in shape and has a perimeter of approximately . It lies almost completely within the bou ...

, and then continuing northwest to Michigan City. US 421 winds through the southern part of Indiana as it runs from

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

, in the southeastern part of the state, to Indianapolis (the capital). North of Greensburg, US 421 intersects and merges with

I-74 Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange with I-75 ...

west, through the Shelbyville area en route to Indianapolis. Originally, US 421 followed Michigan Road into Indianapolis, which turns into Southeastern Avenue and heads to downtown. US 421 then merged with US 40 ( Washington St.) and headed to West Street, then turned north, following West Street, Northwestern Avenue (later Martin Luther King Jr. Street), and

Michigan Road The Michigan Road was one of the earliest roads in Indiana. Roads in early Indiana were often roads in name only. In actuality they were sometimes little more than crude paths following old animal and Native American trails and filled with sinkh ...

up to the northwest side of the city. US 421 passed an Indianapolis landmark, the Pyramids. North of Indianapolis, US 421 continues to the north-northwest, providing a direct highway link between Indianapolis and Michigan City. US 421 ends at its junction with US 20 on the south side of Michigan City. Originally, the highway's end was a few miles north at the junction with US 12 near the shores of Lake Michigan.

Route description

Kentucky state line to Indianapolis

US 421 enters Indiana from Kentucky over the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

. After crossing the Ohio River US 421 has a short concurrency with State Road 56 (SR 56). After the concurrency with SR 56 ends US 421 becomes a four-lane highway. US 421 has an intersection with State Road 62 (SR 62). North of Madison US 421 becomes a two-lane highway, heading north then northeast. US 421 heads towards

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

, passing through an intersection with State Road 250 (SR 250). In Versailles US 421 has a

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 State Road 129 that ends at

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

(US 50). US 421 heads west out of Versailles concurrent with US 50. West of Versailles US 421 heads northwest, towards Greensburg. US 421 passes through Osgood and

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, passing through intersections with State Road 350 (SR 350) and SR 229. US 421 enters Greensburg on the southeast side of town and heads to the northwest side of town. In Greensburg US 421 is concurrent with State Road 46 (SR 46) and intersects State Road 3 (SR 3). On the northwest side of Greensburg US 421 joins

Interstate 74 Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange with I-75 in ...

(I-74). I-74/US 421 heads northwest towards

, passing near Shelbyville. Near Shelbyville I-74/US 421 has interchanges with

State Road 44 The following highways are numbered 44. Australia * Great Western Highway, Parramatta Road (Sydney) * Captain Cook Highway – Queensland State Route 44 (Regional) * Greensborough Highway Canada * Alberta Highway 44 * Manitoba Highway 44 * O ...

(SR 44) and State Road 9 (SR 9). I-74/US 421 enters Indianapolis on the southeast side of the city. US 421 heads north and west around Indianapolis, concurrent with

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 ...

(I-69) and

(I-465).

Indianapolis to Monticello

US 421 is concurrent with I-69 until the northeast side of the city and I-465 until the northwest side. US 421 leaves I-465 heading northwest. US 421 becomes a two-lane highway, heading through intersections with State Road 32 (SR 32), State Road 47 (SR 47), State Road 38 (SR 38), and State Road 29 (SR 29), and has a concurrency with State Road 28 (SR 28). US 421 and SR 28 enter Frankfort heading west; the concurrency ends when US 421 heads north concurrent with State Road 38 (SR 38) and State Road 39 (SR 39). US 421/SR 38/SR 39 heads northwest out of Frankfort, and later SR 38 heads due west. US 421/SR 39 heads northwest towards

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...

passing through an intersection with State Road 26 (SR 26). In Delphi US 421/SR 39 are concurrent with State Road 25 (SR 25). US 421/SR 39 heads northwest out of Delphi passing through

Pittsburg Pittsburg may refer to: Places United States Cities, towns, townships and counties *Pittsburg, California * Pittsburg, Florida *Pittsburg, Kansas, Crawford County *Pittsburg, New Hampshire * Pittsburg, Oklahoma *Pittsburg, Texas *Pittsburg Coun ...

. West of Pittsburg US 421/SR 39 heads due north towards

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...

. In Monticello the concurrency with SR 39 ends with SR 39 heading east on

U.S. Route 24 U.S. Route 24 or U.S. Highway 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States Numbered Highways of 1926 which runs east and west for most of its routing. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Misso ...

and US 421 heading west on US 24. US 24/US 421 heads north towards Reynolds, where US 24 heads west and US 421 heads due north.

Monticello to Michigan City

After the concurrency with US 24, US 421 runs into mostly rural areas as it leaves White County and enters Pulaski County, turning from a northwest trajectory to a due north one. It enters the tiny town of Francesville where it shares a couple of junctions and concurrencies. Just before leaving Pulaski County, US 421 crosses into the unincorporated community of

Radioville Radioville is an unincorporated community in Cass Township, Pulaski County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. History Radioville was named for a local amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radi ...

. After that, it exits Pulaski County and enters Starke County, which also marks the border of

Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behi ...

and Central Time Zones. US 421 heads north towards Michigan City, passing through Monon, Wanatah, and Westville. US 421 has intersections with State Road 16 (SR 16), State Road 114 (SR 114), State Road 143 (SR 143), State Road 8 (SR 8), and

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route of the United States Numbered Highway System, with the highway traveling across the Northern U.S. With a length of , it is the third-longest U.S. Highway, afte ...

(US 30). US 421 has concurrencies with State Road 14 (SR 14), State Road 10 (SR 10),

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6) or U.S. Highway 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the United States Numbered Highway System. While it ...

(US 6), and State Road 2 (SR 2). US 421 has interchanges with

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

and

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

. US 421's northern terminus is at

U.S. Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. ...

(US 20) in Michigan City.

History

Before US 421 was commissioned in Indiana, the route from Madison to

Boyleston Boyleston is an unincorporated community in Michigan Township, Clinton County, Indiana. History Lewis N. Boyle of Indianapolis platted the town of Boyleston on November 17, 1875, along the Lake Erie and Western Railroad The Lake Erie and ...

was SR 29. This is why SR 129 and State Road 229 (SR 229) have concurrency or terminus at US 421. US 421 from Reynolds to Michigan City was originally State Road 43 (SR 43). This is the reason for SR 143 having its eastern terminus at US 421.

Madison

US 421 passed through downtown Madison and headed northwest out of Madison. A new route was built east of the old route. The old route was designated State Road 107 until it was decommissioned.

Indianapolis

US 421 entered Indianapolis on the southeast side of the city and went through downtown. US 421 was routed on Southeastern Avenue, Washington Street, Northwestern Avenue (now Martin Luther King Jr. Street), and

Michigan City

US 421 went through Michigan City to

U.S. Route 12 U.S. Route 12 or U.S. Highway 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90 ...

(US 12) near

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

. Then INDOT moved the northern terminus of US 421 south to US 20, on the south side of Michigan City.

Major intersections

References

External links