State Road 71 (SR 71) is a north–south discontinuous
state road in the west-
central Indiana
The geography of Indiana comprises the physical features of the land and relative location of U.S. State of Indiana. Indiana is in the north-central United States and borders on Lake Michigan. Surrounding states are Michigan to the north and no ...
part of the US 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 s ...
. The southern segment is completely within
Vermillion County, while the northern segment is in
Benton and
Newton counties. The highway passes through mostly rural areas. The southern end of the southern segment is in
Blanford at
SR 163 before ending at
SR 63 near
Newport. The northern segment begins at an intersection with
SR 352 near
Ambia and heads north passing through the community of
Raub before ending at
U.S. Highway 24/
U.S. Highway 52 (US 24/US 52).
The original designation of SR 71 went from SR 163 and US 36 in the early 1930s. This road was extended north to SR 63 by the mid-1940s. The northern section of SR 71 was designated in the early 1950s.
Route description
Southern section
The southern segment of SR 71 is long and is entirely within Vermillion County. The road heads north from its southern terminus at
SR 163, in the town of
Blanford. SR 71 passes through the town before entering rural Vermillion County, parallel to the Illinois-Indiana state line. The road passes through the town of
St. Bernice, before curving to become east–west. Soon after becoming east-west SR 71 curves again to become north–south before an intersection with
U.S. Highway 36
U.S. Route 36 (US 36) is an east–west United States highway that travels approximately from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an intersection i ...
(US 36). North of US 36, SR 71 passes through
Dana before returning to rural Vermillion County. After Dana SR 71 becomes takes several curves heading generally towards the northeast before an intersection with
SR 63, northwest of
Newport. This intersection is the northern terminus of the southern segment of SR 71.
INDOT's surveys in 2016 showed that the highest traffic levels along the southern segment of SR 71 were the 1,518 vehicles daily between US 36 and Dana; the lowest counts were the 426 vehicles per day north of the Dana.
Northern section
The northern segment of SR 71 is long in Benton and Newton Counties. The southern terminus is at
SR 352 near the town of
Ambia. SR 71 heads north passing through farms and fields, before passing through an intersection with
SR 18. North of SR 18 the road takes a few curves, while the road continues to the north. The road passes through the town of
Raub where it crosses the
Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad. North of Raub the road crosses a railroad track before the SR 71 designation ends at an intersection with
US 24
U.S. Route 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is in Independence Township, Mic ...
/
US 52
U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...
west of
Kentland.
INDOT's surveys in 2017 showed that the highest traffic levels along the northern segment of SR 71 were the 264 vehicles daily near its intersection with US 24/US 52; the lowest counts were the 147 vehicles per day north of the SR 18.
History
The first SR 71 designation in Indiana was in 1932 between SR 163 and US 36.
This segment was paved by 1937.
Between 1942 and 1945 the SR 71 designation was extended to SR 63.
The northern segment of SR 71 was added to the state road system in either 1950 or 1951.
This section of SR 71 between Dana and SR 63 and from Raub to US 24/US 52 was paved in either 1966 or 1967.
The final part of SR 71 to be paved was from SR 352 to Raub and it was paved between 1977 and 1979.
Major intersections
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
Indiana Highway Ends - SR 71
071
Transportation in Benton County, Indiana
Transportation in Newton County, Indiana
Transportation in Vermillion County, Indiana