U.S. Route 6 (US 6) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway that runs from California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. In

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 ...

, it is part of the Indiana

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 ...

system that enters the state concurrent with the

Borman Expressway Interstate 94 (I-94) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Billings, Montana, to Port Huron, Michigan. I-94 enters Indiana from Illinois in the west, in Munster, and runs generally eastward through Hammond, Gary, and ...

between

Lansing, Illinois Lansing is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Lansing is a south suburb of Chicago. The population was 29,076 at the 2020 census. Geography Lansing is located at (41.565785, -87.545791). It is south of the Chicago city limits a ...

, and Munster, Indiana. The of US 6 that lie within Indiana serve as a major conduit. Some sections of the highway is listed on the National Highway System. Various sections are rural two-lane highway and urbanized four-lane divided highways. The easternmost community along the highway is

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...

at the

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

state line. US 6 passes through farm fields and forest lands, and along the northern part of Indiana. The highway is included in the Grand Army of the Republic Highway. US 6 was first designated as a US Highway in 1932. A section of the highway originally served as part of Sauk Indian Trail. US 6 replaced the original State Road 17 designation of the highway which dated back to the formation of the Indiana state road system. SR 17 ran from Ligonier through Kendallville to

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

and ended in Butler. US 6 also replaced the second designation of the highway, State Road 6, through most of the state.

Route description

US 6 enters Indiana concurrent with I-80/I-94 on the

, from Illinois. The concurrency passes through several communities in Lake County, before US 6 leaves the Borman in

Lake Station Lake railway station is a station on the Isle of Wight serving the village of Lake, situated in a quiet residential area not far from Lake Cliff Gardens and the beach at Sandown Bay. Until the construction of an interchange station with the Isl ...

at the Ripley Street exit. US 6 heads south on Ripley Street, concurrent with SR 51, passing through Lake Station. The road enters

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

before turning east, leaving SR 51, before leaving Lake County and entering Porter County. In Porter County US 6 continues east as a four-lane road passing through commercial properties. US 6 has an intersection with SR 149, east of this intersection US 6 becomes a two-lane rural road passing through residential properties with some fields. The road becomes a four-lane divided highway passing south of the Porter Regional Hospital and through an interchange with SR 49. East of SR 49 the roadway reduces back to a two-lane road, before passing over CSX's

Garrett Subdivision The Garrett Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Ohio and Indiana. The line runs from Deshler, Ohio, west to Willow Creek, Indiana (in Portage), along a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B& ...

. East of the tracks US 6 becomes a three-lane roadway, with two-lanes eastbound and one-lane westbound, before reducing back to a two-lane roadway. US 6 leaves Porter County and enters La Porte County, before entering Westville. In Westville US 6 has an intersection with SR 2 before US 6 turns south concurrent with US 421. The concurrency heads south for a short distance, passing east of the Westville Correctional Facility, before US 6 turns towards the east and US 421 continues towards the south. East of US 421, US 6 passes farms and fields. In rural La Porte County US 6 has an intersection with SR 39 before an at grade crossing with the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

South Bend Subdivision. Past the railroad tracks US 6 becomes a four-lane divided road before an intersection with

US 35 U.S. Route 35 (US 35) is a United States Highway that runs southeast-northwest for approximately from the western suburbs of Charleston, West Virginia to northern Indiana. Although the highway is physically southeast-northwest, it is nomin ...

. US 6 and US 35 head south-southeast and the roadway narrows back to a two-lane highway. The road crosses over the

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

Garrett Subdivision before passing northeast of Kingsford Heights. Past Kingsofrd Heights the road bends to become east–west. The concurrency between US 6 and US 35 ends, with US 35 turning south and US 6 continuing east. US 6 crosses over the

Kankakee River The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in the Central Corn Belt Plains of northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time, the river drained one of the largest wetlands in N ...

before entering St. Joseph County. In St. Joseph County the road enters Walkerton and passing through the southern end of SR 104, near industrial properties. US 6 bends to become southeast–northwest passing through downtown, while in downtown US 6 has a short overlap with SR 23. US 6 leaves Walkerton heading southeast before leaving St. Joseph County and entering Marshall County. In Marshall County US 6 curves to become east–west, passing farmland, before the roadway becomes a four-lane divided roadway and enters

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

. In La Paz the road passes through commercial properties and an intersection with the Michigan Road, former US 31. Past La Paz US 6 has an interchange with US 31 before narrowing back to a two-lane rural highway. The highway curves northeast, having an intersection with western end SR 106 and crossing over CSX's Garrett Subdivision again, before curving to become east–west near an

Indiana State Police The Indiana State Police is the statewide law enforcement agency for the U.S. state of Indiana. Indiana was the 12th state to offer protection to its citizens with a state police force. Its headquarters are in the Indiana Government Center Nort ...

Post. US 6 heads east having an intersection with a connecting road at connects with SR 331, before bridging over SR 331. The road bends to the southeast having an intersection with the eastern end of SR 106 before a few more curves, with the road generally traveling in an east-southeast direction. US 6 leaves Marshall County and enters

Elkhart County Elkhart County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. , the county's population was 207,047. The county seat is Goshen. Elkhart County is part of the Elkhart- Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South ...

before entering the town of

Nappanee Nappanee is a city in Elkhart and Kosciusko counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 6,648 as of the 2010 U.S. Census and had grown to 6,913 by the 2020 U.S. Census. The name Nappanee probably means "flour" in Algonquian. The ...

. US 6 enters Nappanee, concurrent with Market Street passing industrial properties, before passing Stahly–Nissley–Kuhns Farm. The landscape of the road becomes more residential as it enters downtown. In downtown Nappanee US 6 has an intersection with SR 19. East of SR 19, Market Street passes on the south edge of the

Nappanee Eastside Historic District Nappanee Eastside Historic District is a national historic district located at Nappanee, Elkhart County, Indiana. The district encompasses 138 contributing buildings in a predominantly residential section of Nappanee. It was developed between a ...

, before leaving downtown and passing through a commercial part of town. US 6 passes some more industrial properties before leaving Nappanee. East of Nappanee US 6 passes south of the Nappanee Municipal Airport. Past the airport the road makes a few curves but is generally east–west. In rural Elkhart County the road passes mostly farms, with some houses and industrial land mixed in, having an intersection with SR 15 and crosses the Norfolk Southern Marion Branch . North of

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

US 6 has an intersection with SR 13, US 6 and SR 13 head east concurrent, until SR 13 tunes north concurrent with US 33. US 6 continues east, concurrent with US 33. The highway leaves Elkhart County and enters Noble County. In Noble County the roadway enters Ligonier passing some industrial properties, before the landscape sounding the road becomes commercial. The overlap between US 6 and US 33 ends at an intersection with SR 5, with US 33 turning south onto SR 5, while US 6 continues towards the east. US 6 leaves Ligonier having a few curves, but staying in a generally east–west direction. US 6 begins an overlap with SR 9 before passing over Norfolk Southern's Chicago line and through Brimfield. Past Brimfield the overlap ends with SR 9 turning north, while US 6 continues towards the east, heading towards Kendallville. The road enters Kendallville, concurrent with North Street, passing industrial land, with some commercial properties, before an intersection with SR 3. At this intersection North Street becomes a four-lane roadway and SR 3 turns east onto North Street concurrent with US 6. The concurrency ends with SR 3 turning north and US 6 continuing east on North Street. On the east side of Kendallville US 6 becomes two-lane, passing through commercial and industrial properties, before leaving Kendallville and Noble County. US 6 enters

DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama * DeKalb County, Georgia * DeKalb County, Illinois * DeKalb County, Indiana * DeKalb County, Missouri ...

and has a short overlap with SR 327, before passing through Corunna. Past Corunna the road has an interchange with I-69 before entering

. In Waterloo the road passes industrial land before residential properties as the road enters downtown Waterloo. In downtown US 6 has an intersection with the southern end of SR 427 before leaving Waterloo. East of Waterloo US 6 parallels Norfolk Southern's Chicago Line for a short distance, before the road enters

passing industrial and commercial properties. The landscape along becomes residential as the road enters downtown. In downtown US 6 has an intersection with SR 1. The road crosses the NS Huntington District before leaving Butler and entering rural DeKalb County. In rural DeKalb County US 6 parallels Norfolk Southern's Chicago Line, passing agriculture land, before US 6 crosses into Ohio. Only the segment of US 6 that are concurrent with

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

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 ...

and the segment that is concurrent with

U.S. Route 33 U.S. Route 33 (US 33) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs northwest–southeast for from northern Indiana to Richmond, Virginia, passing through Ohio and West Virginia en route. Although most odd-numbered U.S. routes are north– ...

are included as a part of the National Highway System (NHS). The NHS is a network of highways that are identified as being most important for the economy, mobility and defense of the nation. The highway is maintained by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) like all other U.S. Highways in the state. The department tracks the traffic volumes along all state highways as a part of its maintenance responsibilities using a metric called average annual daily traffic (AADT). This measurement is a calculation of the traffic level along a segment of roadway for any average day of the year. In 2010, INDOT figured that lowest traffic levels were the 2,620 vehicles and 930 commercial vehicles used the highway daily between US 35 and Walkerton. The peak traffic volumes were 166,160 vehicles and 42,090 commercial vehicles AADT along the section of US 6 that is concurrent with the I–80 and I–94.

History

The first route along modern US 6 was used in the 1700s, and it was a Native American known as Sauk Indian Trail, also known as the Great East-West Trail. In 1843 the modern route of US 6 became a gravel roadway, through most of Noble County. During 1918 SR 17 was commissioned along what later would become US 6, from Ligonier to the Ohio-Indiana border. In the 1920s the Toledo-Chicago Pike was commissioned between Toledo and Chicago using several state roads from Illinois state line, passing through South Bend, to Ligonier and then SR 17 from Ligonier and the Ohio state line. SR 17 would become SR 6 and SR 6 was extended west to the Illinois state line, in 1926. The first segment of roadway to be paved was between Waterloo and Ohio state line by 1928. In 1928 SR 6 was under construction, along its modern route, from Illinois state line to Ligonier, this route was built to help relieve traffic on the

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913 ...

and Yellowstone Trail. Also in 1928 the road was paved between Kendallville and Waterloo, with the section from near Ligonier to Kendallville being paved following year. In 1929 construction was completed on the roadway between Illinois and SR 43, now US 421, and at this time the Toledo-Chicago Pike became Cleveland-Chicago Pike. SR 6 was under construction between US 31 and SR 15 in 1931. On June 8, 1931 the

American Association of State Highway Officials The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United St ...

approved an extension of US 6 from Pennsylvania to Colorado, passing through Indiana along SR 6. US 6 was rerouted between Illinois state line and US 41 (Calumet Avenue), routed concurrent with US 41 and the Tri-state Highway, this reroute happened between 1953 and 1953. The highway was rerouted to the modern route through Kendallville in October 1959. US 6 and US 41 was rerouted on to Indianapolis Avenue between 1963 and 1964. A reroute of US 6 to its modern route in Lake County, concurrent with SR 51 and the Borman Expressway, occurred in either 1966 or 1967. US 6 was rerouted around Bremen, on a new roadway, between 1980 and 1981. The old route of US 6 through Bremen became SR 106.

Major intersections

References

External links

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links