Interstate 74 (I-74) in 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 st ...

traverses central parts of the state from west to east. It connects

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...

, with

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of U.S. state and territorial capitals, state capital and List of U.S. states' largest cities by population, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat, seat of ...

in the center of the state, and Indianapolis with

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line ...

. I-74 covers across Indiana, a portion of which is concurrently routed through Indianapolis along the southern and western legs of

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

Route description

I-74 crosses the Indiana–Illinois state line between Danville, Vermilion County, Illinois, and Highland Township, Vermillion County, Indiana. The Interstate retains its configuration as a four-lane freeway, and passes by an eastbound rest area just east of the state line. I-74 continues to head due east through a mix of rural woodland and farmland before it reaches a modified

diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...

with State Road 63 (SR 63), which provides access to both the town of Newport, the county seat of Vermillion County, and the city of

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had ...

, the county seat of neighboring Vigo County, to the south. East of SR 63, the freeway descends slightly to cross the

Wabash River The Wabash River ( French: Ouabache) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana in the United States. It flows fro ...

, where it leaves Vermillion County and crosses into Troy Township, Fountain County. I-74 ascends from river crossing and comes to a diamond interchange with South Stringtown Road, which provides access to the city of Covington to the north. I-74 continues east, passing over U.S. Highway 136 (US 136) and intersecting US 41 at

Veedersburg Veedersburg is a town in Van Buren Township, Fountain County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,180 at the 2010 census. History Veedersburg is a newer name for the old town of Chambersburg, which was first settled by early inhabitants ...

about east of the Illinois border. The Interstate intersects US 231 later, providing access to Crawfordsville to the south. I-74 runs nearly parallel to US 136 from the Illinois border until US 136 terminates at

. When I-74 reaches

, it continues south, running concurrently with I-465 on the latter's western and southern segments. (The exits of this concurrency are numbered as if it were part of I-465 only.) I-74 is also concurrent with US 31, US 36, US 40, US 52, and several state highways, for varying lengths of its route around Indianapolis. I-74 crosses the White River and passes by the

Indianapolis International Airport Indianapolis International Airport is an international airport located seven miles (11 km) southwest of downtown Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority. T ...

on the southwest side of Indianapolis. Once I-74 reaches the southeast side of Indianapolis, it diverges from I-465 and continues to the southeast. At this interchange, I-74 picks up US 421, with which it will run concurrently. Outside of the Indianapolis area, I-74 continues southeast and runs past Shelbyville. Near the halfway point between Indianapolis and 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 s ...

border, I-74 runs through Greensburg. US 421 diverges and runs south through Greensburg. Continuing on east, I-74 runs parallel to SR 46. Just west of the Ohio border, I-74 crosses the Whitewater River. It also intersects with and begins a concurrency with US 52. The two roads then cross into Ohio at Harrison.

History

Initial construction

Like all

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

s in Indiana, I-74 was constructed in segments. There were six segments in the western portion of the route between the Illinois state line and

in Speedway, and six more in the eastern portion connecting I-465 near Beech Grove to the Ohio state line. The concurrent portions around Indianapolis on I-465, consisting of seven separate sections along the west and south legs of that beltway, became operational between December 21, 1961, and October 15, 1964. The eastern segments connecting Indianapolis and Cincinnati were also given a relatively high priority and were all completed and open by October 30, 1964.Ripple, David Alan. "History of the Interstate System in Indiana",

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and m ...

, 1975. The first section of I-74 to be built in Indiana was the portion from the Illinois state line east for just under to the Covington exit just beyond the Wabash River, which opened to traffic in December 1960. The final segment, located in

Fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were or ...

and

Montgomery Montgomery refers to: People For people with the name Montgomery, see Montgomery (name) Places Belgium * Montgomery Square, Brussels * Montgomery metro station, Brussels Pakistan * Montgomery (town), British India, former name of Sahiwal, Punj ...

counties on the western portion of the route, was finished and opened on August 31, 1967, marking the full completion of I-74 in the state.

Subsequent improvements

Exit list

References

External links