U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north-south U.S highway that is a parallel route of US 31. It runs for from St. John,

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 ...

, at US 41 to south of US 98 in downtown

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. One of its most notable landmarks is the

William H. Natcher Bridge The William H. Natcher Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that carries U.S. Highway 231 over the Ohio River. The bridge connects Owensboro, Kentucky to Rockport, Indiana and opened on October 21, 2002. It is named in honor of William Huston Natcher, ...

, a long

cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern o ...

that connects

Rockport, Indiana Rockport is a city in Ohio Township and the county seat of Spencer County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. The population was 2,270 at the 2010 census. Once the largest community in Spencer County, the city has recently been surpassed by the t ...

, to

Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest of Lou ...

, spanning the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

Route description

Florida

, US 231 is paired with unsigned State Road 75. The southern terminus is at Business US 98 (unsigned State Road 30) in downtown

. The highway is carried by Harrison Avenue until its intersection with US 98. Continuing north, US 231 passes through

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...

Fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or Spring (hydrology), 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. ...

, Alford, Cottondale, and Campbellton before entering Alabama. Major intersections include Business US 98,

US 98 U.S. Route 98 (US 98) is an east–west United States Highway in the Southeastern United States that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola and Apalachicola, Florida, and has sinc ...

, SR 77, SR 20,

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...

US 90 U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. With the exception of a short-lived ...

, SR 73, SR 273, and SR 2.

Alabama

In Alabama, US 231 is an alternate north-to-south route to Interstate 65, the main north-to-south thoroughfare in the state. U.S. Route 231 serves the east-central part of the state, with I-65 further west and US 431 further east. While both US 231 and

US 431 U.S. Route 431 (US 431) is a spur of U.S. Route 31. It currently travels for approximately from US 231/Alabama State Route 210 and US 231 Business (US 231 Bus.) and US 431 Bus. in Dothan, Alabama, to Owensboro, ...

connect the major cities of Dothan and Huntsville, US 231 has a shorter route through fewer cities and terrain changes, avoiding the mountainous cities of

Albertville Albertville (; Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a subprefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. In 2018, the commune had ...

, Gadsden,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, and Heflin. However, there are some mountainous cities along the route, such as

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

and Oneonta. U.S. Route 231 is divided along two-lane roads, three-laned roads, and four-laned undivided and divided highways. The entire stretch south of Montgomery is four-laned, mostly divided with some undivided stretches; as it is a critical connector in the National Highway System, which is a very important web of highways critical to U.S. infrastructure. The stretch between Arab and the state line is an almost entirely four-lane divided highway. Through

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

, the route functions as Memorial Parkway - the main north-to-south freeway through downtown. The road is a freeway with

frontage roads A frontage road (also known as an access road, outer road, service road, feeder road, or parallel road) is a local road running parallel to a higher-speed, limited-access road. A frontage road is often used to provide access to private driv ...

and Texas U-Turns, with some stretches with six lanes plus a frontage road exit lane in each direction. In the medical district of Huntsville, the freeway gains US 431 and loses the SR 53 designation. The road widens to ten lanes on the south side of

Interstate 565 Interstate 565 (I-565) is a Interstate spur that connects I-65 in Decatur with U.S. Route 72 (US 72) in Huntsville in the US state of Alabama. I-565 serves the cities of Decatur, Madison, and downtown Huntsville. It also prov ...

, with the gained lanes used as access lanes for

US 72 U.S. Route 72 (US 72) is an east–west United States highway that travels for from southwestern Tennessee, throughout North Mississippi, North Alabama, and southeastern Tennessee. The highway's western terminus is in Memphis, Tennessee and ...

or I-565. On the north side of I-565, the road once again goes to six lanes and an exit lane, which is carried along its concurrency with US 72. About a mile north of the second junction with US 72, the route loses its frontage roads and reverts to a four-lane divided highway. In general, the route is an important connector between Dothan, Montgomery, and Huntsville, three of the most populous cities in the state.

Tennessee

US 231 enters Tennessee from Alabama in a concurrency with US 431 until it reaches Fayetteville. North of there it runs through Shelbyville and later passes through the eastern part of the Nashville metro area, passing through the cities of

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. By the time it reaches Bethpage, it joins U.S. Route 31E in another concurrency to the northeast before finally crossing the Kentucky State Line north of Westmoreland. The route is approximately from Tennessee's northern border to its southern border.

Kentucky

US 231 parallels

Interstate 65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...

before reaching

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...

. From Bowling Green, US 231 closely parallels I-165 (formerly the William H. Natcher Parkway) until it reaches

Owensboro Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest of Lou ...

. At Owensboro, US 231 joins

US 60 U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia. The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...

(also known as the

Wendell H. Ford Expressway The Wendell H. Ford Expressway, also known as the Owensboro Bypass, is a major partial beltway that runs around the outer parts of the city of Owensboro, Kentucky. With a length of , the expressway includes parts of U.S. Route 60 (US ...

) around the city's east side, which it then follows to just north of Maceo. US 60 then leaves toward the east while US 231 turns to the north, leaving the state via the

across the

. A portion of the Owensboro-area route is relatively new; in 2014, a new section from Kentucky 54 to Kentucky 2830 opened, bypassing the former bypass route. Part of that former route has been renumbered as Kentucky 603. The remainder, south of 603, is partly a dead-end city street and an abandoned lane that will eventually become part of the

David Adkisson Greenbelt David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

trail.

Indiana

, US 231 has the distinction of being the state's longest continuous highway. It covers approximately in the

Hoosier Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate, but "Hoosier" was in general use by the 1840s, having been popularized by Richmond resident John Finley's 1833 poem "T ...

State. US 231 passes through the towns of Dale, Huntingburg, Jasper, and Loogootee before reaching Bloomfield. In Bloomfield, US 231 passes

Shawnee Field Shawnee Field is a public use airport in Greene County, Indiana, United States. It is owned by Shawnee Field Inc. and is located three nautical miles (5.56 km) west of the central business district of Bloomfield, Indiana. Although most U. ...

, a local airport. US 231 slices through central Indiana before reaching

West Lafayette West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister c ...

, where it runs just south and west of

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 money ...

. Next it mostly zigzags north and west, staying close to Interstate 65, before heading straight west from Crown Point, terminating at

US 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, ...

. Indiana's Major Moves program, which derives its funding from the lease of the

Indiana Toll Road The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East–West Toll Road, is a tolled freeway 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 Street of the ...

to private interests, has made it possible for the state to build many new miles of roadway throughout the state. As part of this program, US 231 is currently being updated to a new-terrain four-lane highway from the Indiana-Kentucky border through Spencer County to

Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange w ...

. This segment of US 231 has been named the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Parkway. As of April 2011, the Lincoln Parkway is complete from the Kentucky line to the interchange at I-64 and the bypass of Dale at the northernmost end of the project. It is a fully operational partial cloverleaf and the previous two-lane 231 overpass has been demolished. It has been replaced by a new four-lane overpass. The section from SR 162 to Indiana State Highway 70 near Chrisney was the last to be opened, after a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 15, 2011, much sooner than the original July 2011 projected date. In addition to the Spencer County project, a four-lane bypass of the

Dubois County Dubois County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 43,637. The county seat is Jasper. Dubois County is part of the Jasper Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Dubois County was formed on Decem ...

cities of Huntingburg and

Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...

is also in the planning stages, but funding has not been secured. A firm timetable for construction has yet to materialize.

History

U.S. Route 152 was commissioned in 1934, connecting

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

with Hammond. It followed

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 ...

from Indianapolis to northwest of

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

, where it turned north to end at

US 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. S ...

in Hammond. In 1938, the route was decommissioned, and became a southern extension of State Road 53 from northwest of Lafayette to Crown Point, a new State Road 152 from

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

to Hammond, and was simply dropped in favor of the

overlap Overlap may refer to: * In set theory, an overlap of elements shared between sets is called an intersection, as in a Venn diagram. * In music theory, overlap is a synonym for reinterpretation of a chord at the boundary of two musical phrases * Ove ...

ping US 52, State Road 8, and

elsewhere. These parts of SR 53 and SR 8 became US 231 in 1952, when US 231 was extended north from Montgomery to US 41 south of St. John.

Kentucky Route 71

In Kentucky, US 231 was originally signed as Kentucky Route 71. KY 71 originally ran from Scottsville to Owensboro. Portions of the original KY 71 in Butler County was rerouted to a bridge over the

Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada * Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...

in the early 1950s, replacing the Morgantown Ferry. In 1952, US 231 replaced the entire alignment of KY 71 in its entirety.Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (1957).
Official Kentucky State Highway Map
' (PDF) (Map). Frankfort: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Retrieved June 14, 2016.

Major intersections

;Florida : in

: in Panama City : south of Cottondale : in Cottondale ;Alabama : in

Dothan Dothan is a place-name from the Hebrew Bible, identified with Tel Dothan. It may refer to: * Dothan, Alabama, a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties in the U.S. state of Alabama * Dani Dothan, lyricist and vocalist for the Israeli rock and ne ...

: in Dothan. The highways travel concurrently through Dothan. : in

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...

: south-southeast of

Pike Road Pike Road is a town in Montgomery County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,439, up from 5,406 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Montgomery metropolitan area. Pike Road was founded in 1815. Pike Road was in ...

. The highways travel concurrently to Montgomery. : in Montgomery. The highways travel concurrently through Montgomery. : in Montgomery : in

Sylacauga Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,578. Sylacauga is known for its fine white marble bedrock. This was discovered shortly after settlers moved into the area and has been ...

. The highways travel concurrently to Harpersville. : in

Pell City Pell City is a city in and one of the county seats of St. Clair County, Alabama, United States, other seat being Ashville. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,939. At the 2010 census, the city-limit population jumped to 12,695. It was hom ...

: in Pell City : in

Ashville Ashville or Asheville may refer to: Places United States * Ashville, Alabama * Ashville, Louisville, Kentucky * Ashville, New York * Asheville, North Carolina ** Asheville metropolitan area ** Asheville School ** Asheville High School ** Ashe ...

. The highways travel concurrently through Ashville. : in Ashville : in Ashville : south-southwest of

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used ...

: in

Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

. The highways travel concurrently to

Fayetteville, Tennessee Fayetteville is a city and the county seat of Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,994 at the 2000 census, and 6,827 at the 2010 census. A census estimate from 2018 showed 7,017. History Fayetteville is the largest cit ...

. : in Huntsville. : in Huntsville. The highways travel concurrently through Huntsville. ;Tennessee : in Fayetteville. US 64/US 231 travels concurrently through Fayetteville. : in

: in Murfreesboro. The highways travel concurrently through Murfreesboro. : in

: in Lebanon : west-southwest of

Bransford Bransford is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills district of the county of Worcestershire, England. It is situated close to the River Teme and the village of Leigh. It is on the primary route between Worcester and Hereford, the A41 ...

. The highways travel concurrently to

Scottsville, Kentucky Scottsville is a home rule-class city in Allen County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 4,226 during the 2010 U.S. Census. History The site along Bays Fork was settled in 1797 and developed into ...

. ;Kentucky : in

: in Bowling Green : in Bowling Green. The highways travel concurrently through Bowling Green. : in

Beaver Dam A beaver dam or beaver impoundment is a dam built by beavers to create a pond which protects against predators such as coyotes, wolves and bears, and holds their food during winter. These structures modify the natural environment in such a way t ...

. The highways travel concurrently through Beaver Dam. : in

. The highways travel concurrently to Maceo. ;Indiana : in Dale : in Loogootee. The highways travel concurrently through Loogootee. : west-northwest of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

: in Cloverdale : north-northwest of Cloverdale : east of

Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film '' Horton ...

: in Crawfordsville : in Crawfordsville : northwest of

. The highways travel concurrently to Montmorenci. : south of Wolcott : in Wolcott. The highways travel concurrently to

Remington Remington may refer to: Organizations * Remington Arms, American firearms manufacturer * Remington Rand, American computer manufacturer * Remington Products, American manufacturer of shavers and haircare products * Remington College, American c ...

. : east of Remington : north of Remington : in Crown Point : in St. John

References

External links

Endpoints of US 231

Indiana Highway Ends: US 231
{{DEFAULTSORT:31-2 United States Numbered Highway System