State Road 3 (SR3) in the U.S. state of Indiana is a discontinuous state highway running through eastern Indiana from near the Ohio River to near the Michigan state line. The southernmost terminus is at SR 62 in Charlestown, and the northernmost terminus is at SR 120 near Brighton.

The route was continuous until 1972, when the route was split into two segments that exist today.

Route description

Southern section

SR3 begins just south of Charlestown at SR62 and heads north toward downtown Charlestown. When in downtown Charlestown SR3 intersects SR 403. SR3 heads north out of Charlestown. Then just over north of SR403, there is a wrong-way concurrency with SR 203 for , meaning southbound SR203 and northbound SR3 are going the same direction. After SR203, SR3 heads north toward Vernon and then North Vernon. In North Vernon SR3 has an intersection with U.S. Route 50 (US50). After North Vernon SR3 heads mainly due north for until SR 46 just west of Greensburg. SR3 joins SR46 on a four-lane divided highway and then enters Greensburg from the southwest. After entering Greensburg SR46 leaves SR3 at Main Street. In downtown Greensburg SR3 has an intersection with US 421.

After US421, SR3 leaves Greensburg heading northeast, then just north. SR3 has an interchange with Interstate 74 (I-74), from US421. After I-74, SR3 becomes a two-lane undivided highway. SR3 has a concurrency with US 52 that lasts for in Rushville. SR3 heads due north toward US 40 and then SR3 heads east on US40 for a short concurrency after . After US40, SR3 has an interchange with I-70. Just south of I-70 SR3 becomes a four-lane divided highway. After I-70, SR3 passes near New Castle. SR3 and US 36 have an interchange near Mount Summit. After US36, SR3 head north toward Muncie, where SR3 has an interchange with SR 67.

At the interchange with SR67, SR3 heads east, then north along the bypass. Interchange includes US 35 south, SR 32, and SR67 north. The bypass is a limited-access highway.

North of the Muncie Bypass, US35 leaves SR3 due west to Kokomo. After US35, SR3 heads due north to Markle. Passing through Hartford City, where SR3 meets SR 26. South of Markle SR3 turns northeast, then SR3 meets SR 116. Then after SR116, SR3 comes to its northern terminus of the southern section of SR3, at US 224.

Northern section

The southern terminus of the northern section of SR3 begins at I-69 and the northern terminus of US 27. The road heads north from this point, as a six–lane major arterial passing through both commercial and residential areas. North of Dupont Road, on the northside of Fort Wayne, the road becomes a rural four–lane divided highway. North of Fort Wayne, the route bypasses Huntertown, north of I-69. The road then enters Dekalb County, with a traffic light at SR 205. Very soon after SR205, the road enters Noble County, bypassing LaOtto and Avilla. In Noble County, the route passes through rural farming land and parallels an abandoned railroad track on its way to Kendallville. In Kendallville the route has a short concurrency with US 6. After the US6 concurrency SR3, becomes a two–lane rural highway heading due North, until Mongo where the road turns northwest. Entering into Brighton, SR3 reaches its northern terminus at SR 120.

History

Between 1972 and 1973, SR3 was removed between US224 in Markle and I-69 on the north side of Fort Wayne. The final route through the Fort Wayne metro area followed Indianapolis Road/Baer Road past the city's main airport (then known as Baer Field) to Lower Huntington Road in the Waynedale district of Fort Wayne. SR3 there turned east onto that road for only a short distance, before turning north again onto Bluffton Road (SR 1). Bluffton Road hugs the bank of the St. Mary's River before curving east and crossing it. SR1 and SR3 then immediately turned south onto Broadway for two blocks before turning east onto Rudisill Boulevard. SR1/SR3 followed Rudisill Boulevard to Lafayette Street (US27/US33 northbound) and Clinton Street (US27/US33 southbound) at which points the state routes turned north to join the others heading to/from downtown Fort Wayne. In the heart of the city US33 departed, then upon leaving downtown Lafayette Street becomes Spy Run Boulevard (still one way northbound) before joining Clinton Street on the north side of the city. Shortly thereafter, US27/SR1/SR3 turned toward the northwest onto Northrop Street and Lima Road until they reached the I-69 interchange, where SR3 continued north on Lima Road and US27/SR1 turned east onto northbound I–69. With SR3 through traffic easily using the then-recently completed I-69 to bypass Fort Wayne, the route between US224 and the junction with SR1 on the southwest side was turned back over to local control and the SR3 designation was removed along the portions shared with other routes within the city.

Until 1980, SR3 ran concurrently with SR 62 until it reached I-65 in Jeffersonville.

In 1990, the four-lane upgrade from the DeKalb–Allen County line north of Huntertown to Kendallville was completed, bypassing the towns of LaOtto and Avilla. This made SR3 four lanes for the from I-69 in Fort Wayne to US 6 in Kendallville.

In early 2010, construction began on SR3 widening for about from Ludwig Road in Fort Wayne to Dupont Road on the north side of Fort Wayne. This section of highway along Lima Road was widened from four-lane divided roadway to six-lane divided highway and was completed in November 2011.

At one point, the northern terminus was at the Michigan state line.

Major intersections

References

External links