US 40 and the National Road in Western Indiana

The Jim Grey Page • Roads

Downtown Terre Haute

This map is wrong.

Windows Live Local shows an alignment of US 40 that hasn't existed in at least 20 years. Even when I lived in Terre Haute in the late 80s and early 90s, eastbound US 40 ran along Ohio St. for a while before pointing you back to Wabash Ave., and I believe that's still true. And sometime in the past few years, westbound US 40 now turns north at 9th St. as this photo shows, and then heads west again along Cherry St. Maybe this was done because Cherry St. is several lanes one way west, while Wabash Ave. offers only one westbound lane. Cherry St also lines up with the westbound bridge over the Wabash River.

I was saddened to find this out. I never got to see the great Crossroads of America at a time when US 40 and US 41 intersected at 7th and Wabash, but at least US 40 still ran through the heart of Terre Haute. No longer. Here's what the Crossroads looks like today, from the northwest.

When I lived in Terre Haute, 7th and Wabash were never empty on a summer Saturday afternoon.

I have heard that the plan is to route US 40 around Terre Haute. It will still pass by Rose-Hulman, but will then align with Indiana 46 to I-70, and I-70 I assume until it meets with the place US 40 already multiplexes with I 70.

Created July 2006. Last update 29 February 2008.
These pages, including text and photographs, are copyright 2007 by Jim Grey. (Replace # with @ if you click that link to send me e-mail.)
Maps are screen shots from Windows Live Local. All copyrights acknowledged.