| Lebanon, Indiana
| Decom. |
According to Michael King, there used to be a Business I-65 in Lebanon along Lafayette Ave. Apparently this routing is no longer in place, and it matches the typical short life cycle of a business route in Indiana. Other business routes, such as Business U.S. 6 (Ridge Road) in northwestern Indiana and Business U.S. 20 through South Bend (which may be up for decommissioning at a business U.S. route) are examples of this.
Jacob Newkirk writes that during his younger years, this highway [Business Loop I-65] was signed with signs dating from about 1960. In 1995 (or thereabout), these signs were removed. The general route was: "At Exit 138, Indianapolis Avenue (which was U.S. 52 until 1959, when I-65 in the Lebanon area was completed) heads northwest into town, where it meets SR-32 at Spencer Avenue, continuing northwest to South Street, where SR-32 goes due west. Indianapolis Avenue continues northwest one block to Main Street, where Business I-65/U.S. 52 (yes, that was signed here as well, with an old square white-background sign with a black shield outline) turn to the west. For the next 12 blocks, the business routes go west along Main Street, meeting SR-39 at Lebanon Street, and continuing west to Lafayette Avenue, turning to the northwest again on this street. (Note: All of the old U.S. 52 signs from here on were the old cutout style, very small, reading "Indiana U.S. 52.") The business routes exit Lebanon on Lafayette Avenue, going northwest roughly 1-1/2 miles or so. It gets confusing to the uninitiated at the northern terminus of Lafayette Avenue, because the southbound lane disappears (due to the off-ramp from I-65 southbound) and then reappears. Then, just a few hundred feet north of this, signs reading To I-65/To U.S. 52 direct you to a gradual left, and you must enter the collector ramp for U.S. 52 westbound (actually northbound) and quickly merge into either the left lane for I-65 northbound or the right lane for U.S. 52. Like I said, it's confusing to some, and you really have to be moving quickly! When the highway was built in the late fifties I dare say there wasn't as much traffic as there is now."
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