Inbound Indianapolis morning traffic

[hbelkins]

Which road is the best for approaching Indianapolis in the morning, and which is the worst -- I-74 westbound (from Shelbyville/Greensburg) or I-65 northbound (from Seymour)?

I have a pretty good guess that 74 would be preferable to 65, but wanting to confirm with someone who knows for sure.

Also, how's the through routing of I-74 westbound around the beltway in the mornings? About what time does morning rush clear to make the drive acceptable to someone like me who has no patience for delays and slowdowns on freeways?

[bmeiser]

74 for sure.  And I would go around the south/west side rather than the east/north side.  Far more miles of 4+ lanes.  There is some construction, however, at I-65 but I believe all lanes are open during the day.  I'll defer to somebody else on the morning rush on 465 since I don't commute on 465.  I would say, if you aren't in a hurry, you'd probably be pretty safe after 9 or so.

[csw]

In my experience, the northeast portion of 465 (roughly between I-70 and US 421) is often jammed between 7:00 or 7:30 and 9:00 or so in the mornings. When I worked on that side of town I was always going through that area around 6:30 AM and rarely had issues. Just a bad combination of lots of traffic, bad drivers, and a lack of expedient I-69/I-465 interchange.

I will echo the south/west side suggestion. There are plenty of lanes on the southwest side between SR 67 and I-74.

Also keep in mind that there is still construction ongoing at the I-65/I-465 interchange on the south side.

[ysuindy]

Without having knowledge of the 65 vs 74 question, I can definitely add to the South and West side for the 465 route.

I commute down 69/465/70 from Fishers and the northbound traffic on 465 is frequently a parking lot from somewhere around the Pendleton Pike (US 36) exit up and around the northeast corner.  I'm not sure how much of that is from trucks struggling up the hill at Fall Creek do to low speed caused by congestion, how much is from the 69 ramps not being properly signed far enough out as a two lane exit and how much is by the obligatory accident somewhere.

My choke point in the morning is generally the merge from 465 to 70 and then 70 again at Emerson.  69 is free flowing if there is no accident.  That isn't always the case with 70. 

[hbelkins]

Since I-74 is signed on the south and west portions of I-465, I figured it would be the best option. My route is going to involve I-74 from Cincinnati to Danville.

[Rushmeister]

Which road is the best for approaching Indianapolis in the morning, and which is the worst -- I-74 westbound (from Shelbyville/Greensburg) or I-65 northbound (from Seymour)?

I have a pretty good guess that 74 would be preferable to 65, but wanting to confirm with someone who knows for sure.

Also, how's the through routing of I-74 westbound around the beltway in the mornings? About what time does morning rush clear to make the drive acceptable to someone like me who has no patience for delays and slowdowns on freeways?

I believe you are correct; inbound 74 on the SE side of Indy is better than inbound 65 on the south side.

By 9 a.m. a clockwise 465 trip on the south and west sides should be pretty good. 

A side thought for your trip through western Indiana on I-74...  You may notice what appears to be the afterimage of a diamond interchange at Ind 341. I suspect that in the early 1960s when I-74 was constructed, the rights of way were acquired for an interchange to be constructed there.  However, when the benefits of having an exit for Ind 341 were compared to the construction costs, the project never materialized.  I'm just speculating, though.   No state maps I've ever found show an interchange there.  Perhaps in the 1960s Hillsboro, Indiana, NIMBYs put a stop to the 341 exit project, claiming that the evil influences of rock and roll, drugs, and progressive thought interstate travelers would introduce to their community, just weren't worth the risk of a faster commute to Indianapolis or Danville to do their tradin'.

Have a nice trip, my friend.  If you need to take a break from the road in western Indiana, I suggest the Pilot at Ind 63.  The staff there always seems pretty friendly and if you pass through there at dinner time, a visit to the Beef House across the road is a must.

[csw]

Which road is the best for approaching Indianapolis in the morning, and which is the worst -- I-74 westbound (from Shelbyville/Greensburg) or I-65 northbound (from Seymour)?

I have a pretty good guess that 74 would be preferable to 65, but wanting to confirm with someone who knows for sure.

Also, how's the through routing of I-74 westbound around the beltway in the mornings? About what time does morning rush clear to make the drive acceptable to someone like me who has no patience for delays and slowdowns on freeways?

I believe you are correct; inbound 74 on the SE side of Indy is better than inbound 65 on the south side.

By 9 a.m. a clockwise 465 trip on the south and west sides should be pretty good. 

A side thought for your trip through western Indiana on I-74...  You may notice what appears to be the afterimage of a diamond interchange at Ind 341. I suspect that in the early 1960s when I-74 was constructed, the rights of way were acquired for an interchange to be constructed there.  However, when the benefits of having an exit for Ind 341 were compared to the construction costs, the project never materialized.  I'm just speculating, though.   No state maps I've ever found show an interchange there.  Perhaps in the 1960s Hillsboro, Indiana, NIMBYs put a stop to the 341 exit project, claiming that the evil influences of rock and roll, drugs, and progressive thought interstate travelers would introduce to their community, just weren't worth the risk of a faster commute to Indianapolis or Danville to do their tradin'.

Have a nice trip, my friend.  If you need to take a break from the road in western Indiana, I suggest the Pilot at Ind 63.  The staff there always seems pretty friendly and if you pass through there at dinner time, a visit to the Beef House across the road is a must.

+1 for the Beef House. Still the best restaurant I've been to in the state.

[silverback1065]

the west side is always better traffic wise

[Interstate 69 Fan]

Only if I-74 went into the city. I'm not sure if it was actually proposed to, and it's routing.

[silverback1065]

Only if I-74 went into the city. I'm not sure if it was actually proposed to, and it's routing.

i dont think it ever was, if 69 was built there wouldnt be any issues on the eastside part of 465

[hbelkins]

This thread is now moot. The anticipated trip did not happen.