OMG, I'm seeing things

[billtm]

Today I was wondering why there were two separate streets in Lafayette both called State, with no apparent old state highway running over them. So then something just clicked. Its old old old US 52! I was wondering if anyone knows if I'm right or not. I'm pretty confident but not 100% sure. Here's a map:

I also noticed something crazy last month, but this one I'm much less confident about. I think I found an old routing of IN 43.
Here's some maps (they are four smaller ones pieced together, sorry for the sloppiness):

[NE2]

http://research.archives.gov/description/5831012
Looks like it used Main to Columbia (or South?), then across the old Main Street bridge and on State to Northwestern. State may have been intended to go through, but I'd bet that they dropped that plan and built the bypass instead. http://libraries.iub.edu/union-list-sanborn-maps has older maps of Lafayette; by 1915 State existed in two pieces, with houses in the way of a direct connection (sheet 48).

As for SR 43, the 1927 official appears to show it on the modern alignment south of Brookston, but then crossing the Wabash onto 9th Street Lafayette.

[billtm]

http://research.archives.gov/description/5831012
Looks like it used Main to Columbia (or South?), then across the old Main Street bridge and on State to Northwestern. State may have been intended to go through, but I'd bet that they dropped that plan and built the bypass instead. http://libraries.iub.edu/union-list-sanborn-maps has older maps of Lafayette; by 1915 State existed in two pieces, with houses in the way of a direct connection (sheet 48).

As for SR 43, the 1927 official appears to show it on the modern alignment south of Brookston, but then crossing the Wabash onto 9th Street Lafayette.

Thanks for the great resources, but the 1927 state highway map showed up as a black page on my pdf viewer. So do you know where it made the crossover from its modern alignment to N. 9th St? IN 225? Burnetts Rd?
Also, I wonder why didn't US 52 just take Main all the way to the Main St. bridge? Why did it have to take Columbia?
The first map you linked to also ruined another theory of mine that old old old US 52 continued on State westward, then took the Jackson Hwy. up to Montmorenci, where it would join with its current alignment.

[NE2]

Thanks for the great resources, but the 1927 state highway map showed up as a black page on my pdf viewer.

Works for me, but here's another presentation (click 'interactive view').

So do you know where it made the crossover from its modern alignment to N. 9th St? IN 225? Burnetts Rd?

I would guess Burnetts Road, but the map isn't detailed enough to be sure.

Also, I wonder why didn't US 52 just take Main all the way to the Main St. bridge? Why did it have to take Columbia?

Probably because Main was congested with local traffic.

The first map you linked to also ruined another theory of mine that old old old US 52 continued on State westward, then took the Jackson Hwy. up to Montmorenci, where it would join with its current alignment.

The 1924 state map does appear to show this (for what was then SR 6), but by 1927 it's on Northwestern.

[billtm]

The second presentation worked
On that page there are so many maps! So this is what I found:
According to this AAA road map, US 52 was on its current alignment leaving West Lafayette by 1929:
http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/images/item.htm?id=http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/images/VAC3073/VAC3073-M-00128&scope=images/VAC3073#rezoom-1
But, according to this Rand McNally junior map, it was still on the Jackson Hwy. alignment in 1927:
http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/images/item.htm?id=http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/images/VAC3073/VAC3073-M-00395&scope=images/VAC3073#zoom-1
IMO, this was the most interesting map, its an Indiana gov't map from 1920, it really shows how inefficient and jagged all the state roads were, especially US 52 and US 41:
http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/images/item.htm?id=http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/images/VAC3073/VAC3073-M-00674&scope=images/VAC3073#zoom-1
And finally, there was this Indiana Dept. of Conservation map from 1923 map that showed SR 43 going north from West Lafayette along the old alignment I theorized. But to my surprise, it didn't go to Reynolds from Chalmers! It zig-zags to the east and hits US 24 at some midpoint between Reynolds and Monticello. It looks just like the 1920 map, but with a few more state roads:
http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/images/item.htm?id=http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/images/VAC3073/VAC3073-M-00760&scope=images/VAC3073#zoom-1

[NE2]

And finally, there was this Indiana Dept. of Conservation map from 1923 map that showed SR 43 going north from West Lafayette along the old alignment I theorized.

I don't know what that line style means (improved county road? state aid road?) but it wasn't a state highway yet.

[billtm]

And finally, there was this Indiana Dept. of Conservation map from 1923 map that showed SR 43 going north from West Lafayette along the old alignment I theorized.

I don't know what that line style means (improved county road? state aid road?) but it wasn't a state highway yet.

When did it become a state highway?

[NE2]

And finally, there was this Indiana Dept. of Conservation map from 1923 map that showed SR 43 going north from West Lafayette along the old alignment I theorized.

I don't know what that line style means (improved county road? state aid road?) but it wasn't a state highway yet.

When did it become a state highway?

By 1927, according to maps.

[billtm]

And finally, there was this Indiana Dept. of Conservation map from 1923 map that showed SR 43 going north from West Lafayette along the old alignment I theorized.

I don't know what that line style means (improved county road? state aid road?) but it wasn't a state highway yet.

When did it become a state highway?

By 1927, according to maps.

Oh... okay

[jnewkirk77]

Pretty sure NE2 is right about 52 using Main to Columbia.  I believe, though, that instead of curving toward Main as it does today, the highway once used what is now Ross Road, when it used to extend up to SR 38.  Over the years, that road has been gradually pared back to what it is today - a connector between Ivy Tech and the mobile home community that's on the east side of 52 across from the Tate & Lyle plant.

[billtm]

Pretty sure NE2 is right about 52 using Main to Columbia.  I believe, though, that instead of curving toward Main as it does today, the highway once used what is now Ross Road, when it used to extend up to SR 38.  Over the years, that road has been gradually pared back to what it is today - a connector between Ivy Tech and the mobile home community that's on the east side of 52 across from the Tate & Lyle plant.

Whoa! So that's why there's that little piece of Beck Ln.!

[silverback1065]

that's really interesting.  (the current routing is terrible though)

[billtm]

that's really interesting.  (the current routing is terrible though)

I agree its terrible, but I hope INDOT would use it as an opportunity to improve Teal Rd. First, I would make it one big four lane road, so Old US 231 (which is now barely used) would intersect it and through traffic on Teal wouldn't have to turn. Then, at the intersection with 4th St. and Poland Hill Rd., I would keep Teal itself the same, but get rid of the mergyness of that intersection, and make straight traffic from 4th St. go to Poland Hill, and vice versa.

[silverback1065]

that's really interesting.  (the current routing is terrible though)

I agree its terrible, but I hope INDOT would use it as an opportunity to improve Teal Rd. First, I would make it one big four lane road, so Old US 231 (which is now barely used) would intersect it and through traffic on Teal wouldn't have to turn. Then, at the intersection with 4th St. and Poland Hill Rd., I would keep Teal itself the same, but get rid of the mergyness of that intersection, and make straight traffic from 4th St. go to Poland Hill, and vice versa.

They actually are planning to reconstruct teal road, I have no idea what is planned, but it should be widened to 4 lanes between the mall and the new bypass.  I know for sure the 4th st/old 231 intersection will be redone.  The new state street project that will go under construction next fall around Purdue looks great.  It's great to see them getting rid of all of those confusing 1 ways through campus (the state st project is a local project not state)

[billtm]

I also really like the State Street project. But West Lafayette has been really slow on doing construction projects recently, and I'm worried about how long the State Street project will take. For example, its going to take them an entire year to repave a 3/4 mi. section of Cumberland Ave. (between Salisbury and Soldiers Home), and it took them an entire summer to repave a 1/5 mi. section of Salisbury St. (between Sagamore and Rainbow). I might give them a little slack on the Cumberland Av. project though, because they are installing a bike trail and repositioning the crossovers.

[silverback1065]

I also really like the State Street project. But West Lafayette has been really slow on doing construction projects recently, and I'm worried about how long the State Street project will take. For example, its going to take them an entire year to repave a 3/4 mi. section of Cumberland Ave. (between Salisbury and Soldiers Home), and it took them an entire summer to repave a 1/5 mi. section of Salisbury St. (between Sagamore and Rainbow). I might give them a little slack on the Cumberland Av. project though, because they are installing a bike trail and repositioning the crossovers.

here is the site for the state street project: http://statestreetwl.com/

[billtm]

I also really like the State Street project. But West Lafayette has been really slow on doing construction projects recently, and I'm worried about how long the State Street project will take. For example, its going to take them an entire year to repave a 3/4 mi. section of Cumberland Ave. (between Salisbury and Soldiers Home), and it took them an entire summer to repave a 1/5 mi. section of Salisbury St. (between Sagamore and Rainbow). I might give them a little slack on the Cumberland Av. project though, because they are installing a bike trail and repositioning the crossovers.

here is the site for the state street project: http://statestreetwl.com/

Thanks! The website looks nice.