State Road 163
Indiana 163 is a short, nine mile highway that stretches from the Illinois state line in southern Vermillion County east through the town of Blanford and city of Clinton. After passing through the Vermillion County seat of Clinton, SR 163 crosses the Wabash River and proceeds east to U.S. 41 where the highway ends.
Before the Indiana 63 expressway was built in the 1970s, Indiana 63 had followed Indiana 163's route west through Clinton before continuing to the north. The original Indiana 163 was a spur route off of SR 63 that went from Clinton westward to the Illinois state line during that time. Once Indiana 63 was rerouted, Indiana 163 took over the routing from Clinton east to U.S. 41.
East
SR 163 heads east from the intersection with SR 63 through a commercial area that takes advantage of the access to the four lane expressway.
10/15/12
Halfway to town, SR 163 meets up with Hazel Bluff Road and continues in a northeast direction toward the Clinton city limits. Hazel Bluff Road leads southwest from SR 163 to SR 63, providing a quicker route to Terre Haute from Clinton in lieu of SR 163.
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SR 163 (Hazel Bluff Road) heads downhill as it descends from a bluff that forms the western edge of the Wabash River valley. The city of Clinton lies with that valley just off the river.
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SR 163, now Western Avenue, enters the city of Clinton. With a population of 4,893, the city is Vermillion County's largest, containing about a third of the county's population. It represents the business center of Vermillion and parts of Parke Counties. Clinton is also best known for its Italian-American population and its Little Italy Festival which brings 75,000 visitors every Labor Day Weekend.
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SR 163 follows Western Avenue to 9th Street, a major north-south street across the west side of Clinton. 9th Street heads north to become Washington Street through the community of Fairview Park.
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SR 163 turns south onto 9th Street as Western avenue ends.
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SR 163 follows 9th Street south one and half blocks to Elm Street.
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SR 163 resumes an eastward course along Elm Street from 9th Street toward the Wabash River.
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SR 163 (Elm Street) travels four blocks east through a residential neighborhood before entering the Clinton central business district.
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Entering Downtown Clinton, SR 163 (Elm Street) prepares for another turn to the south at the Main Street intersection.
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SR 163 follows Main Street south from the central business district for two blocks while Elm Street continues east to Water Street along the Wabash River.
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SR 163 makes one more turn to the east onto Walnut Street as Main Street continues south toward West Central Community Hospital.
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SR 163 leaves the city of Clinton as it crosses the Wabash River and enters Parke County (17,399). Parke County is best known as the Covered Bridge Capital of the World. The bridge over the Wabash River replaced a previous truss bridge that crossed the river at Elm Street in 1963.
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SR 163 passes underneath a CSX railroad track that follows the Wabash River from Terre Haute north through Clinton.
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03/09/12
Now approaching the eastern terminus of SR 163 at U.S. 41. This portion of U.S. 41 consists of a two lane route through Attica and Rockville. Long distance travelers between Northwest Indiana, Terre Haute, Vincennes and Evansville follow the SR 63 expressway to the west, with SR 163 representing the closest U.S. 41 gets to SR 63 besides at their endpoints.
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Nationally, U.S. 41 goes for 2,000 miles from Copper Harbor, Michigan south to Miami, Florida. Here, it's a 15 mile drive south to Terre Haute and 11 miles northeast to the Parke County seat of Rockville.
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An end shield for SR 163 is posted at the eastern terminus with U.S. 41 in southwestern Parke County.
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West
Passing by the first westbound reassurance marker for SR 163 as the state road leaves U.S. 41.
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SR 163 spans the Wabash River into both Vermillion County (population 16,212) and the city of Clinton (population 4,893). A sign proclaims the Little Italy Festival, held every Labor Day weekend with as many as 75,000 attendees, for Clinton, which is well known for its Italian-American population.
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SR 163 crosses the Wabash River over a nondescript 1963-bridge. This span replaced a truss bridge that previously carried SR 163 to Elm Street in Clinton.
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Upon entering Clinton, SR 163 will make a right turn onto Main Street from Walnut Street.
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Main Street heads south from the intersection with Walnut Street to the West Central Memorial Hospital that serves Clinton and surrounding areas.
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SR 163 follows Main Street for one block before turning west onto Elm Street at the central business district of Clinton.
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Leaving Downtown Clinton, SR 163 (Elm Street) heads through a residential neighborhood in the central part of Clinton.
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Coming up to the intersection with 9th Street, which SR 163 follows to the north for one and a half blocks.
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SR 163 follows 9th Street north to the intersection with Western Avenue, where SR 163 will make another turn to the west to head out of Clinton.
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9th Street continues north as a major north-south road through Clinton to become Washington Street through adjacent Fairview Park before ending SR 63.
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SR 163 follows Western Avenue to Hazel Bluff Road out of the city of Clinton.
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Hazel Bluff Road branches to the southwest in the direction of SR 63, providing an easier access point to the expressway in the direction of Terre Haute. SR 163 curves northwest to a commercial area ahead of its junction with SR 63.
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The town of St. Bernice is the next and last town that SR 163 goes through before entering the state of Illinois.
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SR 163 becomes commercialized on the approach to the SR 63 expressway.
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The SR 63 expressway crosses paths with SR 163 ahead. Before the expressway was built, SR 63 had followed SR 163 from U.S. 41 west to Downtown Clinton where it proceeded off to the north along Main Street. At that time, SR 163 was a spur route of SR 63.
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SR 63 constitutes a 61.4 mile portion of the expressway route between Northwest Indiana and Terre Haute. The state road overtakes U.S. 41 in importance due to the geography of the US highway to the east, which made upgrading it cost prohibitive. It's a 13 mile drive south to Terre Haute and 32 miles north to Interstate 74.
03/09/12
Photo Credits:
- Thomas Decker: 03/09/12, 10/15/12
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Page Updated Tuesday May 07, 2013.