U.S. 50 East - Knox & Daviess Counties

U.S. 50 crosses the Red Skeleton Bridge over the Wabash River to enter the state of Indiana. Here, the four lane highway enters Knox County (population 38,440). Knox County is the oldest county in Indiana and was one of the two created in the Northwest Territory in 1790. When it was originally created, the county spanned into present-day Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois, as well as all of Indiana.

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U.S. 50 forms part of the freeway bypass for the city of Vincennes (population 18,701). Originally founded in 1732 as a French Trading Post, Vincennes is the oldest settlement in Indiana. As a result, the city was home to the first school, newspaper, and bank in the state. U.S. 50 joins U.S. 41 for its bypass around the northern and eastern parts of the city as a part of a highway that was originally conceived as part of a new interstate highway from Louisville to St. Louis. Three interchanges serve the Vincennes area via U.S. 41, at 6th Street, Hart Street, and Willow Street.

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Vincennes is best known for the George Rogers Clark National Historic Park, site of the 1779 Battle of Vincennes during the American Revolutionary War. Numerous historic sites for the state are also located in the city center, as part of the Indiana Territory State Historic Site. Vincennes University, the oldest college in Indiana, is also located within in the city. The first interchange along U.S. 50, for 6th Street, provides access to all major sites in Vincennes.

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The first interchange along U.S. 50 is a cloverleaf interchange with 6th Street to the south and U.S. 41 north & U.S. 150 east to the north. 6th Street heads in a southwesterly direction from the freeway through Vincennes and alongside several motorists' services. SR 61, a 64 mile state highway from Vincennes south through Petersburg and Newburgh to the Ohio River, begins at the point where the highway passes underneath the U.S. 41 freeway bypass at the Vincennes city limits, which is currently not an interchange.

11/06/10

Now at the cloverleaf interchange with 6th Street and U.S. 41 & U.S. 150. U.S. 41 is a major north-south highway that spans for 280 miles from Hammond, outside of Chicago, south toward Terre Haute and Vincennes. U.S. 41 south and U.S. 150 east join the U.S. 50 freeway at this interchange for a short overlap, though U.S. 150 will stay with U.S. 50 for another 50 miles.
As mentioned, SR 61 can be reached at this exit, but is not served by this exit. Originally, the highway began at the cloverleaf interchange with U.S. 50 and followed a path utilizing 6th Street southwest to St. Clair Street southeast to Wabash Avenue. That part of the highway was turned back to Vincennes in 1999.

11/06/10

Now past the interchange with 6th Street, the three U.S. highways continue a short distance to their split over Washington Avenue (old U.S. 50) and Bruceville Road. U.S. 41 continues toward the south along the remainder of the Vincennes bypass en route to Princeton and Evansville, the largest city in Southwest Indiana. U.S. 50, along with U.S. 150, turns eastward in the direction of Washington.

11/12/11

A three-level stack interchange facilitates the movements between the U.S. 41 south and U.S. 50/150 eastbound split. Both Hart Street and Willow Street can be reached along the remainder of the freeway bypass via U.S. 41.

11/12/11

Leaving the stack interchange with U.S. 41, U.S. 50/150 continue east as a four lane expressway across rural Knox County. Wheatland, at the intersection with SR 550, is ten miles away and Washington, the county seat of Daviess County, is 18 miles away.

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The U.S. 50/150 expressway between Vincennes and Washington is the only major highway across Knox County orientated in a general east-west direction. Other roads cross at a 45 degree angle, mirroring the street grid of Vincennes and the path of the Wabash River. The four lane expressway was extended east to the new Interstate 69 opened on November 19, 2012.

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U.S. 50/150 east intersect SR 550 outside Wheatland. SR 550 exists in two small segments, both connected to U.S. 50 & U.S. 150. This segment goes for 14 miles to the northwest through Wheatland to U.S. 41.

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Just east of the SR 550 intersection, U.S. 50/150 meet the end of SR 241. SR 241 ventures southwest through Monroe City and Decker on its 16.7 mile journey to U.S. 41 in southern Knox County.

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East of the SR 241 intersection, the US highway tandem is now eight miles from Washington.

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The path of Old Highway 50 from Wheatland is subsumed by the U.S. 50/150 expressway ahead of Patrick Ditch in this scene.

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Approaching the West Fork of the White River, which is the county boundary between Knox and Daviess Counties. The U.S. 50/150 expressway veers southeast from the former US highway alignment, which appears between a tree line to a removed crossing of the river.

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U.S. 50/150 enter Daviess County (population 31,648) over a small creek that forms an older course of the West Fork of the White River. The current river flows a little further to the east. Presumably, the county boundary follows the older alignment of the river.

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The Robert C. Graham Bridge carries motorists across the West Fork of the White River along U.S. 50/150.

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There were two previous alignments of U.S. 50/150 across Washington, but today the highway makes a wide arc to the south bypassing the city along a four lane facility. Three major "exits" (at-grade intersections) for Washington lie ahead with SR 57 (3 miles), Troy Road (4 miles), and Donaldson Road (5 miles).

11/06/10

Maysville Road (County Road 300 West) links the expressway with the small community of Maysville along the older U.S. 50 to the north. The Washington bypass of U.S. 50/150 is the only place in Indiana where intersections are marked with freeway style guide signs.

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Sunnyside Road (County Road 150 South) ventures across U.S. 50/150 to the settlement of South Washington at SR 57.

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Approaching the intersection with SR 57, an 80 mile route between Worthington and Evansville, on U.S. 50/150 east near South Washington.
SR 57 passes through the Central Business District of Washington north to Plainville and Elnora before ending at U.S. 231 in Greene County. The state road heads southwest from U.S. 50/150 toward Petersburg, Oakland City and finally Evansville. The new Interstate 69 follows the SR 57 corridor from Daviess County to Interstate 64.

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East of SR 57, Montgomery, located in eastern Daviess County, is seven miles away while Shoals, the county seat of Martin County, is 22 miles away.

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Troy Road leads south from the central part of Washington to meet U.S. 50/150 at the next intersection.

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Donaldson Road extends Sunnyside Road east from South Washington to U.S. 50/150.

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A signalized intersection marks the junction between U.S. 50/150 and SR 257, a 31 mile highway that begins in Downtown Washington and ends to the south in Stendal. SR 257 passes through Otwell in 15 miles. Notably, SR 257 has terminuses at local roads and not state or U.S. highways.

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East of the SR 257 intersection, the U.S. 50/150 expressway merges with Old U.S. 50 (National Highway) and approaches the new Interstate 69 freeway. Guide signs for I-69 feature Evansville for sotuhbound and a blank space likely reserved for Indianapolis for the northbound control city.

11/21/12

U.S. 50/150 was expanded to four lanes for their meeting with Interstate 69. The new 67 mile extension of highway opened on November 19, 2012 from Interstate 64 north of Evansville to U.S. 231 north of Crane.

11/21/12

National Highway, the former routing of U.S. 50/150 that passed through the heart of Washington, returns to present-day U.S. 50/150 just the west of the Interstate 69 diamond interchange.

11/21/12

South from U.S. 50/150, Interstate 69 heads toward the communities of Petersburg and Oakland City, providing a high-speed link between those communities. A nearly 65 mile trip awaits motorists bound for the city of Evansville from this location.

11/21/12

For the moment, there is no control city for northbound Interstate 69. U.S. 231 near Crane marks the temporary endpoint, 25 miles to the north. Construction continues through 2014 along future I-69 from Crane to Bloomington.

11/21/12

A historical look at U.S. 50/150 east where the highway now meets Interstate 69. The house on the north side of the then-two lane roadway was demolished to make way for the realigned U.S. 50/150 and new freeway.

11/06/10

U.S. 50/150 reduces to a two lane highway leading away from I-69 toward Loogootee.

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