U.S. Route 33 in Indiana - Route Description

Route Description

US 33 enters Indiana from Ohio heading northwest towards Decatur, as a rural two-lane highway, passing through farmland with a few houses. Along the way passing through a short concurrency with State Road 101 (SR 101), in Pleasant Mills. The highway enters Decatur by curving due west. The road begins a concurrency with US 27, heading due north as a four-lane highway with a center turn lane. The concurrency passes through mostly commercial before heading in to downtown Decatur. In downtown Decatur the two routes have an intersection with US 224, this is the southern end of the US 224 concurrency. The three routes head north having an intersection at the northern end of the US 224 concurrency, US 224 turns due west. After the concurrency with US 224, US 27 and US 33 head north and then northwest towards Fort Wayne and the road becomes a four-lane divided highway. On the southside of Fort Wayne is a diamond interchange with Interstate 469 (I–469), this interchange is the north end of the concurrency with US 27.

US 33 heads west on I–469, which is concurrenct with US 24. All three route have an interchange with the northern terminus of the southern section of SR 1, this interchange has access to the Fort Wayne International Airport. After the interchange at SR 1, the interstate passes south of the airport. West of the airport is the terminus of I–469, both US 24 and US 33 turns north onto I–69, passing through rural areas with farmland as a four-lane interstate. Then the interstate has an interchange with Airport Expressway/Lower Huntington Road. North of the Airport Expressway interchange the roadway becomes a six-lane interstate, passing through urban areas with a mix of commercial and industrial properties. The highway enters the southwest side of Fort Wayne and US 24 leaves the concurrency, heading southwest. After the interchange with US 24, the interstate has an interchange with the eastern terminus SR 14, on the west side of Fort Wayne. After the interchange with SR 14, the highway turn northeast curving around Fort Wayne. On the northwest side of Fort Wayne, US 33 leaves I–69 heading northwest concurrenct with US 30. The concurrency is a six-lane expressway, passinf through woodlands with some commercial properties. Shortly after the concurrency with US 30 begans it end, with US 33 heading north and US 30 heading west. The highway becomes a four-lane highway with a center turn lane as it begins to leave Fort Wayne, passing through a mix of commercial and residential areas.

The roadway leaves Fort Wayne heading northwest as a two–lane mainly rural highway, passing through farm land with some woods. In Churubusco the route has a traffic light with SR 205. Then the road heads towards Ligonier, passing through a four–stop intersection with SR 9 in Marriam. Then in Wolf Lake the road has an intersection with SR 109 at the main intersection in town. Then south of Ligonier the road passes through Kimmell and the route begins a concurrency with SR 5. The concurrency with SR 5 ends at the intersection with US 6 in Ligonier. Both US 6 and US 33 head west away from Ligonier as a two-lane highway passing through farmland with some houses, for 5.75 miles (9.25 km). Then US 33 turns north, now concurrenct with SR 13, the concurrency with SR 13 last for 2 miles (3.2 km), with SR 13 turning east and US 33 turning northwest. Now the road heads towards Goshen passing through Benton on the way.

The road enters Goshen on the southeast side of the city, as a two-lane highway with a center turn lane, passing commercial properties. As the road gets closer to downtown Goshen the road narrows to a two lane street without turn lanes. In downtown the route turns north onto Main Street (SR 15) at a traffic light. This traffic light is the southern end of The US 33/SR 15 Truck Route, a divided highway bypassing the narrow Main Street. On Main Street US 33 and SR 15 becomes a four-lane undivided street with parking on both sides. The street has an intersection with the western terminus of the middle section of SR 4. North of SR 4, both US 33 and SR 15 turn west, on to Pike Street. One block later the concurrency end with SR 15 turning north and US 33 continues west, on Pike Street. This intersection is also the northern end of the US 33/SR 15 Truck Route. The route leaves downtown Goshen as a four–lane undivided highway, passing through commercial district and residential area. After crossing the Elkhart River the highway widens to a four-lane highway with a center turn lane. The route heads towards Elkhart, parralling the Norfolk Southern railroad and passing through Midway and Dunlap. On the south side of Elkhart, US 33 has an interchange with US 20 this interchange is the northern terminus for US 33.

The entire length of US 33 in Indiana is included as a part of the National Highway System (NHS). The NHS is a network of highways that are identified as being most important for the economy, mobility and defense of the nation. The highway is maintained by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) like all other U.S. Highways in the state. The department tracks the traffic volumes along all state highways as a part of its maintenance responsibilities using a metric called average annual daily traffic (AADT). This measurement is a calculation of the traffic level along a segment of roadway for any average day of the year. In 2010, INDOT figured that lowest traffic levels were 3,290 vehicles and 650 commercial vehicles used the highway daily at the Noble–Whitley County area. The peak traffic volumes were 79,520 vehicles and 11,060 commercial vehicles AADT along the section of US 33 at is concurrent with I–69, between the SR 14 and US 30 exits in Fort Wayne.