Interstate 865

Interstate 865 (I-865) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway northwest of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a short connector between I-65 and I-465, running for five miles (8.0 km) and completely concurrent with U.S. Route 52 (US 52). The highway was originally numbered as a branch of I-465, but was renumbered in 2002 to prevent I-465 from intersecting with itself. This section was previously known as the Dog Leg, and the mile markers ran from 900 to 905.[2]

Interstate 865
I-865 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-65
Maintained by INDOT
Length4.72 mi[1] (7.60 km)
Existed2002[2]–present
Major junctions
West end I-65 / US 52 near Zionsville
East end I-465 / US 52 near Zionsville
Location
CountiesBoone
Highway system
← SR 827→ SR 912

Route description

I-865 begins at an interchange with I-65 in the northwest outskirts of Indianapolis, near Zionsville. The interchange allows for traffic from southbound I-65 to continue east onto I-865 and connects traffic from westbound I-865 to northbound I-65, but prohibits other movements. US 52 joins the four-lane freeway as it travels east across several farms and suburban neighborhoods on the south side of Zionsville. After 4.7 miles (7.6 km), I-865 terminates at a three-way interchange with I-465, which continues around Indianapolis as a beltway.[3]

I-865 has interchanges only at its eastern terminus at I-465 and its western terminus at I-65.[4] It is one of the few Interstates that have interchanges only at their termini and none in between. Other examples include I-587 in Kingston, New York; I-381 in Bristol, Virginia; the future I-222; and I-189 in Chittenden County, Vermont.

The highway is maintained by the Indiana Department of Transportation, which conducts an annual survey of traffic on certain highway segments that is expressed in terms of average annual daily traffic (AADT), a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2014, traffic counts on I-865 were measured at an average of 31,176 vehicles.[5]

History

I-865 was originally part of I-465. Original plans were for I-465 to run east from exit 129 of I-65 around the city to exit 123 of I-65. The north-south section of the current I-465 between I-65 and the current I-865 was originally not part of I-465. Instead, it was built to interstate standards as Indiana State Road 100. In January 1970, seven months before it was completed, the federal government approved the request to make it part of I-465. This resulted in an unusual T intersection of all three branches of I-465 at the current junction of I-865 and I-465. The stretch of I-465 that is now I-865 was given mile markers starting with 900 to distinguish it from the main portion of the highway.[2]

The unusual configuration caused confusion among motorists, being described as "the 465 connector", "the 465 extension", "the 465 dogleg", "465 second section" and "the 465 ramp to 65 north." The May 2002 renaming of this branch of I-465 to I-865 fixed that problem.[2][6] The renumbering was approved by the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in October 2002.[7]

At the time of the renaming, officials chose "I-865" rather than the also available "I-665" because they concluded that 9-1-1 operators would more easily understand the combination of "8" and "65".[2]

Exit list

The entire route is in Eagle Township, Boone County.

mi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
0.000.00 I-65 north / US 52 west – Gary, ChicagoWestern terminus; western end of US 52 concurrency; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; I-65 exit 129
4.727.60 I-465 / US 52 east – Indianapolis, SpeedwayEastern terminus; eastern end of US 52 concurrency; I-465 exit 25
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References
  1. Indiana Department of Transportation (July 23, 2004). "Greenfield District Area Reference Posts" (PDF). Indiana Department of Transportation.
  2. Indiana Department of Transportation (April 24, 2002). "Indiana's 'New' Interstate: I-865" (Press release). Indiana Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
  3. Google (October 28, 2018). "Interstate 865" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  4. Indiana Department of Transportation. "I-865". INDOT Interchange Book. Indiana Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  5. "Traffic Counts (INDOT)". Indiana Department of Transportation. 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  6. McFeely, Dan (April 29, 2002). "I-865 name does follow protocol". The Indianapolis Star. p. B3. Retrieved October 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (November 5, 2002). "Report of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering to the Standing Committee on Highways" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2018.

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