Indiana State Road 109
Encyclopedia
Southern section
The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 40U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...
in Knightstown
Knightstown, Indiana
Knightstown is a town in Wayne Township, Henry County, Indiana, along the Big Blue River. The population was 2,182 at the 2010 census. Knightstown is famous for the 1986 movie Hoosiers. The Hoosier Gym was used in the filming of the movie. Knightstown hosts two annual festivals. Jubilee Days held...
in Henry County
Henry County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 48,508 people, 19,486 households, and 13,971 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 people per square mile . There were 20,592 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile...
. The highway runs north for about a mile, then heads northwest and intersects Interstate 70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
(exit 115) before passing through Wilkinson
Wilkinson, Indiana
Wilkinson is a town in Brown Township, Hancock County, Indiana, United States. The population was 449 at the 2010 census.Located in the northeast corner of Hancock County, the town sits along Indiana State Road 109, which runs north to Anderson and south to I-70 and Knightstown...
in Hancock County
Hancock County, Indiana
Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 70,002. The county seat is Greenfield.-Geography:...
. In Warrington
Warrington, Indiana
Warrington is an unincorporated town in Brown Township, Hancock County, Indiana.-Geography:Warrington is located at .Warrington was first platted in by John Oldham in 1834. The name Warrington was given to the town by Mr Oldham because his ancestors had come from Warrington England. At one time...
it heads north into Madison County
Madison County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 133,358 people, 53,052 households, and 36,234 families residing in the county. The population density was 295 people per square mile . There were 56,939 housing units at an average density of 126 per square mile...
and crosses U.S. Route 36
U.S. Route 36
U.S. Route 36 is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an intersection in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, where it meets U.S. Route 34. Its eastern...
. The northern terminus is at the intersection of State Road 9
Indiana State Road 9
State Road 9 in the U.S. State of Indiana is a long north–south state highway in the eastern portion of Indiana. Its southern terminus is near Columbus at State Road 46, and the northern terminus is at the Michigan/Indiana border between Howe, Indiana, and Sturgis, Michigan, where it...
with Interstate 69
Interstate 69
Interstate 69 is an Interstate Highway in the United States. It exists in two parts: a completed highway from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, and a mostly proposed extension southwest to the Mexican border in Texas...
(exit 26) in Anderson
Anderson, Indiana
Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison county. Anderson is the headquarters of the Church of God and home of Anderson University, which is...
. It covers a distance of 20.15 miles (32.4 km).
Northern section
The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 30U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 is an east–west main route of the system of United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. It is the third longest U.S. route, after U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 6. The western end of the highway is at Astoria, Oregon; the...
on the north edge of Columbia City
Columbia City, Indiana
Columbia City is a city in Columbia Township, Whitley County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,750 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Whitley County.-Geography:Columbia City is located at...
in Whitley County
Whitley County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 30,707 people, 11,711 households, and 8,607 families residing in the county. The population density was 92 people per square mile . There were 12,545 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...
. The highway runs north through the town of Big Lake and ends at U.S. Route 33
U.S. Route 33
U.S. Route 33 is a United States federal highway that runs northwest-southeast for 709 miles from northern Indiana to Richmond, Virginia, passing through Ohio and West Virginia en route. Although most odd-numbered U.S...
in the town of Wolf Lake in Noble County
Noble County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 46,275 people, 16,696 households, and 12,288 families residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile . There were 18,233 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile...
. It covers a distance of 11.68 miles (18.8 km).
A point of interest along the northern section of State Road 109 includes the Merry Lea environmental learning center just south of Wolf Lake.
An unusual method of road construction has been employed in the northern section of SR-109, located about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of US-33. A small segment of the road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
was built atop large styrofoam
Styrofoam
Styrofoam is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company for closed-cell currently made for thermal insulation and craft applications. In 1941, researchers in Dow's Chemical Physics Lab found a way to make foamed polystyrene...
blocks to help prevent the road bed from sinking into the peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
-based soil structure common to the area. Evidently, this has increased the buoyancy
Buoyancy
In physics, buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus a column of fluid, or an object submerged in the fluid, experiences greater pressure at the bottom of the...
of the road, with the average density
Density
The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight...
of the combination of styrofoam blocks, concrete, gravel and asphalt being equal to or slightly less than the surrounding soil. To date the road segment remains in excellent condition after no less than five years of service.
Major intersections
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