Frank O'Bannon Highway

Infobox road
state=IN
type=IN
route=Frank O'Bannon Highway
alternate_name=
length_mi=
length_round=1
length_ref=
established=
junction=
direction_b=North
starting_terminus=
direction_a=South
ending_terminus=
junction=
counties=Perry, Crawford, Orange, Lawrence

The Frank O'Bannon Highway is a series of highways in the state of Indiana that connect the following cities and towns:

* Tell City (see "Note" below)
* St. Croix
* Eckerty
* French Lick
* West Baden
* Prospect
* Paoli
* Orleans
* Mitchell
* Bedford

The highway follows existing segments, from south to north, of Indiana 37 from Tell City to Eckerty, Indiana 64 at Eckerty, Indiana 145 from Eckerty to French Lick, Indiana 56 from French Lick to Prospect, U.S. 150 (concurrent with Indiana 56) from Prospect to Paoli, and Indiana 37 once again from Paoli to Bedford.

With the exception of the four-lane Mitchell-to-Bedford segment (Indiana 37), the majority of the highway is two lanes.

"Note: While the Frank O'Bannon Highway officially ends at Indiana 37's interchange with I-64, Indiana 37 itself continues south to Tell City; thus, that city's inclusion in this list."

Namesake and purpose

The highway is named for former Indiana governor Frank O'Bannon, who died after suffering a stroke in 2003 with 16 months remaining in his second and final term.

O'Bannon, a Corydon Democrat, who was first elected to the Indiana General Assembly as a state Senator in 1970, had long supported an improved highway linking to Interstate 64. This position greatly endeared him to his constituents, who had long dealt with narrow, winding and somewhat dangerous two-lane highways connecting them to the rest of the state.

The Indiana 37/145 Association, which is made up of community and government leaders from Perry, Crawford, Orange and Lawrence counties, considered O'Bannon a strong ally in getting better and faster access to Interstate 64 for their communities. Following his death, the Association lobbied the state of Indiana to name the highway in his memory.

Newest stretch of the road

On November 21 2007, the last unfinished segment of the highway opened between St. Croix and Eckerty. The new portion, a 10-mile stretch of highway numbered as Indiana 37, was built as a "super-two" roadway, matching the existing stretch of Indiana 37 which it connects to at Interstate 64 and that of Indiana 145 which continues the route from Eckerty to French Lick.

Improvements to the various segments through the years

From Bedford to Indianapolis, Indiana 37 had been upgraded to four lanes by the early 1980s. South of Bedford, the road remained two lanes. This changed when the state widened an additional seven miles of the highway from just south of Mitchell to the west junction with U.S. 50 south of Bedford to four lanes.

From Paoli to Mitchell, the road is still a two-lane facility, but it is in relatively good condition and congestion is seldom an issue. However, traffic in Paoli itself is forced to negotiate the town square, which generally resembles a roundabout. From Paoli to the south and west, the highways (Indiana 37, Indiana 56 and U.S. 150) are narrow and winding.

Orange County's tourist boom may necessitate more improvements

Orange County, which has a storied history -- illegal gambling flourished along with the mineral springs in the early years of the 20th century in West Baden and French Lick -- is in the midst of a tourism rebirth. The new French Lick Resort Casino and the restoration of both the French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel have drawn many thousands of visitors. In addition, during the winter months, Ski Paoli Peaks, a popular snow-skiing park in Paoli, also draws thousands of tourists.

With additional people on the roads, Orange County officials and the Indiana 37/145 Association (see below) are seeking to have the state make more improvements to the Indiana 56/U.S. 150 leg of the highway.

Future considerations

The Indiana 37/145 Association continues to lobby for improvements to Indiana 56 and U.S. 150 from French Lick to Paoli. Aside from spot improvements at intersections and bridges, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) does not plan to make major changes to that segment. The first of the improvements are set for construction in 2009. The Association continues to lobby for the original plan -- making 56 and 150 into a "super-two" -- as traffic generated by the new French Lick Resort Casino was not taken into consideration when the plan was scrapped by INDOT.

A by-pass of Paoli, which has been tentatively numbered as Indiana 237, is one of the state's Major Moves projects scheduled to begin construction in 2012. This segment of 237 will likely become part of the Frank O'Bannon Highway.

References

[http://tmnews.com/stories/2007/11/21/news.nw-661881.tms "New highway marks milestone for association"] , Bedford "Times-Mail", November 21 2007

[http://springsvalley.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=447 "State maps out new course for Ind. 37/145 work"] , SpringsValley.com, retrieved November 26 2007