 U.S. Route 12 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Brigade Memorial Highway[1] | ||||
 US 12 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by INDOT | ||||
| Length | 46.258 mi[2] (74.445 km) | |||
| Existed | November 11, 1926[3]–present | |||
| Tourist routes |  Lake Michigan Circle Tour | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |    US 12 / US 20 / US 41 in Whiting at the Illinois state line | |||
 I-65 in Gary  I-90 / Indiana Toll Road in Gary | ||||
| East end | US 12 in Michiana Shores at the Michigan state line | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Indiana | |||
| Counties | Lake, Porter, LaPorte | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan. In the U.S. state of Indiana, it is part of the state road system. US 12 enters the state concurrent with US 20 and US 41 in Hammond. The 46.258 miles (74.445 km) of US 12 that lie within Indiana serve as a major conduit. Some of the highway is listed on the National Highway System (NHS). Various sections are rural two-lane highway, urbanized four-lane undivided highway, and one-way streets. The easternmost community along the highway is Michiana Shores at the Michigan state line.
US 12 passes through urban areas and wood lands, parallel to the Lake Michigan shoreline. The highway is included in the Lake Michigan Circle Tour and passes through Indiana Dunes National Park. Historical landmarks along the highway include the Miller Town Hall, Beverly Shores station, and the Old Michigan City Light. A memorial highway designations have been applied to the route since 1917, named for the Civil War Union Army unit.
US 12 was first designated as a U.S. Highway in 1926, concurrent with US 20 west of Michigan City. A section of the highway originally served as part of the Dunes Highway, a connection between Gary and Michigan. US 12 replaced the original State Road 43 (SR 43) designation of the highway which dated back to the formation of the Indiana state road system. SR 43 ran from the Illinois state line through Gary to Michigan City and ended at the Michigan state line. In the early 1920s, it was the most important route between Chicago and Detroit and in 1922 the first sections started being paved. The Indiana State Highway Commission, later renamed Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), removed US 20 from the section east of Gary in the early 1930s. Most of the route has since been supplanted by Interstate 94 (I-94) and the Indiana Toll Road.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
indot memorial highwayswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Indiana Department of Transportation (July 2016). Reference Post Book (PDF). Indianapolis: Indiana Department of Transportation. US 12. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ Weingroff, Richard (April 7, 2011). "US 12 Michigan to Washington". Highway History. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved May 17, 2012.