State Road 51 in the U.S. State

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 is a north–south route on the state highway system in northwest Indiana. It consists of a route about 6 miles (9.7 km) long from a point on U.S. Route 30

U.S. Route 30 in Indiana

In the state of Indiana, U.S. Route 30 is an east–west four-lane divided highway across northern Indiana. It runs from the Illinois state line at Dyer to east of Fort Wayne at the Ohio state line. This is a distance of 151.8 miles ....

 (Lincoln Highway

Lincoln Highway

The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...

) 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Merrillville

Merrillville, Indiana

Merrillville is a town in Ross Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 35,246 at the 2010 census. Merrillville is located in the east-central portion of Lake County.-Geography:Merrillville is located at ....

 and 8 miles (12.9 km) west of Valparaiso

Valparaiso, Indiana

Valparaiso is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census, making it the 2nd largest city in Porter County.-History:...

, north to U.S. Route 20

U.S. Route 20 in Indiana

U.S. Route 20 in Indiana is a main east–west highway that is parallel to the Indiana Toll Road. The western terminus of US 20 is at the Illinois state line and the eastern terminus is at the Ohio state line. US 20 through Whiting, East Chicago, and Gary is concurrent with...

 in Gary

Gary, Indiana

Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...

. Immediately north of US 30, the highway is signed as the Adam Benjamin Highway.

Route description

SR 51 heads due north from its southern terminus. When SR 51 enters Hobart

Hobart, Indiana

Hobart is home to many thriving businesses in its downtown shopping district, including the historic Art Theatre.Hobart is also home to the Westfield Southlake Shopping Mall and many surrounding retailers and restaurants, although most businesses are required to list their addresses as Merrillville...

 SR 51 is on Lake Pake Ave., then SR 51 turns east onto 10th Street. Then SR 51 turns north on Lincoln Street, Then SR 51 angles onto Main Street. When Main Street ends SR 51 turns onto Front Street, Front Street changes names into Cleveland Ave. Then at State Road 130

Indiana State Road 130

State Road 130 in the U.S. state of Indiana is a short, road that connects Lake Station with Valparaiso to the southeast.-Route description:...

, SR 51 turns onto SR 130 heading north. SR 51 and SR 130 are concurrent until U.S. Route 6

U.S. Route 6 in Indiana

U.S. Route 6 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway that runs from California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. In Indiana, it is a mostly rural, two-lane route that travels in the northern part of the state. However, some four-lane stretches may be found in Lake and Porter counties. For...

, at that location is SR 130's western terminus. Then US 6 and SR 51 are concurrent until Interstate 80

Interstate 80 in Indiana

In the U.S. state of Indiana, Interstate 80 consists entirely of the following two routes:* The Borman Expressway, from the Illinois state line to Lake Station, Indiana, running concurrently with Interstate 94....

/Interstate 94

Interstate 94 in Indiana

In the U.S. state of Indiana, Interstate 94 runs east–west through the northwest portion of the state.-Route description:The route between the Illinois border and Lake Station at its junction with the Indiana Toll Road is known as the Borman Expressway and is a heavily traveled route...

, when US 6 enters I-80/I-94. SR 51 heads north to its northern terminus at US 20.

History

Between 1917 and 1926, SR 51 went from Elkhart

Elkhart, Indiana

Elkhart is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, northwest of Fort Wayne, east of Chicago, and north of Indianapolis...

 to Michigan State Line, now the route is State Road 19

Indiana State Road 19

State Road 19 in the U.S. state of Indiana begins at State Road 32 in Noblesville in the south, and runs north to the Michigan state line just north of Elkhart, a distance of...

. At that point there was no number route where SR 51 is today.

There was plans to build SR 51 from State Road 10

Indiana State Road 10

State Road 10 is an east–west road in northwest Indiana. Its western terminus is at the Illinois state line west of Lake Village. Its eastern terminus is at State Road 19 south of Etna Green.-Route description:...

 to State Road 2

Indiana State Road 2

State Road 2 in the U.S. State of Indiana is an east–west route running from the Illinois border at Illinois Route 17 east to the outskirts of South Bend, Indiana at the U.S. Route 20/U.S. Route 31 freeway, also known as the St. Joseph Valley Parkway...

, but that route was never built.

Major intersections