More on the historic west end of US highway 52

I received an e-mail from Rich Miller, who remembers the how the old junction of US 41 and US 52 near Fowler was configured before the roads were 4-laned. It's posted below:

Love your site.  Wish I had an old photo for you.  As a child, I spent too many weekends in the car driving with Mom & Dad & all from eastern Wisconsin to Indianapolis and/or Terre Haute back.  That led me to this lonely day when I found your site on Google.  The following pertains to the US 52 / US 41 junction area in central Indiana. (Earl Park, not Kentland).

Earl Park & Yeager's Curve

I was hoping for photos of the area around Earl Park, IN, and the junction of 41 and 52.  I remember the 2-lane highway.  Yeager's Curve (41/52 west of Earl Park) was a fearsome, sharp 30-35 mph kink in this otherwise straight road.  It was a real 'milestone' for our trip, sort of the 2/3'ds mark.  Going south, if you missed it, you'd hit a gravel road and could go Evel-Knievel-like vaulting over the steep railroad crossing; I am sure a few dozen sleepy drivers did this through the years.  It was the only 'exciting' part after many straight, boring miles,  Along there, west of Earl Park, was an interesting road-culvert under the railroad tracks for a township road.  Then the 'city' of Earl Park which had a 4-lane divided stretch.

41-52 Junction

(I am least certain about this paragraph as I was really small then)  I remember (could be wrong) from the early 1960's 2-lane days that the 41-52 junction was straight ahead in both directions for 52, with 41 hitting 52 at an angular T.  There were dual overhead yellow flashers for 52 and likewise red flashers for 41.  This is consistent with traffic in those days-- this was the main Chicago-Indianapolis highway.  Highway 41 as it turned toward Terre Haute went up a steep grade & over the railroad track there.  It was a narrow 2-lane bridge, steep approaches (esp. on the side leading down to the jct. with 52), concrete girder trestle with short spans.  Was an extremely dangerous stretch in icy weather.

41-52 was converted to 4-lane all the way from northern Indiana to Indianapolis, in stages, between the mid '60's and early '70's.  I remember the 2 lane starting around St. John, IN.  I think 52 south of Lafayette was 1st to 4-lane.  The Earl Park 41-52 junction area was about the last 4-lane upgrade of all the miles btwn Indianapolis and Chicago.  I don't think that area was completed until after I-65 opened.

Early 70's... Between the time of this configuration, and the present-day high-quality limited-access concrete road, the intersection was reconfigured with a curve in the road giving 41 the straight-ahead priority.  May have been built on the first-laid two lanes and first new overpass of the present divided 4-lane concrete.  A no-stop turning ramp (with yield) for 52 W-bound to 52-41, and stops for 41 N-bound and the 52 W-bound left turn allowed the 41 N-bound traffic a chance against the very heavy 52 traffic.  A longer approach to the (replaced?) 41 bridge over the tracks looked a lot more negotiable.  These changes helped handle the very high volume of traffic in the year or two before I-65 was finally completed from I-80 to Indy (1974?).