US Highway 27 (US 27) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Miami, Florida, to Fort Wayne in the US state of Indiana. In Indiana, it is a State Road that enters the state in College Corner, Ohio, and West College Corner, Indiana. The of US 27 that lie within Indiana serve as a major conduit. Most of the highway is listed on the National Highway System. Various sections are rural two-lane highway, urbanized four-lane divided highway. The northernmost community along the highway is Fort Wayne in the northeast part of the state. The highway ends at an interchange with Interstate 69 (I-69) north of downtown Fort Wayne after serving the east central and northeast regions of Indiana.
US 27 passes through farm fields and urban areas, and parallel to the Ohio state line. The highway is included in the Gene Stratton Memorial Highway. Historical landmarks along the highway include the Levi Coffin House, Portland Commercial Historic District and the Allen County Court House.
US 27 was first designated as a US Highway in 1926. US 27 replaced the original SR 48, SR 21, and SR 46 designations of the highway which dated back to the formation of the Indiana State Road system. SR 46 ran from Ohio State line to Liberty and SR 21 ran from Liberty through Richmond to Portland ending in Fort Wayne. SR 46 ran from Auburn to Angola. Realignments and construction projects have expanded the highway to four lanes in Adams and Allen counties.
Route description
US 27 enters Indiana heading northwest from Ohio, parallel to CSX railroad track, in the town of West College Corner. In West College Corner the highway passes through the center of town, on a street named Liberty Avenue. The route continues northwest towards Liberty, as a two-lane rural highway passing through farmland. On the way to Liberty the road passes through Cottage Grove and crosses the Indiana Eastern Railroad. In Liberty the highway has an all-way stop at SR 44, this intersection is the southern end of the SR 44 concurrency. In the center of Liberty the two roads end the concurrency at a traffic light with SR 101, with US 27 heading north, SR 44 heading west and SR 101 heading south. US 27 leaves Liberty heading due north as a two-lane rural highway. The road enters Richmond from the south, with a series of curves and a traffic light at SR 227. US 27 and SR 227 begin a concurrency at this traffic light and both routes head north, heading for downtown Richmond. The concurrency passes over the Indiana Eastern Railroad tracks, as a four-lane undivided road. In downtown Richmond the roadway becomes one-way streets, begins after O street, with northbound on Ninth street and southbound of Eighth street. The two street head straight through downtown passing residential areas, before reaching commercial areas. At C Street the one-way pairs end and the road passes over Norfolk Southern railroad tracks. After the railroad tracks the concurrency with SR 227 ends with SR 227 heading northeast. US 27 continues northerly as a four-lane undivided highway. The road leaves Richmond having a single-point urban interchange, with Interstate 70 (I-70) and US 35. The route heads northwest from Richmond towards Portland, as a two-lane rural highway passing through farmland with a few houses. The road passes through Fountain City and passed the Levi Coffin House, a building on the National Historic Landmark list.
