The US Route Bypass of Indy

If you've noticed, most US routes other than 40 and 31 in Indianapolis were rerouted on I-465, the Indy Beltway.  Why?  No good reason, IMO.

Actually, it's just the same reason most US routes in Chicago other than the immortal Lake Shore Drive/Skokie Highway (US 41) were demoted: DOT laziness.  Let me explain further.

Most DOTs can handle intercity routes, like San Francisco with US 101, New York City with US 1/9, etc.  But instead of trying, some Midwestern cities have decided to get lazy and stop maintaining innercity routes.  Although I have a problem with some innercity state rotues (i.e. Salt Lake City), there seems to be no logic making every route get away from downtown.

Chicago and Indy are the two foremost examples.  Indy has routed US 421 on the beltway from Exit 27 southwest to exit 49.  They have routed many others, but I can't keep up with all of this.

What should be done?  Make a "Downtown convergance" of US routes.  Why not route US xxx into Downtown?  "We're too scared to work on streets!!!!"  California has many unsigned state routes they maintain, and yet nobody is screaming like that, are they?

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