Until 1936, SR 46's western terminus was at the
Illinois–Indiana state line north of West Terre Haute. When
U.S. Route 150 (US 150) was commissioned on that route, SR 46 was pulled back to end with SR 42 at Poplar and Seventh streets in downtown Terre Haute. Later, when the north–south four-lane road from I-70 to US 40 was completed, the terminus was moved to US 40 east of the city. And, briefly, it was moved south to the SR 46 exit from SR 641 when US 40 was relocated from Wabash Avenue to I-70, before being returned to form a "wrong way" multiplex with the US route, which continues as of 2024. The former eastern terminus was at the
Ohio–Indiana border when US 52 was commissioned along that portion of the route. In 1974, the portion of the route west of Columbus to the Brown County Line was named Jonathan Moore Pike, after a settler in the area who served in the
Revolutionary War as a member of the
Commander-in-Chief's Guard. Until recently, "The Bypass" portion in Bloomington had congestion. However, a major construction project completed in November 2012 widened the road to 4 lanes and alleviated the issue on this part of the roadway. SR 46 as a result of this project is now four lanes from Elletsville until the intersection with SR 446. ==Major intersections==