Yes Rte. 18 is one of those routes. I drove it on my way to MHB last year.
I'm of the opinion BG knows all the main roads out there. It's easy to get around here in most of northern IN, most of the roads run pretty much at 90 degree angles, something that took some getting used to when I moved here.
I think a lot of folks have been under the impression that because of the highway that perhaps a lot of people would have known about the trails and the bridge, before the murders. The highway opened only in 2014 through there, as LE have indicated they think the perp is someone who knows the area. Pre-highway, I picture the trails having even less traffic, more of a local "hidden gem". I've yet to find any YouTube videos of the bridge area posted prior to 2016, despite the bridge's local popularity and it being known about by railroad history folks and the like. The state and U.S. routes through there would have all been two-lane roads.
To this day, the Google Maps app has not been updated from 2008 where the old IN 25, C.R. 300, and Samuel Milroy Rd. meet. So while the overhead views are pretty sharp and what have you, Street Views have not been updated, and once you get there by vehicle the Maps app starts flaking a bit. To find the turn off for C.R. 300 I've had to use landmarks at 65 mph, the Freedom Bridge, the Delphi water tower, Andersons (grain terminal), and the NS railroad line through there. Otherwise, it's easy to just haul through there and not even realize you've passed the turn off for the trail. There are no signs along the highway for the turn off, nothing indicating C.R. 300 is there or for that matter the Delphi is a stone's throw from the highway. There are two small signs for the Monon Trail which were put up in more recent times, but still there are no signs for the bridge itself along the highway.
I'm convinced BG was well aware of all of the above well before the murders, he knows that general area well.
JMO
