A new stretch of freeway opened in northern Mississippi this month, and much to our surprise, it’s signed as Interstate 69! Interstate 69 presently travels between Indianapolis, Indiana and Port Huron, Michigan. The highway has been that way for years, but since the late 1990s, a proposal to extend the freeway south to Laredo, Texas slowly works toward fruition. Some states are taking a lead in the process, while others are are still planning.
Mississippi got a head start on Interstate 69 by opening a fully signed stretch in DeSoto County. During the Fall of 2006, Mississippi 304 opened as an east-west freeway between U.S. 61 and Interstate 55 in the far northern part of the state. The road improves access to Tunica from the east and also serves the growing Memphis southern suburbs. The freeway is the first step within Mississippi in the completion of Interstate 69.
As envisioned, Interstate 69 will travel southwest from Memphis to McGehee and El Dorado, Arkansas. Mississippi still has a lot of road to build, including from U.S. 61 near Memphis to Rosedale and a new Mississippi River crossing but in Arkansas, the freeway is still in the early planning stages. Memphis meanwhile plans to use part of its existing freeway network for the Interstate highway.
Robert Lee passed along several photos covering the new Interstate 69 earlier this month. Here’s a sample of what the road looks like:
Interstate 55 northbound at the east end of the new Interstate 69 & Mississippi 304 freeway. A full-cloverleaf interchange with collectori/distributor roadways facilitates the movements between the two freeways. Interstate 69 receives the control city of Tunica for the connection with U.S. 61 south.
A night time look at the temporary east end of Interstate 69 at its northbound loop ramp to Interstate 55.
The first southbound reassurance shield assembly for Interstate 69 & Mississippi 304, posted after the tandem leave the interchange with Interstate 55. Note the state-name included within the shield! Since when is MDOT using the state-names for their Interstate shields?
Interstate 69 & Mississippi 304 split before both coming to an end at U.S. 61. Mississippi 713 constitutes a southwest freeway spur from Mississippi 304 to old Mississippi 304 near Banks. New Mississippi 304 continues west to a half-diamond interchange with Mississippi 3 and a trumpet interchange with U.S. 61. Mississippi 713 is still under construction as road work on the merge with old Mississippi 304 is completed.
>U.S. 61 northbound at the eastbound beginning of the Mississippi 304 freeway. Mississippi 304 merges with Interstate 69 & Mississippi 713 a couple miles to the east. Hernando is the control city for Interstate 69, but is only used at the junction with U.S. 61.
Interstate 69 officially begins at the Tunica and DeSoto County line. Begin and end signs are present at the boundary.
Thanks for the updates on I-69 in the Memphis area. Question: Why don’t they go ahead and sign US 78 as I-22 instead of just putting up the “future” I-22 signs? I-22 is at least 3/4ths done. During the 50’s/60’s/70’s as the original interstate system was constructed, the posted the signs as the roads were complete and marked maps with black and white dashed lines for proposed routes and colored dashed lines for routes under construction. For most of I-69 that hasn’t been done. Anyone know why not?
I asked Robert about this and he indicates that Interstate 69 was approved because it ends at an existing Interstate at one end; Interstate 22 cannot be signed until it meets Interstate 65. I believe that AASHTO is against bringing back the TEMP designations that were used during the Interstate system’s construction. However personally I feel they should be implemented so that areas that may grow economically because of a new route can reap the benefits of an Interstate before the whole route is completed.
Another reason I-22 shields aren’t on US-78 is because the section through MIssissippi isn’t quite up to Interstate standards yet, although the completed portions of the route through Alabama are.
Specifically, the Mississippi section of US-78 has dirt shoukders, and Interstate standards require paved shoulders. Additionally, MDOT needs to expand the clear-zone adjacent to US-78, and in some areas the ROW fencing needs to be upgraded to current standards. These are relatively small improvements, but like any other project, the main factor determining how fast the upgrades are made is the availability of funding.
What will eventually be the control city through Mississippi:
*Rosedale
*Cleveland
*Clarksdale
Definetely not Tunica
I would guess Clarksdale (heading south) and Memphis (heading north), since these are the two largest cities I-69 will pass through.
I think its great that I-69 has finally opened in Mississippi. While I still have not had the opportunity to travel it yet, I hope to sooner or later, the fact that MS was able to get such an enormous, expensive roadway up and running so quickly, while its fellow states from TX to IN have thus far done very little, was nothing short of a miracle. Even KY, which plans on using some its existing, albiet former tollroads for its I-69 portion, has thus far done very little to get things rolling on this ambitious project. Hell KY, already has interstate connections with I-24, why don’t they push ahead with signage changes?
Back to MS, I understand that the roadway is supposed to be extended to the east of I-55 all the way to the TN state line (and beyond) as Interstate 269. In theory, this extension, when completed, would give the necessary interstate connection to future I-22, so that the corridor would become “official I-22”.
However, as I-269, nor Alabama’s connection to I-65, are likely to occur in the near future, AASHTO, in all their infinite wisdom, will not grant US 78 the “I-22” moniker.
I read a few months, that Alabama DOT has finally begun preliminary construction processess of a new interchange with I-65/future I-22, which means construction should begin this spring. According to an AlDOT official: “…resemble a bowl of spaghetti…”. I suppose thats because the connection will occur in hilly terrain.
Everytime I drive along I-65 north of Birmingham, I look for signs (both literal and imaginary) of where the corridor will interchange. I’ve seen none. No clearcutting, no orange barrels, no “Future I-22 Interchange” roadsigns, nothing. Where will it go? Milemarkers anyone?
I-22 construction has reached a point just out of sight of I-65 north of Birmingham. The stretch from Jasper to Cherry Avenue (just 3 miles from I=65) is having final paving, striping, lights, and signage done and could open by fall of this year. As far as AASHTO not going ahead and signing it officially as I=22, I wonder how North Carolina gets away with signing a stretch south of Greensboro as I-73 ( not future either)? There is no I-73 connection anywhere.
To John,
to see I-22 construction, take exit 264 on I-65, go west about three lights, turn right and go about a mile and you’ll run smack into I-22 construction.
http://www.ajfroggie.com/roads/alexits/i65c-exits.htm
About halfway between the 41st Ave interchange and the US 31 Fultondale interchange….more or less near milemarker 265.
Thanks Randy! So the construction is just a few miles away from I-65 connection. What all is going to go into the I-65/Future i-22 freeway junction itself? Any Ideas?
As for I-69, I recently drove through the completed I-55/I-69 junction from Memphis.
I was in a hurry and was unable to drive the new route to Tunica unfortunately.
The junction was simple and functional…yet refined and eyepleasing. The junction is a freeway-to-freeway Diamond style. The entry and exit ramps were situated very far from the mainlines…all up to modern freeway Interstate standards. Plenty of room for future expansion in all directions. It ends in a stub on the eastern side…i suppose that will be where I-269 will eventually connect.
Does anyone know when the next I-69 SIU will commence construction? In any state?
By the way, whats all the I-69 fuss about in Indiana? lawsuits and such?
Is US 51 from Memphis, Tennessee to Western Kentucky [Paducah area] the proposed route of I-69? Will Interstate 69 join Interstate 24 through the that area as it moves toward its Indiana connection? If this is true, then I assume that US 51 not up to Interstate standards as of yet? And this is why US 51 hsa not been signed as Interstate 69?
The next SIU that will make it to construction in Mississippi will more than likely be SIU 9 (I-269), which will continue east from the present I-69/I-55 interchange, then swing north to the Tennessee state line. Mississippi is borrowing money from Marshall and DeSoto Counties to get the highway built sooner, instead of waiting for federal funds that will likely never come. As for I-69 itself, it will follow I-55 north to the Tennessee state line, then follow I-240 through Memphis.
As for the infighting in Indiana, there is a small, but very loud handful of extreme liberals that oppose the present routing over new terrain, claiming the route will result in “catastrophic” environmental impacts. If one looks at the maps where I-69 will go will see that the highway will be several miles from any areas consered to be environmentally sensitive. It’s really a few wealthy landowners along the proposed route employing environmental crazies and lawyers from all over the country to make it look like the highway is unpopular.
Just a note about future I-22, you can view aerial progress at Google earth, although I don’t know how current their images will be.
The aerials on Mapquest a more up to date than those on Google, though both clearly show the path of Corridor X to Cherry Avenue in Forestdale in Alabama. I see no construction on future Interstate 269 on either site in Mississippi at this time.
With I-69 opening in MS, will MS Hwy 69 in Columbus be renumbered, like other state highway numbers that were renumbered when I-10, I-20, etc. were built?