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[sparker]

Anyone surprised we're not seeing any "To I-22" or Tupelo/Birmingham signs on any stretch of I-269 or connecting major roadways? (I-40, st 385, exc)

No surprise at all.  The de facto TN position is, more or less, "I-22?  Never heard of it."  Now -- if businesses (shopping centers, auto malls, etc.) start cropping up along the N-S section of I-269 in TN -- particularly after the section from I-22 west to I-55/69 in MS opens to traffic -- then some trailblazer I-22 signage may start appearing on I-40 or other intersecting arterials just to prompt additional traffic to utilize I-269 and potentially patronize those businesses.   

[edwaleni]

Anyone surprised we're not seeing any "To I-22" or Tupelo/Birmingham signs on any stretch of I-269 or connecting major roadways? (I-40, st 385, exc)

No surprise at all.  The de facto TN position is, more or less, "I-22?  Never heard of it."  Now -- if businesses (shopping centers, auto malls, etc.) start cropping up along the N-S section of I-269 in TN -- particularly after the section from I-22 west to I-55/69 in MS opens to traffic -- then some trailblazer I-22 signage may start appearing on I-40 or other intersecting arterials just to prompt additional traffic to utilize I-269 and potentially patronize those businesses.   

When the Feds come up with I-69 money for TN and MS, you might see some signage updates for I-22 but dont hold your breath.

[sparker]

Anyone surprised we're not seeing any "To I-22" or Tupelo/Birmingham signs on any stretch of I-269 or connecting major roadways? (I-40, st 385, exc)

No surprise at all.  The de facto TN position is, more or less, "I-22?  Never heard of it."  Now -- if businesses (shopping centers, auto malls, etc.) start cropping up along the N-S section of I-269 in TN -- particularly after the section from I-22 west to I-55/69 in MS opens to traffic -- then some trailblazer I-22 signage may start appearing on I-40 or other intersecting arterials just to prompt additional traffic to utilize I-269 and potentially patronize those businesses.   

When the Feds come up with I-69 money for TN and MS, you might see some signage updates for I-22 but dont hold your breath.

In all likelihood any I-69 money to be pried loose from Fed sources will be applied to TN well before any additional MS mileage is considered -- primarily to effectively (save close-in Indy and the Ohio River bridge) complete the northeast leg of the overall corridor.  Tunica to Tenaha (TX), except for the utility of a SE Shreveport bypass facility, is the red-haired stepchild of the corridor -- and the one, considering the Mississippi River bridge, that'll require the greatest capital outlay -- so except for some preliminary steps such as presently underway in SE Arkansas, it'll be "procrastination central", most likely not to see much in the way of progress until the segments northeast of Memphis and within TX have been substantially completed.  Of course, all this could change with massive political intervention -- but so far that doesn't seem to be forthcoming.

[tculp]

Anyone heard if the September 20th date for estimated completion is going to get moved up? Just wondering if they think they may actually get this open earlier.

Thanks!

[Brooks]

Anyone heard if the September 20th date for estimated completion is going to get moved up? Just wondering if they think they may actually get this open earlier.

Thanks!

There haven’t been any new updates since the article saying that 9/20 is the estimated completion date. I’ll head out to the area sometime soon and get some pics.

[GreenLanternCorps]

Anyone heard if the September 20th date for estimated completion is going to get moved up? Just wondering if they think they may actually get this open earlier.

Thanks!

I took a look at the traffic cam that Mississippi has looking Southbound (Looking West) from the I-269 and MS 305 interchange.  It appears to be fully paved and signed in both directions.  But it is not marked yet.

https://www.mdottraffic.com/

[Brooks]

Apple Maps has updated the I-269 corridor; however, it shows the interstate being complete all the way to Hernando and I-55. Guess they’re just getting a jump on things, especially when you consider that they never updated for the completion to MS 305.

[Grzrd]

Anyone heard if the September 20th date for estimated completion is going to get moved up? Just wondering if they think they may actually get this open earlier.
Thanks!

This article seems to rule out opening I-269 sooner than September 20, and even suggests it may not occur until early October:

Huffman, the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors and an array of dignitaries are slated to meet with U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao when she is invited to help cut the ribbon for the nation's newest super highway, Interstate 269, which is tentatively slated for late September or early October.

[Grzrd]

This article seems to rule out opening I-269 sooner than September 20, and even suggests it may not occur until early October:

Huffman, the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors and an array of dignitaries are slated to meet with U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao when she is invited to help cut the ribbon for the nation's newest super highway, Interstate 269, which is tentatively slated for late September or early October.

This August 8 article quotes a MDOT engineer as saying that I-269 will "most likely" open in late September:

Three projects in the works in Marshall County are progressing well, according to Mitch Turner, engineer with the Batesville office of the Mississippi Department of Transportation ....
He said the remaining section of I-269 in Marshall County will most likely open in late September.
“That will complete the route from I-55 to Ten­nessee,” Turner said.

[Tomahawkin]

Looked at the 2019 road atlas today and it has 269 as already completed from 22 to 55. Any confirmation on this? This is great not having to use MS 302 to get to 55. That road is hell and is a perfect example of poor urban planning in a area full of sprawl

[froggie]

^ This is what happens when you issue atlases with a given year several months before that year actually begins...

[Tomahawkin]

I was kind of skeptical because there were no exit numbers, but I don't think exit numbers will be given until a year from now?

[sparker]

^ This is what happens when you issue atlases with a given year several months before that year actually begins...

I've got a sneaking suspicion McNally's current cartography "policy" is to project how they estimate things will be at the beginning of the year of the atlas' edition; in this case, they're expecting I-269 to be completed in MS prior to 1/1/19. 

[Tomahawkin]

Makes sense. Has anyone seen the interchange at 269/55 I need to know if there are any truck stops in that area since I won't have to go through Southhaven the next time i go to little rock during the hollidays

[MikeTheActuary]

I was kind of skeptical because there were no exit numbers, but I don't think exit numbers will be given until a year from now?

The interchange is partially open.  I-55 Exit 283 is currently where the little stub of I-69 diverges from I-55 to go to Tunica.  I-269 (to I-22) will plug in on the east side when it opens in a few weeks.  Even if you were going through now, Byhalia Rd. would probably give you an alternative to 302 for covering the remaining 5 mile gap in 269.  (I'd certainly use it for a standard passenger 4-wheeler; don't know about its suitability for a semi.)

I am not well-versed in truck stops in that area -- my familiarity is mostly from having driven between Memphis and southeast Alabama a few times, and drives to clinch and re-clinch 269.  However, from my recollection, there weren't too many signs of such development along 269 yet.  I think you're limited to the already-existing facilities along 22/78 or 55.   I've stopped at the Flying J in Olive Branch a couple of times when wanting gas and to stretch my legs before getting into Memphis traffic, but that's northwest of the 22(78)/269 interchange and would require backtracking to get to 269.

[Brooks]

I was kind of skeptical because there were no exit numbers, but I don't think exit numbers will be given until a year from now?

Why would exit numbers not be given for another year?

[froggie]

^ Unless you have access to the signage plans (which differs from state to state, but as a general rule are not easily accessible to the public), you're not going to know the exit numbers beforehand.  They are not normally announced that far ahead of roadway opening.

[sparker]

Since the I-55/69/269 Hernando interchange is situated at the southwest terminus of I-269, it would be simple to interpolate the exit numbers simply by calculating the mileage of each exit from the center of that terminating interchange eastward -- unless MSDOT elects to do something out of the ordinary and continue the I-69 aggregate mileage (which, IIRC, is not posted on the E-W "Tunica" segment shared with MS 304) instead.  But I'm guessing that they'll simply start with zero at Hernando; TN mileposts their segment from the MS/TN state line.

Or one could simply wait a couple of months and see the finished product.     

[GreenLanternCorps]

^ Unless you have access to the signage plans (which differs from state to state, but as a general rule are not easily accessible to the public), you're not going to know the exit numbers beforehand.  They are not normally announced that far ahead of roadway opening.

I am pretty sure that some of the I-269 signage plans, including the I-22 interchange are on this thread, somewhere...

[froggie]

^ That would depend in no small part on if J N Winkler has looked for them and if MDOT has changed their policies to openly post them online.  My past experience with MDOT is that their signage plans are only available to the public if you physically go to their plans office at the headquarters building in Jackson.

[jamierazorback]

Looks like a lot of people are already using I-269 before it's official opening. https://www.localmemphis.com/news/local-news/mississippi-transportation-officials-warn-drivers-to-stay-off-the-i-269-project/1417878384

[mvak36]

Looks like a lot of people are already using I-269 before it's official opening. https://www.localmemphis.com/news/local-news/mississippi-transportation-officials-warn-drivers-to-stay-off-the-i-269-project/1417878384

They should put a cop or two out there and ticket every one that goes through there lol.

[sparker]

Looks like a lot of people are already using I-269 before it's official opening. https://www.localmemphis.com/news/local-news/mississippi-transportation-officials-warn-drivers-to-stay-off-the-i-269-project/1417878384

They should put a cop or two out there and ticket every one that goes through there lol.

Looks like that's pretty much what they're doing back there.  This was a persistent problem when I-5 was being built in sections in the San Joaquin Valley; locals would use the partially finished carriageways to get between the various agricultural facilities along the route (the fences were usually the last part to be installed) -- sometimes before the concrete had completely set.  Sometimes the culprits were never caught; the construction crews would get in about 5 a.m. to see tire tracks or worse on the fresh pavement.   

[cjk374]

When I-49 was under construction between Shreveport and Natchitoches, Foster Campbell was a state representative (now a member of the LA public utilities commission) who was caught driving on the then-closed interstate. How did he get caught??? He drove his car into a 20 foot gap in the concrete pavement. His car was destroyed and he almost died.

[Henry]

My guess is, they will drive around the wave of orange cones and temporary jersey barriers just to get onto the highways! I'm guessing they're so excited about their forthcoming opening that they don't want to wait that long just to drive even one mile.