I-69 in TN

[The Ghostbuster]

US 65 parallels a portion of Interstate 40 from Conway to Little Rock, not US 67. US 67 parallels Interstate 30 from Texarkana to Little Rock and future Interstate 57 northeast of Little Rock.

[SkyPesos]

All of your examples are interstates that were built along or nearly parallel to existing major routes (except for 75 south of Tampa/St Pete)

Thought I-75 parallels US 41 to Naples, then takes over FL 84/Alligator Alley to Miami.

[rte66man]

US 65 parallels a portion of Interstate 40 from Conway to Little Rock, not US 67. US 67 parallels Interstate 30 from Texarkana to Little Rock and future Interstate 57 northeast of Little Rock.

I didn't say 67, I said 64. I forgot to mention 65. The real reason it went that way is to not have to bridge the Arkansas River twice, once near Little Rock and again near Fort Smith.

[I-39]

Having one contiguous roadway for its own sake  which no one would ever use in a single trip is pointless. Spending billions to build a road where traffic counts don't warrant the expense, will never justify to human, environment, and monetary expense is ludicrous. Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi don't have any need for this road now or in the foreseeable future.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

THIS!

I-69 is a complete political joke between Memphis and Texas. Even the Kentucky and Tennessee sections are questionable. We have much bigger things that our tax dollars need to be spent on.

I felt the same way at first about the Kentucky portion as well But it mainly overlaid existing freeways anyways. It was only the portion between Indianapolis and Evansville that has a great benefit.

And that could've been satisfied with the I-67 proposal and saved states a lot of money.

[kenarmy]

I see google maps got around to labelling 69 in the memphis area quicker than TN, even the 40-51 connector lol. And yes 69's route shape is so unattractive! It seems like a short cut between some major routes. It literally goes " | - \ / "

[jbrocato]

Apples and oranges.  All of your examples are interstates that were built along or nearly parallel to existing major routes (except for 75 south of Tampa/St Pete). 25 and US85, 40 and US64, 15 and US395 (mostly), and 25 (again) and various US highways. 69 in Indiana from Evansville to Bloomington doesn't follow any existing route

That's exactly why I-69 was needed.  There was NO good way to drive from Evansville to Bloomington and Indianapolis.  Evansville is the state's third-largest city, but it was the only major city in Indiana without a good route to Indy.

[edwaleni]

Apples and oranges.  All of your examples are interstates that were built along or nearly parallel to existing major routes (except for 75 south of Tampa/St Pete). 25 and US85, 40 and US64, 15 and US395 (mostly), and 25 (again) and various US highways. 69 in Indiana from Evansville to Bloomington doesn't follow any existing route

That's exactly why I-69 was needed.  There was NO good way to drive from Evansville to Bloomington and Indianapolis.  Evansville is the state's third-largest city, but it was the only major city in Indiana without a good route to Indy.

Evansville is now a regional center for health care. Southeastern Illinois, southwestern Indiana and northwest Kentucky patients who need advanced care all get referred to Evansville now. Regardless of the routing, it was time. US-41 was their sole north-south major arterial and much of it to Terre Haute dates back to the middle 1960's. The town has 2 universities now and enrollments are growing. Should have been done a long time ago.

[I-39]

Apples and oranges.  All of your examples are interstates that were built along or nearly parallel to existing major routes (except for 75 south of Tampa/St Pete). 25 and US85, 40 and US64, 15 and US395 (mostly), and 25 (again) and various US highways. 69 in Indiana from Evansville to Bloomington doesn't follow any existing route

That's exactly why I-69 was needed.  There was NO good way to drive from Evansville to Bloomington and Indianapolis.  Evansville is the state's third-largest city, but it was the only major city in Indiana without a good route to Indy.

They could have satisfied that with the I-67 proposal from Indianapolis to Bowling Green, Kentucky (slightly modified). Would have served the same purposed and been a heck of a lot cheaper.

[hbelkins]

Apples and oranges.  All of your examples are interstates that were built along or nearly parallel to existing major routes (except for 75 south of Tampa/St Pete). 25 and US85, 40 and US64, 15 and US395 (mostly), and 25 (again) and various US highways. 69 in Indiana from Evansville to Bloomington doesn't follow any existing route

Why would an alternate route from Indy to BG be needed, with I-65 in existence? Oh I know, to satisfy Owensboro's city fathers.

That's exactly why I-69 was needed.  There was NO good way to drive from Evansville to Bloomington and Indianapolis.  Evansville is the state's third-largest city, but it was the only major city in Indiana without a good route to Indy.

They could have satisfied that with the I-67 proposal from Indianapolis to Bowling Green, Kentucky (slightly modified). Would have served the same purposed and been a heck of a lot cheaper.

[I-39]

Apples and oranges.  All of your examples are interstates that were built along or nearly parallel to existing major routes (except for 75 south of Tampa/St Pete). 25 and US85, 40 and US64, 15 and US395 (mostly), and 25 (again) and various US highways. 69 in Indiana from Evansville to Bloomington doesn't follow any existing route

That's exactly why I-69 was needed.  There was NO good way to drive from Evansville to Bloomington and Indianapolis.  Evansville is the state's third-largest city, but it was the only major city in Indiana without a good route to Indy.

They could have satisfied that with the I-67 proposal from Indianapolis to Bowling Green, Kentucky (slightly modified). Would have served the same purposed and been a heck of a lot cheaper.

Why would an alternate route from Indy to BG be needed, with I-65 in existence? Oh I know, to satisfy Owensboro's city fathers.

It would have served the Indianapolis to Evansville Interstate need and done it without redundant Interstate segments in other states.

[wriddle082]

^^^

Bottom line:  I-69, when finally completed through TN to Memphis, will do wonders to relieve truck traffic along the I-40 and I-65 corridors through Nashville and Louisville.  The I-65 corridor has largely, and IMO miraculously, been widened through KY, and TN is finally about to get on the ball with trying to widen 65 north of Nashville to the KY line.  But I-40 west has been largely ignored (except for Jackson which is currently getting relief, albeit localized), and truck traffic has continued to grow.  Memphis has been a large distribution hub for years.  It is no coincidence that I-69's routing goes through Memphis.  And most people know how bad the truck traffic volumes are on I-40 between Memphis and Little Rock.  Putting some of that traffic on an alternate that gets them away from Dallas and the entire I-35 corridor en route to Mexico has got to be of at least some benefit of relief to the corridors being bypassed.

[edwaleni]

^^^

Bottom line:  I-69, when finally completed through TN to Memphis, will do wonders to relieve truck traffic along the I-40 and I-65 corridors through Nashville and Louisville.  The I-65 corridor has largely, and IMO miraculously, been widened through KY, and TN is finally about to get on the ball with trying to widen 65 north of Nashville to the KY line.  But I-40 west has been largely ignored (except for Jackson which is currently getting relief, albeit localized), and truck traffic has continued to grow.  Memphis has been a large distribution hub for years.  It is no coincidence that I-69's routing goes through Memphis.  And most people know how bad the truck traffic volumes are on I-40 between Memphis and Little Rock.  Putting some of that traffic on an alternate that gets them away from Dallas and the entire I-35 corridor en route to Mexico has got to be of at least some benefit of relief to the corridors being bypassed.

I agree. It is something I have said across many threads.

It's not always about the shortest or fastest route, sometimes its about resiliency, capacity and economics.

[Bobby5280]

I think the extension of I-57 between Little Rock and Sikeston will do more as a relief route for I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis than I-69. The road will be a whole lot easier (and cheaper) to complete as well.

[SkyPesos]

Agree on the I-57 part. Mentioned this above:

We already know how unnecessary I-69 is in MS and AR, with I-40/I-30/I-369 as a direct route between Memphis and Tenaha, but I think that I-69 in TN can wait too. From Indy to Memphis, there's I-70/I-57/I-55. From the 3C cities in Ohio to Memphis (I called I-71 a branch of I-69 many times, this is why they're included), there's I-71/I-65/I-40. Sometimes, I forget how diagonal in the SW-NE direction I-40 is between Memphis and Nashville, and I-65 between Nashville and Louisville. The I-57 extension to Little Rock will also make the TN part of I-69 less needed.

I think the routing from Houston to Indianapolis, instead of all on I-69, it'll turn out as 69 > 369 > 30 > 57 > 70.

[I-39]

I think the extension of I-57 between Little Rock and Sikeston will do more as a relief route for I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis than I-69. The road will be a whole lot easier (and cheaper) to complete as well.

Yes. The I-57 extension will negate the need for I-69 between Evansville and Memphis IMO.

[sparker]

I think the extension of I-57 between Little Rock and Sikeston will do more as a relief route for I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis than I-69. The road will be a whole lot easier (and cheaper) to complete as well.

Yes. The I-57 extension will negate the need for I-69 between Evansville and Memphis IMO.

Not necessarily; I-57 will siphon off a lot of the traffic coming up from or heading to TX, but Memphis is a commercial hub on its own -- not only FedEx and related movements but where a sizeable portion of West Coast rail container traffic is offloaded onto trucks for delivery in the Mid-to-Deep South.  I-69 north of Memphis provides a direct connection to KY population centers (as well as Cincinnati and southern Ohio) via the WKY extension (with or without I-status east of Nortonville).  It's not just about 1000-mile freight movements but more localized shorter hauls as well, and Memphis has been and will continue to be a major hub for such freight activity. 

[SkyPesos]

I-69 north of Memphis provides a direct connection to KY population centers (as well as Cincinnati and southern Ohio)

I-40/I-65 pretty much connects Memphis to the I-71 corridor (for Ohio and the northeast) and is actually as diagonal as I-69 in TN and KY. I-69 would act as a glorified Nashville bypass in this sense; not necessarily a bad thing though.

[sprjus4]

I-69 north of Memphis provides a direct connection to KY population centers (as well as Cincinnati and southern Ohio)

I-40/I-65 pretty much connects Memphis to the I-71 corridor (for Ohio and the northeast) and is actually as diagonal as I-69 in TN and KY. I-69 would act as a glorified Nashville bypass in this sense; not necessarily a bad thing though.

That's true, a routing via WKY, I-69, and US-51 between I-65 and Memphis is about 10 miles shorter than I-65 / I-40 via Nashville. Once I-69 is complete in Tennessee, it would likely become the faster and more preferred route, and avoids Nashville.

[hbelkins]

I've said this many times. If I need to get to Memphis or a point west of there, I will use the Kentucky parkways and US 51 to at least Dyersburg, and might even stay on 51 south of there instead of crossing the river on 155, before I will go through Nashville and then slog westward on 40.

[I-55]

I've said this many times. If I need to get to Memphis or a point west of there, I will use the Kentucky parkways and US 51 to at least Dyersburg, and might even stay on 51 south of there instead of crossing the river on 155, before I will go through Nashville and then slog westward on 40.

Last time I was in the Memphis area I was in Collierville. I-65 was congested for spring break travel so we took the parkways to Fulton, from there taking 51, 412, 70/79, 40, 269. 40 west of Brownsville wasn't terrible, everything else was a breeze.

[wriddle082]

I've said this many times. If I need to get to Memphis or a point west of there, I will use the Kentucky parkways and US 51 to at least Dyersburg, and might even stay on 51 south of there instead of crossing the river on 155, before I will go through Nashville and then slog westward on 40.

Last time I was in the Memphis area I was in Collierville. I-65 was congested for spring break travel so we took the parkways to Fulton, from there taking 51, 412, 70/79, 40, 269. 40 west of Brownsville wasn't terrible, everything else was a breeze.

The most congested parts of 40 b/w Memphis and Nashville are Jackson (which is being remedied right now) and from the Tennessee River the rest of the way east.  That section has several long grades that are currently scheduled to receive truck climbing lanes.  But AFAIK there are no plans to widen all of the lanes from Bellevue west towards Dickson.  The traffic volumes are always underestimated going in that direction, and neither US 70 nor TN 100 function well as alternates.  I lived in that area on and off from 1996 to 2010, and even though I-840 was finally completed during that time, 40 has just gotten worse and worse.

[Ryctor2018]

Once I-69 is completed around Union City in a couple of years, how do you guys think it will be signed? The interchange at the KY-TN state line is not Interstate standard yet, and the state of TN may need to perform modest upgrades between US-45E and where US-51 will tie into future I-69 north of Union City. The section south of Union City will have work needed so that is not Interstate standard.
Do you guys think they will sign it as I-69 around Union City with the promise to the Feds that the US-51/US-45E interchange will be cleaned up? That way the connection can continue from KY I-69. Or will TN give I-69 around Union City a temp number? I also wonder if the interchanges will be numbered, and if so the numbering be based off of I-155's numbering or the projected I-69 scheme from Memphis.

[The Ghostbuster]

I would sign Interstate 69 and give its exits numbers when it is completed. Although I admit it would be a little awkward to see Interstate 155 become Interstate 69 after Exit 15. The exit numbers on 69 should be based on the proposed mileage from where it enters Tennessee along with Interstate 55. Also, I would sign 69 along Interstates 55, 240, 40 and Highway 300, even though there will not be a freeway or tollway constructed between Interstate 40 in Memphis and Interstate 155 in Dyersburg anytime soon.

[kenarmy]

I would sign Interstate 69 and give its exits numbers when it is completed. Although I admit it would be a little awkward to see Interstate 155 become Interstate 69 after Exit 15. The exit numbers on 69 should be based on the proposed mileage from where it enters Tennessee along with Interstate 55. Also, I would sign 69 along Interstates 55, 240, 40 and Highway 300, even though there will not be a freeway or tollway constructed between Interstate 40 in Memphis and Interstate 155 in Dyersburg anytime soon.

I would sign it on 55 and 240 but I would have it end at the junction with 40. I think it should go at least 10 miles when it leaves the overlap, instead of only 1.5 miles to 51.

[sparker]

Once I-69 is completed around Union City if a couple of years, how do you guys think it will be signed? The interchange at the KY-TN state line is not Interstate standard yet, and the state of TN may need to perform modest upgrades between US-45E and where US-51 will tie into future I-69 north of Union City. The section south of Union City will have work needed so that is not Interstate standard.
Do you guys think they will sign it as I-69 around Union City with the promise to the Feds that the US-51/US-45E interchange will be cleaned up? That way the connection can continue from KY I-69. Or will TN give I-69 around Union City a temp number? I also wonder if the interchanges will be numbered, and if so the numbering be based off of I-155's numbering or the projected I-69 scheme from Memphis.

Seeing as how KY has yet to sign I-69 over the southwest end of Purchase until just below Mayfield due to a substandard bowtie interchange at Wingo (apparently the rebuild is in process) in addition to the very substandard present connection between the Fulton bypass extension of that facililty and US 51 over the line in TN, it's unlikely that any signage south of the state line will be done (or it'll likely reference US 51 only, with I-69 signs covered up) until those issues are dealt with.  But once I-69 signage is in place from Union City to Dyersburg, it'll likely simply reference the I-155 transition with signage such as "I-69 ENDS/BEGIN I-155" and vice-versa somewhere north of Dyersburg, likely (initially) at the interchange with US 51 south.  Despite the suggestions to that effect in this forum, it's likely TDOT isn't even considering a formal reroute over I-155 (something that would have to be discussed/coordinated with the DOT's in MO and AR in any case).  It seems the de facto agency position is to simply not even acknowledge the gap from Dyersburg to Memphis in the field until actual plans are in place to remedy the situation.  I haven't been on US 51 in that area for years; if there are "Future I-69 Corridor" signs along the existing route, that will likely be the sole reference to the pending project for the time being.  As has been repeatedly iterated in this and related threads, TDOT doesn't seem to be in any hurry to address the I-69 gap -- something that's unlikely to change in the near term.