Interstate 69

Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States consisting of seven disjointed parts with an original continuous segment from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, at 355.8 miles (572.6 km). The remaining separated parts are variously completed and posted or unposted parts of a long-distance extension southwest to the Mexican border in Texas. Of this extension—nicknamed the NAFTA Superhighway because it would help trade with Canada and Mexico spurred by the North American Free Trade Agreement—five pieces near Corpus Christi, Houston, northwestern Mississippi, Memphis, and Evansville have been newly built or upgraded and signposted as I-69. A sixth segment of I-69 through Kentucky utilizing that state's existing parkway system and a section of I-24, was established by federal legislation in 2008 but only a portion is signposted. A section of the previously existing Western Kentucky Parkway from Eddyville to Nortonville was approved and signposted in late 2011, with the Pennyrile Parkway between Nortonville and Henderson being signed as I-69 in 2015. This brings the total length to about 680 miles (1,090 km).

Interstate 69 in Mississippi

The proposed Interstate 69 extension from Indianapolis southwest to Texas currently has a short piece completed in the U.S. state of Mississippi, south of Memphis, Tennessee. The south end is an at-grade intersection with the former route of MS 304 near Tunica Resorts, where Mississippi Highway 713 continues west to U.S. Highway 61, and the route continues north to the Mississippi state line. Much of the route overlaps Mississippi Highway 304, which intersects US 61 farther north than MS 713. MS 304 is planned to continue east from I-55, connecting to State Route 385 in Tennessee, forming part of the Interstate 269 Memphis outer beltway.

Route description

Mississippi has a unique funding mechanism that is enabling the state to move much faster than its neighbors to getting I-69 built without the use of tolls. The Highway Enhancements Through Local Partnerships (HELP) program enables individual counties to take out bonds and lend the money to the state in order to expedite major public works projects. The state then reimburses the counties over time as federal funds are received. Interstate 69 received another boost when Governor Haley Barbour signed into law Senate Bill 2375, which authorizes the construction of toll roads in the state by MDOT, cities, counties, and the private sector. This legislation has the potential for accelerating construction of SIU 11 and Mississippi's portion of SIU 12 through toll funding.

Interstate 69 in Kentucky

Interstate 69 (I-69) is a 148-mile-long (238 km) freeway that overlaps Interstate 24 from Calvert City to Eddyville, the Western Kentucky Parkway from Eddyville to the Pennyrile Parkway at Nortonville, the Purchase Parkway for its entire length, and the Pennyrile Parkway from the WK Parkway to US-41 on the southern outskirts of Henderson. Eventually, I-69 will leave the Pennyrile Parkway Just south of the Audubon Parkway (Future I-369) interchange north into Indiana. The proposed route for the remainder of I-69 in Kentucky runs about ten miles (16 km) utilizing a bridge into Indiana.

I-69 has been divided into three of sections of independent utility (SIUs) through Kentucky. SIUs 5 and 6 encompass existing freeways. Federal legislation has designated the route for these sections and Kentucky is in the process of installing I-69 signs on the route. SIU 4 includes a new bridge over the Ohio River between Henderson and Evansville, Indiana, which is currently stalled due to lack of funding. The proposed funding formula calls for Kentucky to finance 2/3 of the projected $1.4 billion bridge, while Indiana would pay for the remaining third.