Interstate 69 in Tennessee

Interstate 69
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Route information
Status	Concurrency with I-55/I-240/I-40/SR 300 approved but unsigned; remainder of route in various stages of construction, design and land acquisition
Major junctions
South end	I-55 / I-69 at Mississippi state line
	I-55 / I-240 in Memphis I-40 in Memphis I-269 in Millington I-155 / US 412 northwest of Dyersburg I-169 northeast of Union City
North end	I-69 / US 51 at Kentucky state line
Location
Counties	Shelby, Tipton, Lauderdale, Dyer, Obion
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Tennessee State Routes Interstate US State ← SR 68 → SR 69

I-69 northbound, along with I-55, as it enters Tennessee in Memphis.

Interstate 69 (I-69) is a proposed U.S. Interstate Highway that will pass through the western part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, serving the cities of Union City, Dyersburg, and Memphis. State officials have considered building parts of I-69 as a toll road.^{[citation needed]} Currently, a 21-mile (34 km) section of already-existing freeway in Memphis has been approved for the I-69 designation. A section near Union City is under construction.

Route description[]

From Fulton, Kentucky, I-69 is planned to continue to the southwest, replacing and bypassing existing U.S. Route 51, serving Union City, Dyersburg (where it will intersect Interstate 155), Ripley, Covington, Millington, and Memphis.

On January 18, 2008, the Federal Highway Administration authorized the states of Mississippi and Tennessee to extend I-69 from the I-40/TN 300 interchange in north Memphis to the I-55/I-69 interchange in Hernando, Mississippi; Tennessee has not yet signed the extension of the route, although Mississippi has.^[1]

Planned extension[]

I-69 in Tennessee has been divided into three of segments of independent utility (SIUs).

Tennessee considered legislation that would allow I-69 to be built as a toll road, thereby accelerating its design and construction timetable by several years should such legislation be approved.^[2] Tennessee's toll road legislation came as Congress withdrew $171 million allocated for Tennessee highway projects, including funds for I-69, in 2007. This federal highway allotment was diverted to fund ongoing military operations in Iraq.^[3]

SIU 7[]

This SIU begins at the Kentucky/Tennessee border in Fulton, and closely follows US Highway 51 to Dyersburg. The 20-mile (32 km) stretch between Dyersburg and Troy is at Interstate Highway standards—opening with the completion of Interstate 155 west of Dyersburg. An additional 10-mile (16 km) stretch north of Union City to within 1100 feet of the Kentucky border is also a freeway. Thus, the vast majority of the work on SIU 7 will involve bypassing the 15-mile (24 km) portion of US-51 between Troy and Union City (where it is currently a 4-lane surface arterial with at-grade intersections) and redesigning the US 51/US 45 interchange in South Fulton. This stretch has been divided into five smaller sections. The first two sections make up the Troy Bypass, while the northern three sections represent the Union City Bypass.

The first construction contract was let for SIU 7 on October 30, 2009, covering Section 4 (middle leg of the Union City Bypass). The winning bid for constructing the 4.3-mile (7 km) section between TN-21 and TN-5 northwest of Union City, was awarded to Ford Construction Company of Dyersburg for $33 million. Construction on this section of the Union City Bypass began in the Spring of 2010, and was completed in the summer of 2012. However, it will remain closed to traffic until adjacent sections are completed. As of July 2014, land acquisition and utility relocations were underway in all five sections from Troy to Union City. TDOT awarded a construction contract for 2.4 mile Section 3 (southern leg of the Union City Bypass) in March 2016, and planned to let a second contract for Section 5 (northern leg of the Union City Bypass) in December 2016. Work began on Section 3 in June 2016.^[4]

There is no current timetable for letting contracts to construct the Troy Bypass (Sections 1 and 2).^[5] However, TDOT Commissioner John Schroer estimated in February 2013 that it would take around ten years to gradually complete work on SIU 7 due to lack of funding.^[6]

This situation (and the next one below) regarding funding was solved on May 23,2017 with the signing of the IMPROVE (Improving Manufacturing, Public Roads and Opportunities for a Vibrant Economy) Act. The legislation raised taxes and fees for drivers and others: 6 cents for regular fuel, 10 cents for diesel fuel, and 8 cents for liquefied and compressed natural gases (a total of $355 million). The state would get $250 million, counties $70 million and cities $35 million. Most vehicle owners saw their registration fees go up by $5; private and commercial owners had their fees go up by $10, with ride-sharing exempt; heavy truck operators would pay $20 more. Electric vehicle owners in Tennessee (about 2,500) would pay an additional $100 in registration and renewal fees (since they don't pay fuel taxes); hybrid-electric car owners are exempt from the extra charges. The new money would fund parts of I-69 in the state. The Union City sections (3, 4 and 5) of this segment are on track to be completed by 2023.^[7] While TDOT has acquired the right-of-way and is finalizing design for the Troy portion (1 and 2), a timeline for construction has not yet been established.

SIU 8[]

SIU 8 proceeds south from Dyersburg, paralleling US Highway 51 to a planned interchange with TN-385 (I-269) in Millington. To facilitate work on the Draft EIS this segment, the Tennessee Department of Transportation has divided SIU 8 into three smaller segments. In April 2006 TDOT has announced the preferred routing for the northern and southern subsections, favoring an alignment to the west of Highway 51. Meanwhile, studies are still ongoing for the central section, which include alignments both east and west of the existing US Highway 51. Once TDOT identifies the preferred alignment for the central segment, it is expected that a supplemental draft EIS will be necessary before the final EIS can be prepared.

The routing of I-69 has been criticized by the state Sierra Club chapter for not making use of the existing right-of-way for U.S. 51 and for potentially impacting the Hatchie River, a state-designated scenic river.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has suspended work indefinitely on Segment 8 due to a lack of funding. TDOT has further stated that it does not intend to resume work on the Dyersburg-Millington section until Congress commits federal funding to complete environmental studies, right-of-way acquisition and construction. However the revived completion of segment 7 of I-69 in northwestern Tennessee connecting to I-155 and I-55 will provide an unbroken freeway route from that region to Memphis. It will bypass the uncompleted segment 8 by following the west side of the Mississippi River before crossing the river into Memphis linking to partly finished segment 9. TDOT department officials determined "there would be value" in finishing just enough of I-69 to link it to I-55, a major north-south route that runs through Memphis^[8]

SIU 9[]

South of Millington, I-69 will intersect the Interstate 269 Memphis Outer Beltway, then continue southwest, roughly parallel to U.S. 51, then abruptly turn east near General DeWitt Spain Airport to connect with Interstate 40 at the existing State Route 300 interchange in the Frayser neighborhood. Interstate 69 follows I-40 for about 3 miles (5 km) to the I-40/I-240 Midtown Interchange, where I-69 continues south along the Midtown portion of I-240 (mileposts 25-31) to the I-240/I-55 interchange in Whitehaven. From that interchange, I-69 continues south, merged with I-55 for approximately 12 miles (19 km), crossing the Mississippi state line. The Mississippi Department of Transportation has been working on widening I-55/I-69 between Hernando and the Tennessee State Line, adding travel lanes in each direction, reconstructing bridges, and improving traffic flow at interchanges. Meanwhile, TDOT is reconstructing I-55 and I-240 from the Mississippi line to Memphis. With much of the route already built and at Interstate standards through Memphis, the FHWA authorized TDOT to sign I-69 over I-55, I-240 and I-40 on January 18, 2008; however, TDOT has not yet done so. However, it has and still is signed as an "I-69 FUTURE CORRIDOR".

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has suspended work indefinitely on the unbuilt section between TN-300 and the proposed interchange with I-269 near Millington due to a lack of funding. TDOT has further stated that it does not intend to resume work on this section until Congress commits federal funding to complete environmental studies, right-of-way acquisition and construction.

Exit list[]

This exit lists includes exits from existing I-55, I-240, I-40, SR 300, I-155 and US 51. The I-69 designation has only been approved on the southern 15 miles. I-69 is not currently signed along this route.

This section contains a table that is missing mileposts for one or more junctions. Please help by .

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Tennessee–Mississippi line		0.00	0.00		I-55 / I-69 south	Continuation into Mississippi
Shelby	Memphis	1.5	2.4	2	SR 175 (Shelby Drive) – Whitehaven, Capleville	Signed as exits 2A (east) and 2B (west) southbound; exit numbers follow I-55
		4.4	7.1	5	US 51 (Elvis Presley Boulevard, SR 3) / Brooks Road – Graceland	Signed as exits 5A (Brooks Road) and 5B (US 51 south) southbound
		5.5	8.9	6A 25B	I-55 north / I-240 east – Nashville, Little Rock, Memphis International Airport, St. Louis, Jackson, Mississippi	Signed as exits 6A northbound and 25B southbound; north end of I-55 concurrency; south end of I-240 concurrency
		6.1	9.8	26	Norris Road	Exit numbers follow I-240
		8.3	13.4	28	South Parkway	Signed as exits 28A (east) and 28B (west)
		9.6	15.4	29	US 78 (Lamar Avenue, SR 4) / E.H. Crump Boulevard
		9.8	15.8	30	US 51 (Union Avenue, SR 4) / US 64 / US 70 / US 79	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		10.5	16.9		Madison Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		10.9	17.5	31	I-40 west – Little Rock	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
				32 1F	SR 14 (Jackson Avenue)	Signed as exits 32 northbound and 1F southbound
				—	I-240 end / I-40 west – Little Rock	North end of I-240 concurrency; south end of I-40 concurrency; southbound left exit and northbound left entrance; I-40 exit 1E
		12.5	20.1	2	Chelsea Avenue / Smith Avenue	Exit number follows I-40
		13.8	22.2	2A	I-40 east – Nashville	North end of I-40 concurrency; south end of unsigned SR 300 concurrency; southbound exit and northbound entrance each include direct ramps to/from Watkins Street
		15.1	24.3	—	US 51 / SR 300 south – Millington	northern end of unsigned SR 300 concurrency
Gap in route
Shelby	Millington			—	I-269 south – Arlington, Nashville	Future northern terminus of I-269[9]
				—	US 51 – Millington	[9]
				—	West Union Road	[9]
Tipton	​			—	Simmons Road	[9]
				—	SR 178 – Munford	[9]
	Brighton			—	�� Brighton	[9]
	​			—	SR 59 – Covington	[9]
				—	US 51 south – Covington	South end of US 51 concurrency [9]
Lauderdale	​			—	US 51 north – Henning	North end of US 51 concurrency[9]
				—	SR 87 – Henning	[9]
	Ripley			—	SR 19 – Ripley, Brownsville	[9]
				—	US 51 – Ripley	[9]
	​			—	SR 88 – Halls	[9]
Dyer	​			—	Unionville Road	[9]
				—	SR 104 – Dyersburg	[9]
		0.0	0.0	—	I-155 west / US 412 west – St. Louis	Future eastern terminus of I-155, west end of US 412 concurrency[9]
	Dyersburg	2.4	3.9	—	SR 78 – Dyersburg, Tiptonville	Currently I-155 exit 13
		5.3	8.5	—	US 51 south / US 412 east – Dyersburg, Jackson	Currently I-155 exit 15, south end of US 51 concurrency, east end of US 412 concurrency
	Newbern	9.1	14.6	—	SR 77 – Newbern
Dyer–Obion county line	​	16.2	26.1	—	SR 105 – Trimble
Obion	Obion	19.8	31.9	—	SR 183 – Obion
Gap in route
Obion	​			—	US 51 – Union City	[10]
	Union City			—	SR 184 – Union City	[10]
				—	SR 22 / SR 5 – Union City	[10]
	​			—	Brevard Road	[10]
Gap in route
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Unopened

Auxiliary routes[]

There are to be two auxiliary routes of I-69 in Tennessee. The first, I-169 in Martin and Union City will be a spur route that is currently designated as SR 22. The second, I-269 is a beltway around Memphis. Currently, I-269 is designated south of I-40. The northern segment of SR 385 is expected to be redesignated as I-269 in the future.

References[]

External links[]

• Tennessee Department of Transportation. "Interstate 69 Project". Retrieved August 10, 2013.

Route map:

Interstate 69
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