Interstate 69

In addition to the main line of I-69, the overall project â€“ known as Corridors 18 and 20 of the National Highway System â€“ also includes Interstate 94 between Chicago and Port Huron, and several spurs from I-69. Among these proposed spurs are an extension of Interstate 530 from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, an upgrade of U.S. Route 59 from Texarkana, Texas, and a split in southern Texas to serve three border crossings at Laredo, Pharr, and Brownsville. In August 2007, I-69 was selected by the USDOT as one of six Corridors of the Future, making it eligible for additional federal funding and streamlined planning and review.

Interstate 69 currently exists in three distinct sections: the original route from Indianapolis, Indiana to the Blue Water Bridge at Port Huron, Michigan, a 1.8-mile (2.9 km) section from I-64/I-164 to Indiana 68 in southwest Indiana, and a 42-mile (70 km) section from Tunica Resorts to the I-40/I-69/TN-300 interchange in Memphis, Tennessee.

I-69 in Michigan runs north passing through Coldwater and Marshall. Near Olivet, I-69 begins to turn in a northeasterly direction passing through the Lansing metropolitan area. Here I-69 is cosigned on with I-96, the only such palindromic pairing in the Interstate Highway System. I-69 is signed east–west from Lansing through Flint to Port Huron. At its eastern terminus, I-69 joins I-94 to cross the Blue Water Bridges at the Canadian border over the St. Clair River.

In 2000, Corridors 18 and 20 were split into 32 sections of independent utility (SIUs) as part of the I-69 (Corridor 18) Special Environmental Study. Some states use these SIU numbers to identify projects. I-94 between Chicago and Port Huron was SIU 27.

While federal legislation established a mandate to extend I-69 from Indiana to Texas, it did not provide funding for its construction. Therefore, it must compete against other projects for traditional funding. Despite approval of several segments, work has been completed on only one segment, due in part to increasing costs for construction materials and machinery. As a result, several states have indicated that construction of I-69 may not be possible without the use of tolls as the primary means to finance building the highway. Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi passed legislation authorizing toll roads within each state. In Texas, a private firm will build, operate, then transfer the highway to the state after a specified period of time. Lawmakers in Kentucky are considering a bill that would authorize the re-tolling of three parkways slated to become I-69. Kentucky and Indiana plan to finance a new bridge across the Ohio River with tolls, and governor Mitch Daniels announced in 2006 that I-69 through Indiana will be toll-free; about half of I-69 extension through southwest Indiana will be built using $700 million from the 2006 Major Moves deal, although the Major Moves legislation gives Indiana the option to place tolls on I-69 if necessary.

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