Interstate 69 in Mississippi

Infobox road
state=MS
type=Interstate
route=69
length_mi=21.393
length_ref=Mississippi Department of Transportation, [http://www.gomdot.com/localgov/planning/Highway_Statistics.pdf Mississippi Public Roads Selected Statistics Extent, Travel, and Designation] , accessed August 2007. Excludes portion co-signed with Interstate 55.]
length_round=3
direction_a=South
direction_b=North
terminus_a=jct|state=MS|MS|713 near Banks
junction=jct|state=MS|I|55 in Hernando, Mississippi
terminus_b=jct|state=MS|I|55|I|69 towards Memphis, Tennessee
previous_type=MS
previous_route=67
next_type=MS
next_route=69
commons=categoryThe proposed Interstate 69 extension from Indianapolis southwest to Texas presently 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 further 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. [ [http://www.gomdot.com/newsApp/newsDetail.aspx?referrer=home&id=511200733938 Toll Road Bill Passage a Milestone for Mississippi, MDOT Press Release May 11, 2007] ]

I-69 has been divided into a number of sections of independent utility (SIUs).

IU 9 (Mississippi portion)

At the Mississippi-Tennessee state line, I-69 enters Mississippi from the north concurrently with Interstate 55, and follows the previously-constructed route of I-55 south to Hernando, Mississippi, where it will meet future Interstate 269, for approximately convert|8|mi|km|0.

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; in late May 2008, Mississippi began posting signs reflecting the extension of the route. [Capka, J. Richard (FHWA Administrator), [http://www.transportation.org/sites/route/docs/SIGNED%20%20MISSISSIPPI%20LETTER%20I-69%20I-55.pdf Letter to Harry Lee James] (MDOT) dated January 18, 2008, retrieved May 28, 2008.] [Lawrence, Christopher N. [http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordsutch/2530138958/ Photograph] taken May 27, 2008.]

IU 10

In Hernando, I-69 again meets up with the future Interstate 269 (and possibly Interstate 22 in the future) and turns west for approximately convert|16|mi|km|0 to the area around the Tunica County casinos. A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place at 2:00 p.m. CST on October 3, 2006, at which point the road was opened to traffic. This segment's opening also coincided with Mississippi's Statewide Transportation Conference, held in Tunica. [ [http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=5492935 WMC-TV: News, Weather, Traffic, Radar, and Sports for Memphis, TN; WMCTV.com | First Mississippi stretch of I-69 opens to the public ] ] The state's HELP program enabled this segment to be completed three years ahead of schedule.

This portion of I-69 mostly coincides with the relocated route of MS 304; both routes are co-signed between I-55 and the MS 713 spur, where the two routes split: MS 304 continues due west to U.S. 61, while I-69 (co-signed with MS 713) turns south to connect to the old routing of MS 304 near Banks, Mississippi. The MS 713 portion of the route opened to traffic December 18, 2006. [http://www.gomdot.com/newsApp/newsDetail.aspx?referrer=home&id=1214200642659]

I-55 and I-69 meet at an incomplete cloverleaf interchange near Hernando; freeway stubs extending east of this interchange are intended for I-269 and Interstate 22 when MS-304 is extended to the east of I-55 starting in 2010. To accommodate the volume of traffic anticipated to pass through this interchange and meet current Federal Highway Administration standards for cloverleaf interchanges, collector/distributor roads were added to the I-55 mainline in the in vicinity of the interchange.

As of December 18, 2006, all work on SIU 10 is complete and the entire segment is open to traffic. Because Interstate 69 is still incomplete through the remainder of Mississippi (SIUs 11 and 12), exits are unnumbered on the Hernando-Tunica segment.

Planned extension

IU 11

Continuing south from its present (temporary) terminus at Mississippi Route 3 near Banks, I-69 will bypass the Town of Tunica to the east (serving Tunica Municipal Airport), then veer to the west and merge with U.S. 61 route to Clarksdale, also merging with U.S. Route 49 near Rich. In 2006 MDOT decided to incorporate the recently-completed Clarksdale Bypass into the future I-69 alignment through the Clarksdale vicinity, since the bypass is already at Interstate standards.

In Clarksdale, I-69 will merge with U.S. Route 278 and continue south, serving Shelby, following the existing U.S. 61 route. I-69 and U.S. 278 will diverge from U.S. 61 near Merigold, bypassing Cleveland to the west, and continue south to near Shaw. According to MDOT, the FEIS for SIU 11 was approved in early 2007, with final design currently underway. Land acquisition for the route is expected to begin in 2008. [ [http://www.gomdot.com/Home/Projects/I-69/pdf/I-69%20-%20SIU%2011%20Handout%20June08%20.pdf Interstate 69 from Benoit to Robinsonville newsletter, June 2008] ]

IU 12

From Shaw, I-69 and U.S. 278 will proceed west to Benoit, where it will intersect Mississippi Highway 1 (and possibly the proposed Greenville Connector), then cross the Charles W. Dean Bridge (sometimes referred to as the "Great River Bridge") over the Mississippi River to McGehee, Arkansas. Environmental studies for this segment, including the Charles W. Dean Bridge have been completed and the FHWA issued a Record of Decision approving the route through SIU 12 in 2004. On October 15, 2006, the FHWA directed the Arkansas Department of Transportation to begin land acquisition for I-69 from US 65 to the west bank of the Mississippi River where the Charles W. Dean Bridge will be built. [ [http://www.katv.com/news/stories/1006/369183.html Arkansas given OK to Acquire Rights for Future I-69, KATV Channel 7, October 15, 2006] ] Construction of the bridge itself will not likely start until after 2010, as its construction did not appear in Arkansas' 2007-2010 Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP). [ [http://www.arkansashighways.com/Contract/ProgCon/STIP/FINAL_2007-2010%20STIP%20FILES/FINAL%20STIP%20INTRODUCTION%2007-10%20WEB.DOC Arkansas 2007-2010 Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan] ]

Exit list

References