The newest interstate in America, the Interstate 69, is reportedly near completion in Indiana. The Interstate has been under construction for decades and will run from Canada to Mexico. Indiana Department of Transportation expects the road to be completed by the end of this year. The Indiana stretch of the highway stretches from Indianapolis north to Port Huron, Michigan. This is on the border with Canada and it was originally opened in 1992. Construction, however, has been taking place on the southern portion which begun in 2005.
History on the Interstate Highway System
In the 1950s under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the U.S. began building out its Interstate Highway System. In the original plan, the system was meant to serve a range of purposes. These include making it safer and faster to travel between big cities and boosting economic productivity. Additionally, they would provide a network of roads that could aid in national defence. Many of the most-travelled interstate highways were under construction for decades. Interstate 95, which runs through most of the largest economic centres on the East Coast from Maine to Florida, wasn’t technically finished until 2018.
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Details on the I-69 in Indiana
The initial section of I-69 in Indiana (SIU 1 of the larger national design) begins at an intersection with I-465, the beltway that circles Indianapolis on the northeast side of the city. I-69 runs northeast to near Anderson, when it bends east to allow indirect access to Muncie before turning north towards Marion and Fort Wayne. In Fort Wayne, I-69 runs along the city’s western boundary, while I-469, I-69’s first (and for many years only) designated auxiliary route, loops east. I-69 crosses the Indiana East-West Toll Road (I-80/I-90) in Angola and Fremont before entering Michigan just south of Kinderhook.
Texas, Kentucky, and Indiana have been progressively advancing I-69 construction within their respective states, using traditional funding sources where possible and creative financing approaches such as public-private partnerships. In December 2018, the I-69 River Crossing project team representing Kentucky and Indiana unveiled their preferred plan to construct a new toll bridge across the Ohio River as part of I-69.
Contracts were granted in January 2023 for work on the Kentucky approach to the new bridge (part 1). Kentucky and Indiana signed an initial memorandum of agreement in March 2023 to go forward with preliminary development and financial planning. Furthermore, the Indiana approach (section 3) begun eaarlier this year. Construction of the bridge (part 2) is currently slated to begin in 2027 and end in 2031. In the meantime, initiatives to shorten the timeline are being investigated.
Future Plans for the Interstate Highway
Construction on the final leg from Martinsville to Indianapolis began in 2019, with completion expected by the end of 2024. SIU 2 will follow the southeastern portion of I-465 around the city.
Kentucky and Indiana officials submitted a grant proposal to the United States Department of Transportation in August 2023, requesting $630 million to build a bridge across the Ohio River to connect the Indiana and Kentucky segments of Interstate 69. If permitted, construction on a four-lane bridge may start as early as 2027 and be completed by 2031.
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