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I-69 Paving Begins In Union City Area

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UNION CITY (July 13) — Federal, state, and West Tennessee officials met in Union City on Tuesday, April 13 at the intersection of U.S. 51 and the future Interstate 69.

Congressman David Kustoff, State Transportation Commissioner Clay Bright, State Senator John Stevens, State Representative Tandy Darby and others gathered on the bridge - future overpass of I-69 to announce the commencement of paving of I-69.

The road bed of gravel is in place and ready for the paving. Commissioner Bright said the process will take two years and mark the significant opportunities for the region for economic development. It is the north-south interstate to connect Mexico, U.S. and Canada.

Bright said Tennessee is a pay-as-you-go state as it concerns its transportation system. The roadway is now funded for paving, which marks one of the final steps to open the region. I-69 will connect with State Route 22 (US-51) in Union City. Carroll Countians will have four-lane access to I-69 along State Route 22.

I-69 is an integral part of High Priority Corridor 18 across mid-America. Corridor 18 originated with the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), where the U.S. Congress designated certain highway corridors of national significance to be included in the National Highway System. I-69 currently exists from the Michigan/Canada border to the northeast side of Indianapolis, Indiana. Congress passed legislation to extend the corridor from Indianapolis to the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Development of the proposed I-69 corridor would provide a continuous highway link, designed to interstate highway standards, from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, a route length of approximately 1,650 miles. The extension of the corridor incorporates several elements, including a new interstate route (I-69) that will serve Memphis, Tennessee. The proposed route has been divided into multiple segments, three of which impact the state of Tennessee.

The three Tennessee sections include: Segment 7 (Fulton, Kentucky to Dyersburg, Tenn.), Segment 8 (Dyersburg to Millington), Segment 9 (Millington to Hernando, Miss.)

Purpose and Need - There is no existing interstate facility with Corridor 18 for the full distance from Indianapolis to the Texas/Mexico border. This missing interstate link is in a corridor that has a high demand for formerly known North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)-associated goods movements. Short- to medium-length trips, however, far outnumber international traffic along the corridor. There will be local and regional trips that will take advantage of an improved facility designed to Interstate highway standards. By diverting these local trips to the I-69 Corridor, the adjacent state and federal highways will likely see a drop in overall traffic levels with attendant increases in travel efficiency and motorist safety.

Throughout its length, I-69 would connect 16 existing Interstate highways crossing Corridor 18 (10 east-west routes and 6 north-south routes). It would link 10 urban areas of more than 50,000 population along the corridor. Within urban areas, development of I-69 could provide the means to upgrade existing Interstate routes, connect major transportation corridors and radial freeways with a new facility, and connect modal and multi-modal terminals to the Interstate highway network.

The overall goals for this Interstate facility are defined as follows:

  • To improve international and interstate movement of freight and people by ensuring a safe transportation system that is accessible, integrated, and efficient while offering flexibility of transportation choices in mid-America.
  • To enhance the regional and local transportation systems by providing transportation capacity to meet current and future needs.
  • To facilitate economic development and enhance economic growth opportunities domestically and internationally through efficient and flexible transportation with particular emphasis being given to economic growth in the Lower Mississippi Delta Region.
  • To facilitate connections to intermodal facilities and major ports along the corridor.
  • To facilitate the safe and efficient movement of persons and goods by fostering a reduction in incident risk.
  • To upgrade existing facilities to be utilized as I-69 within the corridor to design standards suitable for an Interstate highway and commensurate with the projected demand.
  • To directly connect the urban areas named by Congress (the “named cities” of Indianapolis, Evansville, Memphis, Shreveport/Bossier City, and Houston and the Lower Rio Grande Valley) with an Interstate highway connection.