Interstate 69 in Tennessee
Interstate 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. Currently, a 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, 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 signed the extension of the route, although Mississippi has.
Planned extension
I-69 in Tennessee has been divided into three of segments of independent utility.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. 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.
SIU 7
This SIU begins at the Kentucky/Tennessee border in Fulton, and closely follows US Highway 51 to Dyersburg. The stretch between Dyersburg and Troy is at Interstate Highway standards—opening with the completion of Interstate 155 west of Dyersburg. An additional 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 portion of US-51 between Troy and Union City 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. The winning bid for constructing the 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 in March 2016, and planned to let a second contract for Section 5 in December 2016. Work began on Section 3 in June 2016.
There is no current timetable for letting contracts to construct the Troy Bypass. 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.
This situation regarding funding was solved on May 23,2017 with the signing of the IMPROVE 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. 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 would pay an additional $100 in registration and renewal fees ; hybrid-electric car owners are exempt from the extra charges. The new money would fund parts of I-69 in the state.
SIU 8
SIU 8 proceeds south from Dyersburg, paralleling US Highway 51 to a planned interchange with TN-385 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.
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 to the I-40/I-240 Midtown Interchange, where I-69 continues south along the Midtown portion of I-240 to the I-240/I-55 interchange in Whitehaven. From that interchange, I-69 continues south, merged with I-55 for approximately, 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 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.