I-69?

[M. Brown]

Whats going on with the proposed I-69 from Mexico to Canada?

[Allan]

Hmmm.....I thought that project was done, but I looked on a map, and it's only completed through Indianapolis. Maybe I just thought it was totally completed because I drive on it every day. From the map though, it doesn't look like an extended I-69 is needed, as there are many other freeways you could take to get from Canada to Mexico.

[Allan]

I did some research on the proposed I-69. There are still many corridor studies going on. It seems that most of the freeway construction would just be upgrading existing highways. For as many proponets of the project, there are just an many opponents.

Here is the map of the corridor being studied for I-69:

Based on what I've read, the propsed I-69 is longer than it would be just to take the existing interstates from Port Huron, MI to Laredo, TX. If you took the existing interstates, you'd go from I-69 to I-70 to I-57 to I-55 to I-40 to I-30 to I-35, a distance of 1706 miles. However under the current proposal, I-69 from Port Huron to Laredo would be 179- miles.

http://www.i69tour.org/nationalmap.pdf

All in all, it looks like it will eventually be completed, despite the opposition. However since it will likely be completed in tiny little segments, it will be at least 10 years, and probably longer before it is completed. Heck, Michigan started building I-69 in the 1960s, but didn't actually finish the freeway until 1992. So if that is any indication, it will be many years before we'll be able to drive along I-69 from Canada to Mexico.

[Cotuit]

This site is an unofficial, but very well put together overview of the project.