Interstate 69 - Segment 8

Overview

The project to extend the Interstate 69 corridor, also known as Corridor 18, includes a new interstate route from Dyersburg to Millington in Shelby, Tipton, Lauderdale, and Dyer Counties. The proposed route is one of multiple segments for the I-69 extension and one of three segments that impact the state of Tennessee.

  • Segment 7 (Fulton, KY to Dyersburg, TN)
  • Segment 8 (Dyersburg, TN to Milington, TN)
  • Segment 9 (Millington, TN to Hernando, MS)

Segment 8 begins at SR 385 (Paul Barrett Parkway) in Shelby County and extends north to the I-155/US-412/US-51 interchange in Dyer County. The project has two main alternative corridors. Corridor R (red) extends from SR 385 (Paul Barrett Parkway) to west of Millington, Covington, Ripley and Dyersburg AND west of US 51/SR 3 to I-155 in Dyersburg. Corridor G (green) extends to the east of US 51/SR 3 from SR 385 (Paul Barrett Parkway) to the I-155/US-412/US-51 interchange in Dyersburg. Variations of these corridors with crossovers are being studied. 

The proposed project will be built to interstate design standards and will consist of a four-lane divided, access-controlled facility with interchanges at major crossroads. This proposed project is approximately 65 miles in length.

Purpose and Need

I-69 is an integral part of High Priority Corridor 18 across mid-America.  It 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.

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 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.  It would also address the following transportation needs:

  • improve safety and mobility
  • provide capacity for current and future traffic volumes
  • promote economic development with an efficient and flexible transportation system
  • improve system linkage (connections to intermodal facilities and major ports along the corridor)
  • upgrade existing facilities