Interstate 269

Interstate 269 (I-269) is a beltway around the city of Memphis, Tennessee and its adjacent suburban areas in southwestern Tennessee and northern Mississippi, completed in October 2018.[1] I-269 was planned and built to serve as an outer bypass for the Memphis metropolitan area, funneling through traffic around the metro area while also functioning as a bypass of future Interstate 69 (I-69), which will run directly through the center of the metro area. I-269 currently connects to its parent route, I-69, at an interchange in Hernando, Mississippi, and will do so again in Millington, Tennessee, in the future.

Interstate 269
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-69
Length	45.19 mi (72.73 km)
Existed	2015–present
History	Opened in 1998 as SR 385
Major junctions
South end	I-55 / I-69 / MS 304 near Hernando, MS
	I-22 / US 78 near Byhalia, MS
North end	I-40 / SR 385 in Arlington, TN
Location
States	Mississippi, Tennessee
Counties	MS: DeSoto, Marshall TN: Fayette, Shelby
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Mississippi State Highway System Interstate U.S. State Tennessee State Routes Interstate U.S. State ← MS 245 MS → US 278 ← SR 268 TN → SR 269

Route description

I-269 begins at an interchange with Interstate 69 near Hernando, Mississippi. The highway travels eastward across rural areas to the town of Byhalia, Mississippi,, where it has an interchange with I-22/US 78. Here, the highway continues northeastward, slowly veering north towards the Tennessee state line. Entering Tennessee, I-269 has an interchange with US 72 and the southern segment of TN 385 in Collierville. The route then proceeds north along former TN 385 to an interchange with I-40 and the northern segment of TN 385 in Arlington.

History

Interstate 269 extension to Mississippi under construction

The Tennessee Department of Transportation's (TDOT) plans called for the two sections to be connected in phases.[2] Plans had the portion extending south from an incomplete interchange with SR 385 south to the Mississippi state line to completed in October 2015 to coincide with completion of the section in Mississippi from the Tennessee state line to Mississippi Highway 302.[3] On January 29, 2007, the Federal Highway Administration issued a record of decision giving final federal approval for I-269, paving the way for the two states to design and construct the remaining section between Hernando and Collierville.

The first section of what is now I-269, the Winfield Dunn Parkway, from I-40 to US 64 opened on September 4, 2007, signed as SR 385.[4] The segment between US 64 and to SR 193 (Macon Road) opened on June 15, 2009,[5] and the segment between SR 193 and SR 57 opened on November 22, 2013.[6] The last section of the Bill Morris Parkway, most of which remains signed as SR 385, was opened between US 72 and SR 57 on August 23, 2007.[7]

On October 18, 2007, the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced that a bond was successfully issued through the state's Highway Enhancements Through Local Partnerships (HELP) Program for $83 million to cover planning and right-of-way acquisition costs for Mississippi's portion of the route.[8] Mississippi began its part of I-269 construction on June 23, 2011,[9] with the 25-mile (40 km) section from the state line to I-55 totaling construction costs of $640 million as of 2014.[10]

On October 23, 2015, the first signed segment of I-269 opened between the eastern terminus of SR 385 in Collierville and MS 302.[11] On December 5, 2017, the second segment opened between MS 302 and MS 305, including the I-22 interchange.[12]

In 2018 TDOT redesignated a portion of SR 385 between Collierville and I-40 in Arlington as I-269.

The segment of I-269 from the I-55/I-69 interchange in Hernando to MS 305 at Lewisburg, Mississippi, was completed on October 26, 2018, completing the connection between Interstate 40 in Tennessee and Interstate 55 in Mississippi.[13][14][15]

The construction costs of the Tennessee portion of SR 385 from the 1980s until completion in 2013 was over $500 million.[6] Both states' combined investments were over $1.2 billion for the 64.3-mile (103.5 km) I-269 project including construction and rights of way expense listed above.

Exit list

State	County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Mississippi	DeSoto	Hernando	0.00	0.00	0A-B	I-55 / I-69 / MS 304 west – Memphis, Southaven, Jackson, Tunica	I-55 exit 283, signed as exits 0A (south) & 0B (north) westbound; western end of MS 304 concurrency; cloverleaf interchange.
		​	3.17	5.10	3	Getwell Road
		​	5.18	8.34	5	Laughter Road
		​	7.32	11.78	7	Craft Road
		​	9.37	15.08	9	MS 305 – Olive Branch, Independence
		​	13.41	21.58	13	Red Banks Road
		Byhalia	15.57	25.06	16	I-22 east / US 78 – Holly Springs, Tupelo, Birmingham, Olive Branch, Memphis	Western terminus of I-22; Signed as exits 16A (east) and 16B (west); I-22/US 78 exit 12
	Marshall	​	17.85	28.73	18	MS 309 – Byhalia
		​	23.79	38.29	23	MS 302 – Southaven, Olive Branch
					Mississippi–Tennessee state line Eastern end of MS 304 concurrency
Tennessee	Shelby–Fayette county line	Collierville–Piperton line	27.24	43.84	1	US 72 (SR 86) – Collierville, Corinth
			28.55	45.95	2	SR 385 west (Bill Morris Parkway) – Memphis	Eastern terminus of southern section of SR 385
	Fayette	Piperton	29.55	47.56	3	SR 57 – Piperton, Collierville
	Shelby	​	37.75	60.75	11	SR 193 – Macon, Fisherville
		Arlington	41.70	67.11	15	US 64 (SR 15) – Bartlett, Somerville
			44.56	71.71	18	Donelson Farms Parkway
			45.19	72.73	19	I-40 / SR 385 north – Memphis, Nashville, Millington	Signed as exits 19A (east) and 19B (west), I-40 exit 24, route continues as SR 385
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Route transition

See also

•  United States portal
•  Mississippi portal
•  U.S. Roads portal

References

1. https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/video/2018/10/26/i-corridor-finally-opens-connecting-i-i-/
2. Charlier, Tom (August 26, 2007). "Complete Tenn. 385 faces probable delays". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
3. "Proposal Contract for CNL024" (PDF). Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 12, 2012.
4. "Tenn. 385 opens up Arlington — New stretch of highway hailed for its access to progress". The Commercial Appeal. September 5, 2007.
5. Charlier, Tom (June 14, 2009). "Three-mile segment of Tenn. Hwy. 385 opening". The Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on June 16, 2009. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
6. "Last Part of 385 Opens Friday". WREG-TV. November 22, 2013.
7. McKenzie, Kevin (August 22, 2007). "Tenn. 385 opens new path: Access to Fayette County to be a Collierville short route". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
8. Risher, Wayne (September 7, 2007). "Good fit sought with I-269". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis. Archived from the original on May 17, 2011.
9. "I-269, Mississippi's largest highway project, connects communities and encourages economic growth" (Press release). United States Department of Transportation. June 27, 2011. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011.
10. "I-269 Construction Reaches Halfway Point". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis. March 26, 2014. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015.
11. Charlier, Tom (October 19, 2015). "Section of I-269 from Collierville to Mississippi to open Friday". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
12. Bailey, Tom (December 8, 2017). "Memphis to Byhalia nonstop: I-269 and I-22 now intersect". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
13. "Memphis to Byhalia nonstop: I-269 and I-22 now intersect". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
14. Garland, Max (October 26, 2018). "I-269's completion marked with ribbon cutting in DeSoto County, opening its final stretch". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
15. "Last section of I-269 set to open Oct. 26, completing new loop around Memphis". The Daily Memphian. Retrieved October 11, 2018.

External links

• Design Public Hearing Announcement (Tennessee Department of Transportation)
• Original and current plans (Mississippi Department of Transportation)
• Kurumi.com entry
• I69Info.com: Memphis
• Interstate-Guide.com (I-269)
• Desoto Times