Why THESE STATES Want I-69 SO BAD | The Superhighway Revisited 

Always weird seeing the face of someone that you watched several videos where they are audio only.

Mississippi delta resident here 🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏽‍♂️ everything you said about this state is true. 😢😢😢 I’m a truck driver and I always say Mississippi needs a few more interstates plus better road ways

I've lived in Michigan since 1998 and had no idea that I69 was intended to extend down to Mexico. Here in Michigan we've always taken it for granted, and we use it to travel south to I94 to go to Illinois, south through Indiana, or north to cross the Blue Water Bridge into Canada. Most of I69 in Michigan extends through rural areas, which is one reason it is such a pleasure to drive. The portion south of Lansing carries very little traffic, and the portion north of Lansing carries even less. Thanks for a very informative video.

I grew up in Evansville IN and I-69 was very controversial when I was a kid. There were a lot of people who were upset about the proposed routes and the eminent domaining of property in order to construct a new roadway instead of upgrading existing roads. I actually know two families whose homes were taken over in order to build the road. On the other hand, the completed I-69 between Evansville and Bloomington cuts more than an hour off of that drive alone. It’s a wonderful road to drive on and I use it constantly. I always find it funny to see people with anti-I-69 bumper stickers driving on I-69 though, lol

It’s always nice to see a fellow black man interested in this field!

You're a real geographer--not just a purveyor of factoids and listicles. Thanks.

Just landed on this video by chance and man, I’ve never been into highways before. But something about how you’ve put this together just clicks. Now I’m hooked. Great job.

Another big possible big motivation for Indiana to create this "NAFTA Superhighway" is because of the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado assembly plant just south of Fort Wayne at the southern terminus of I-469. The plant is conveniently placed near an interstate that will connect some of the largest southern border crossings all the way up to it directly. This is important because many components that go into these General Motor trucks are actually manufactured in Mexico. The assembly plant is a strong backbone for Fort Wayne's continuous growth and hub for large businesses.

OK the 69-96 situation really got me

The portion just south of Indianapolis is nearly complete ( 5 miles remaining) and it's extremely nice. A welcome addition to the area.

A few years back I would travel along the parkways to get from the far southeast corner of KY, where I live, over to where the western KY parkway hits I24. I remember the "Future I69 Corridor" signs. The last time I was out that way, it was signed as "I69" from Hopkinsville (I169 junction) out to I24. The interchange they built back at I169 was a headache during construction but now it is awesome! And, yes, we love our parkways! Come out and drive them, especially those in Eastern KY. Some of the most beautiful lands and scenic by ways I have ever seen! Thanks for this video! Great stuff!

As someone who lives about an hour north of Evansville on 69, I'm so happy that the project in Indy is almost finished. I am from Michigan and moved here almost 15 years ago. The amount of time saved when we travel there or back is at least 1 1/2 hours. As has been pointed out, the barrels going north of Evansville never disappear, they just randomly change places about once a month.😏

This highway is very important to trade between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico so it surprised me it hasn't been built.

If any town needs a economic boost it’s Mayfield, KY it’s basically a parking lot at the moment even 2 years after the EF4 tornado nearly erased it

bro you have one of the calmest voices on this site, so refreshing among all the over-excited kids!

I travel on I-69 in Indiana once a week currently. INDOT is getting very close to having the I-69/I-465 interchange finished. They are also adding travel lanes and upgrading bridges on I-465 as that is part of the route of I-69. It is interesting to watch the conversion, but I will be happy, happy, happy when it is completely finished. I remember when I-65 was being upgraded in southern Indiana from the Ohio River up to about the 7-mile marker. That seemed like an eternity.

These are always so well done. I got a bunch of other stuff I SHOULD be doing, but I wind up travelling with Mike. And I don't even live in any of these states. LOL

Michigan raised its speed limits for some rural 2 lane highways to 75mph. Including I-69 between Lansing & Flint and then Flint & Port Huron. It's my super highway living in the thumb to Flint where i work! Watch for deer though! 🦌 😅

I live about 20 minutes from i-69 in a town called Muncie in Indiana between Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. So i-69 has been an important highway for me my entire life. But I never knew any of the information you have presented here. This is just fascinating stuff. Right under my nose. Thank you for presenting it.

I-69 is just a mile from here. It was farm land and so was the land where I-94 travels when I grew up and left for the Navy. When I came back, I-69 and I-94 were there crossing in Marshall, Michigan.

Born/raised in Indianapolis, then spent 13 years in Fort Wayne before moving to Houston. Have traveled it to Port Huron when travelling for business to Toronto. Aside from I-69 south of Houston, I'm pretty sure I've been on every stretch of it multiple times. 🙂

As A resident of Evansville IN, This Highway is very important for the reasons you state, also the roads to IU university were dangerously curvy and my father lost a friend who died traveling to the university on a motorcycle between Evansville.

As a person who travelled back and forth between Houston and Michigan a number of times, I can attest to just how badly I-69 is needed. Going the Houston-Dallas-Texarkana route is a lot longer, and I-59 itself is one major mess. If we want trade and passenger traffic to move from Houston to the north, this highway is a must-have.

I live in Southeast Michigan and I find myself using I-69 for personal and business travel often enough. It fills a need of connecting places I go to and providing an alternate route to avoid construction zones and heavy traffic areas. It will be interesting as the various sections become completed and it becomes an important North-South corridor.

Fun fact, I-69 in Michigan was the last interstate to be built here back in 1992, and that's unlikely to change anytime soon. Between the cost and the fact that there's no need for new interstates since the major metros are already well connected MDOT has no plans for more freeways

I actually live ON I-69 here in Indianapolis. In fact, I recognised a spot in one of your clips that was only 5-ish minutes away from my house. So watching both of your videos gave me a lot of context and appreciation for the interstate. ^.^ It's a safe bet that we want 69 to finish as quickly as possible. The road construction is just so intense right now, I think everyone will breath easier once they finally remove those cones

You made a great point about I-69 being an alternative to I-35 in Austin. I live in Austin and I-35 is gridlocked most of the time. I used to live in Houston and drove on US-59 both north and south from Houston. I use to commute from SW Houston to downtown on US-59. It really needs improvement and upgrades, and Houston is underserved by the interstate highway system.

Great summary, Mike! Love watching your work.

We have lived in Robstown outside of Corpus Christi, TX for 23 years now. I69 is one of the best things that has happened to this area! To actually watch the progress of the Interstate development is amazing! We travel between Robstown and Houston quite often and have had to deal with construction along that route the entire time we have lived here but it is so nice once they complete each portion. The entire I69 route will be so convenient for us when it is finally completed! Thank you for your report!

i think its really surprising just how little rail freight passes along the same route, like i35 and i30 in texas are some of the busiest road freight corridors in the country, i69 would take some weight off it but you already saw how bad the parts of it in texas are. a single railway track moves as much freight as 10 lanes of highway

Thank you, this was very interesting! My son and I traveled from Monroe County, Michigan to Bloomington, Indiana on a college visit to IU, and we were very interested in all the new construction and the signs highlighting the “new” I-69 freeway in Indiana. I did some research to learn about it back then, but your video really helped answer a lot of questions. I’ve always been interested in maps and roads, and it’s very interesting to me to learn the process that it takes to put in a “super highway.” As someone who has lived with I-69 in the state of Michigan her whole life, to think that it might actually run from Canada to Mexico someday is pretty amazing!

Ugh! I live about two miles west of SR 37 on the south side of Indianapolis which is where they're redesignating it to the I69 project. It truly is a nightmare and feels like it's never going to end. What used to be a pleasant trip on the back roads to the southeast side of the city is arduous at best. And complicating things is the fact there are only three ways to cross White River that divides the east side from the west side; I 465 (a complete disaster and all torn up with building new on and off ramps for the south side), Southport Rd (now closed and under construction for a new bridge crossing White River), and SR 144 (finally pretty much completed but traffic is crazy and it forces you to go south in order to turn around and go back north). I reckon I will see the benefit when it's all completed but I will miss the mom and pop restaurants and stores that were forced to shut down as well as the easy access to all the roads which were once utilized off SR 37. In short, I will miss my country-side because with an interstate comes a bunch of other crap I really don't want to see.

I think this will really benefit the Canadians since there will be just 1 US interstate from the southern border to Canada's golden horseshoe which is where most Canadians live

I remember I-69 being under construction in 1960 from Michigan south going thru Fort Wayne Indiana ending in Indianapolis. That was done before 1970 as i took it to get my draft physical in Indianapolis. Did not go any farther that that for decades. Once they decided to expand farther south it seemed to go quicker by using existing highways to avoid environmental delays.

Recently in the past few years I-69 was completely redone in the city of Flint. Honestly the state road workers did a great job. Smooth driving. I've never seen that section of I-69 look so great in my entire life. Thanks for the informative video.

If the footage for the Evansville, IN to Henderson, KY bridge was taken between September - November 2023 that was actually a bridge inspection and not technically maintenance. Although I guess you could consider that maintenance in a way. I'm an Evansville resident and KDOT put out a notice for the inspections sometime in July/August. Great Video!

Mike once again you continue to put out great content. Appreciate the I-69 update. I live in Ohio but travel Indiana frequently and looking forward to the final segment to be completed.. Keep the good content coming.

University of Indiana. WTH? On another note, I grew up in SW Indiana and we've been talking about this highway since the '80s. Mitch Daniels was the governor who finally figured out how to pay for it by selling the Indiana Tollway. Indianapolis is doing a ton of work right now to upgrade I465, complete the south approach to I465, and upgrade the northern approach to I465. When the road was completed to Bloomington, I cut a half hour off my trip to Jasper, Indiana.

My family is from the Bloomington area in Indiana, but we make a lot of trips back and forth to Indy for work and school, and have been doing so for well over a decade. It’s been really frustrating how long and arduous the construction process for 69 has been. By the time it’s finished, we’ll be about done making those constant trips, so we won’t really get much benefit from its completion. It’s easily taken 100s of hours of our lives being stuck in extra traffic due to construction along the route.

I 2nd your comments about the poor state of the roads around Jackson, MS. Was through there just last month and by far the worst section of interstate I've driven. And for reference, I've driven through 29 of the lower 48 states.

Really appreciate the work and research you put into your vids. They’re interesting and informative. I live in the Houston TX area and there’s so much to say (both good and bad) about this state’s dedication to the freeway/interstate system that I wouldn’t know where to start complementing/complaining. Keep up the great work!

I 69 in Michigan has numerous rebuilt sections and it is heavily damaged in others. The truck traffic is very high due to the Bluewater bridge crossing to Sarnia, Canada. Which has a relatively new span as well as the old one. 69 through Indiana is in great shape. Have taken it many times to 70 in Indianapolis.

Ft. Wayne resident here. I am also a truck driver and have driven much of the completed and future corridors. I am really excited to see the whole super highway completed.

Always interesting to watch your videos. Keep up the good work.

Indianapolis resident. The changes from Indianapolis to Evansville are mind blowing. The road is and will finish out to be really good. I was surprised at the interstate between Chicago up to Milwaukee and a little further north when I took it last year for the first time and that’s really good too.

Given the ongoing freeway renovations in Texas (where the transition from asphalt to concrete on interstate roads is a notable example), there is no reason why Texas shouldn't be contemplating the idea of extending I-69 along U.S. 59 by converting it to meet interstate standards. This would align with their modernization trend, and it would be worth TXDOT's time to explore this possibility. Additionally, evaluating the feasibility of constructing a continuous freeway from Houston to Austin, perhaps by converting U.S. 290 into a full freeway between the two cities, could enhance efficiency and reduce travel time, especially by minimizing stops at traffic lights in towns along the route.

The person who makes a success of living is the one who see his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication.

I actually laughed out loud at your comment about Lufkin. 😂 I’ve lived here my whole life, but work mostly in Dallas and Houston. I69 will undoubtedly be a positive thing for this region economically and I’m looking forward to having an interstate all the way to Houston!

I grew up in east-central Indiana, so I've seen I-69 between I-465 and IN-67 from the time it was completed, but I have yet to see what they've done since 2017... we moved to southern Oklahoma. I grew up hearing about the future Indy to Evansville corridor, but it took Governor Mitch Daniels to finally get that done. As for the US-41 bridge over the Ohio, that bridge caused me to miss the 2017 total solar eclipse. I couldn't get through there quickly enough to reach the path of totality. That bridge can't possibly get replaced quickly enough!

Recently moved to Little Rock and regularly travel on I-40 and I-30. I will greatly appreciate when I-69 can offload some of the traffic from those other two very busy interstates through AR.

No kidding about that Evansville/Henderson Ohio River Bridge! It’s so rusted and the floor is so potholes, it’s the scariest danged bridge I’ve ever crossed! They can’t get that new bridge built quickly enough!

Thanks for making this fantastic documentary! I've lived near I-69 (Fishers IN) during much of my adult life, going north to Ft. Wayne. Glad to have enjoyed part of I-69 toward Evansville from Bloomington. It's great to have 4 major interstates crossing through my hometown.

This is such an Underrated Channel! I love Mileage Mike! His voice would be perfect for a show that needs a Narrator!🙌

Great job, as always. The rhythm of your voice keeps material that could be dry from putting the listener to sleep. Keep up the good work. I hope the beds in your motel are more comfortable than they look. I no I am not alone in appreciate the road warrior effort you put into these informative videos.

Always great videos man, hope the channels "borrowing" your ideas and info will give due credit and lead more people to the channel. This one is extra interesting being an Indiana resident, hoping I can drive a straight shot down to the border within my lifetime!

Just yesterdday I traveled Evansville to Indianapolis and the good news, there is no longer any stoplights between Bloomington and Indianapolis. Still some construction zones, but the major road blocks are gone.

I was in Indiana when the highway was being debated, and can't believe people actually believed sending the highway on the US-41 corridor to I-70 was a better choice than a new direct route from Evansville to Bloomington to Indianapolis. Particularly with Indiana being well-positioned for the logistics of transportation. You want that I-69 route to be the most appealing and efficient.

I really enjoy your presentation style. This one was even more fun than usual. Even though I don’t live in any of these states along the route, I definitely want to see I-69 completed. It will greatly help the economic vitality of these areas. By increasing the economy of these states, it will in turn benefit the entire country.

You mentioned exactly what I was thinking. I live in Austin and I would LOVE for I69 to be fully built. Crazy to think that basically all trucks from Mexico to Canada (and all cities in between) come right through downtown Austin. Unfortunately most don’t take 130 and it’s 85 mph since it is a very expensive tollway. 😔

As a Michigan resident, the 69/96 situation made me giggle. I live in an area that has me rarely traveling on 96, but the next time I drive it, I'll keep it in mind! I have driven on 69 en route to (and heading home from) St. Louis, MO a handful of times. Probably will next year too!

I'm a civil engineer who designed highways much of the early part of my career (8 years, 1984 - 1992), then other modes (airports, rail, port, bus, etc). I never knew there were alpha letter designations for interstates (as in TX I-69E, etc). All too familiar with the standards (odd N/S, even E/W, even 100's = beltways, odd 100's = spurs). I don't know of any other place I've ever seen A/B/C/E/W etc affixed after a 2 digit interstate designation. Interesting. Things are always bigger in TX.

Your reasons for Louisiana's disinterest are all right on the money. But I'd also add there is regional politics in play within the state. State politics are dominated by the interests of South Louisiana. Baton Rouge doesn't care about north Louisiana at all.

Great summary/update. I was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana and now live in Evansville, Indiana. So happy the two are nearly connected by I-69. Looking forward to making the trek from Port Huron to Brownsville one day.

Great job on the update! I live off exit 7 of I-24 in Kentucky and use I-69 almost daily! I'm excited as I know the opportunities that this international corridor will bring.

I am a Texas resident, a Houstonian to be more specific, and long ago I had to adapt from calling SH 149 to US 249... I think I can do the same for US-59 to IH-69. I appreciate the research you have done on this and other videos.

You mention a lot of "unsigned" portions of I-69. As someone who travels it in Michigan somewhat regularly, it can appear unsigned at times even here. Plenty of random empty signposts, though. Wonder why that could be...🤔

Fulton KY is liable to experience huge growth, which is... different. As someone who grew up there, it's a small town of 4k people (when combined with its Twin City, South Fulton TN) Hoping to see my hometown experience some growth from the highways completion, they've definately put in the world in the last 2 years to open new buisiness and hotels (maybe in hopes of the highway bringing in new people)

I just discovered this channel and I already love it. Informative and interesting. I just subbed!

Mike your videos are so interesting, your scripts are great (assuming you write it down first, and if you don't oh my goodness, wow!) your voice is super calming and you always bring up things that I would never have thought about, or answer weird/specific things that I thought I was the only one who thought about. Can't wait for more from you!

You packed a ton of information into this video, and that's a lot more demanding than might be obvious. Nicely done, please keep up the great work.

Great video on I69. Learning new roads across our country all the time. Thanks for a little history lesson and geography on this interstate.

What an amazing overview of such an important topic that is otherwise overlooked and information is sketchy at best. Wonderful job. New subscriber !!

The bridge between Henderson Kentucky and Evansville Indiana is so needed. The current bridge has no street lights or anything it's terrible the new bridge is rumored to be a toll and at the exit ramps will have roundabouts locals are not happy.😂

Born and raised in Michigan but live in Tennessee. I take i69 every time! It’s closer to me then i65 and way more convenient. Through all of Kentucky and up until Indianapolis it is easy driving! Would love to see the areas of Kentucky and Indiana get finished soon

I lived in Michigan for 26 years and never drove on I-69 out of Port Huron until I visited years later, and went from Port Huron to I-75, then north to Traverse City. I did drive on 69 around Lansing when I was probably 23 years old.

Such an in-depth video my guy, well done

Hi Mike, your videos are so very informative; I enjoy them immensely. I lived in MI for a while, but never had occasion to drive on I69. I've driven plenty on I96 and I696 though :) It would actually be great for those states who want this interstate access to be able to have it, so hopefully the funding comes through someday. 🤞Thanks!

I have been on the endpoint of the Super 2 bypass portion south of Monticello only, but having driven on I-30 and I -40 extensively in Arkansas, the freight relief would certainly be welcome.

I must be a geek, I enjoy these videos. You have a very soft-spoken deliberate style I like that. Easy to listen to. You sound well informed. Good luck in all you do.

I appreciate all the hard work you put into this video! Lots of good info here.

btw as a michigander yes i 69 has been very important for us here and is a vital main link other than 94 to get from east to west vice versa sides of the state where our population corridor lies.

Good video, always interested in highways as well. Definitely love them as a trucker. I-69 has definitely picked up full steam in Indiana and Kentucky. So by the end of this decade we should have a complete highway in those areas. Been through almost all the areas where I-69 is proposed.

An excellent report. Congrats

I live in Indianapolis and right now my main association with I-69 is the terrible traffic on I-465 where the two interstates run concurrently. I avoid that side of town whenever possible because of how slow and congested it is. Hopefully they'll get it worked out soon because, like this video points out, I-69 is an incredibly useful corridor

I hate crossing the Ohio River on US-41! They tried to paint it ten or fifteen years ago and it only angered the rust demons that make up the bulk of the truss! I hope it makes it until the new bridge opens. At least the demolition should be easy!

There is still one road that needs made, "superhighway" or not... And that's something interstate grade connecting Cincinnati to the other side of the Appalachian mountains a little closer to Charlotte and the south. Basically finish I73 or I74.

For 30 years, I've taken it from Detroit to Ft. Wayne and Indy. Always wondered why it was even there. Never any traffic. So, thanks! That being said, if the idea was an international corridor (Mexico-U.S.-Canada), viewers should know that The #1 truck crossing spot in the U.S. is Detroit-Windsor. And that's not going to change anytime soon with the opening of the brand new Gordie Howe Bridge next year. The Blue Water Bridge at Port Huron-Sarnia just can't compete. So I-69 will remain our private little scenic interstate.

For TN, it should also be noted, adding I-69 through Memphis will take some of the stress off of the three other major cities' interstates as trucks could potentially shave time off their drives passing through the state. I-24/75 intersection in Chattanooga has got to be one of the worst interchanges I've ever driven through.

What is also needed is an east/west 4 lane (preferably interstate) between I10 (houston) and I20 (Dallas). From Alexandria La, to Austin or Waco Texas, specifically. I live in one of the small towns in east texas that I69 presently goes thru. It will likely be the final nail in the heart of an already declining town.

I just drove I-69 on Sunday between Indianapolis and Bloomington. A lot more work has been completed since you filmed that area. All of the traffic lights have now been removed from “Future I-69”/current SR-37. Even though the exit from I-465 to I-69 hasn’t been completed yet, I have already noticed reduced travel times to Bloomington from where I live. The last major part of the construction is that interchange. Everything else is either finished or very close to being finished.

Damn! Your stuff should be required for all civil engineers and policy makers in every State. Can't see ANYTHING wrong with your analysis and projections. Great insights partner.

Somebody told me to take a shot every time Mileage Mike said "I-69" so idk where it ended up. I'm in Heaven now... Great video!

i already know all about it, but it would be interesting to see a video about i-84 in connecticut in terms of the planned expansion to providence, the planned beltway around hartford, the planned tunneling under hartford, and the craziness of the highway itself going through hartford, which makes it clear why the beltway was planned and why they want to cap the highway in the future.

It is huge for Indianapolis and IN. Being able to go from Evansville, past Bloomington to Indy is great. Plus you will be able to travel from east Canada to Mexico a lot easier. Indiana truly is crossroads of US. Good project IMO.

great video Mike I really love the pace and information you share. I have revealed most of the routes you have featured and your vids really capture their relevance. Thanks for doing these

Damn man, nice to see you on cam. I live in South West Indiana, and I-69 has been a huge change. I'm glad they didn't make it a toll road. Should be finished except for the bridge by the end of 2024.

I'm all for it for I-69, especially a new route to avoid gridlock and creating alternative routes from Northeast to Southwest. Like the I-35E and I-30 junction. It has traffic from the northeastern points of the country and heading to the southern border. An important connection point, but its congested. I can foresee I-69 in Mississippi just being built on the NW corner of that state, and entering Arkansas near Marianna AR. Then again a concurrency with I-40. In Little Rock metro can be on the I-440 beltway for I-69, then concurrent with I-30 until Texarkana with I-49 and on the bypass with reaching US 59 onto Carthage, then to Houston and beyond. Arkansas seems more interested on I-69 than any southern state where I-69 will be, and may determine on new alternative route plans parallel to I-30. If Louisiana isn't interested building new roads or its very pricy for Mississippi. The new I-69 Bridge, it's the best bet for Mississippi. I feel that either Mississippi and Louisiana will fully consider the new I-14, it does connect other large southeast city metro areas with a east-west direction to ease off I-10 or I-20. But I-69 can help with new ease of logistic international traffic, into here the United States and onto World Trade. Hopefully I-69 may happen. Great video!

I am so glad to see someone finally addressing this interstate. It could greatly help the middle of the country.

Thank you, love the information!

Thanks Mike! Great channel . See ya on the next one.