Tennessee and Mississippi Announce Preferred
Alignments for I-69 in Memphis Area

Nashville, Tenn. - The Tennessee and Mississippi Departments of Transportation today jointly announced the alignments for I-69 to be constructed in the Memphis area.

“We call it the ‘Systems Approach Alternative’. It includes a future I-69 that runs through Memphis, largely along the existing Interstates 40, 240, and 55,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “It also includes a future I-269 that would run primarily along the Paul Barrett Parkway corridor in Tennessee, eventually connecting to the planned I-69 segment in Mississippi.”

The next step in the project is the preparation of a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the corridor. An EIS is the highest and most stringent type of environmental analysis required under federal law by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

In Tennessee, the alignment referred to as A-1 has been chosen over the A-3 alignment for the I-69 corridor located in the Northwest Memphis area. The alignment runs west of US51, intersecting State Route 388. It will be approximately 15 miles in length.

“Alignment A-1 was preferred by most people attending the I-69 corridor hearings and is the environmentally preferred alignment. It is also less costly than the A-3 alignment”, said Nicely.

In Mississippi, the alignment known as B-1 was chosen over the B-2 and B-3 alignments for the new location portion of I-269. It will be approximately 28.6 miles in length. The B-1 alignment runs between the other proposed alignments, intersecting highway 305, then through Marshall County, eventually connecting with the proposed I-269 segment in Tennessee.

“The B-1 alignment is shorter than the B-2 alignment. It requires that the department acquire less property for the project and is less costly. The B-3 alignment was opposed by many people at the corridor hearings because of disruptions to existing and planned developments in the area”, said Butch Brown, Director of the Mississippi DOT.

The two states will now complete the final Environmental Impact Statement for the project and submit it to the Federal Highway Administration for approval, following a period of public review.

Click here to view a map of the Memphis I-69 project area.