Indiana Segment of Canada-to-Mexico Freeway to Open This Year

The newest interstate freeway in the United States is reaching completion in Indiana, writes Jared Brey in Governing. “The interstate was built on the path of some existing roads and involved building wider lanes on some state routes and eliminating crossings with other roads.”

The segment of Interstate 69 is part of a planned Canada-to-Mexico corridor that will run from the Canadian border in Michigan to the Mexican border in south Texas. “The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is now putting the finishing touches on the state’s sections of I-69, expecting to complete the long-planned road by the end of the year.”

The national highway system leaves the construction and maintenance of highways up to states, which often come up against opposition to highway projects from local governments when new roadways threaten to displace and isolate adjacent communities. In the case of Indiana, some local leaders see the project as a boon to economic development and commuters in the region. “Indiana officials argue the completion of the highway in Indiana lifts the fortunes of the cities along its route, and cements the state’s identity as the ‘Crossroads of America.’”