Indiana's I-69 extension from Evansville to Indianapolis complete after 16 years

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb marked the completion of a $4 billion, 142-mile extension of I-69 on Tuesday, calling it a “historic milestone” 16 years after work began on the project.

Holcomb’s two predecessors — former Vice President Mike Pence and former Gov. Mitch Daniels — joined him at a ceremony hours before Interstate 69’s southbound ramps to Interstate 465 were scheduled to open to traffic. 

It's the final stretch of the 142-mile extension from Evansville to Indianapolis whose construction began in 2008. Some work on pavement and bridges will continue through the rest of the year in the Indianapolis area.

Before work on the extension began, I-69 ran from the Canadian border south to Indianapolis. Completion of the final link means it now runs continuously from Port Huron to Evansville.

Nine more segments of I-69 are under construction to ultimately connect Canada with Mexico on what has been called the "NAFTA Expressway."

Most work is complete through Kentucky, except for a new bridge across the Ohio River into Indiana. Construction of that 10-mile section is scheduled to begin in 2027 with completion in 2031.

More segments are planned or in progress through Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.