Interstate 469

Infobox road
state=IN
route=469
type=I

---

alternate_name=Ronald Reagan Expressway
maint=INDOT
length_mi=30.83
length_round=2
length_ref=cite web|url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table2.cfm|title=Route Log and Finder List - Interstate System: Table 2|publisher=FHWA|accessdate=2007-10-04]
year_established=1989 (finished in 1995)
direction_a=South
terminus_a=Jct|state=IN|I|69|US|24|US|33 at Lafayette Center Road in rural Allen County
junction=Jct|state=IN|US|27|US|33 near Fort Wayne Jct|state=IN|US|30 in New Haven Jct|state=IN|US|24 in New Haven
direction_b=North
terminus_b=jct|state=IN|I|69|US|27|US|30 in Fort Wayne
previous_type=Interstate
previous_route=465
next_type=IN
next_route=520

Interstate 469 (abbreviated I-469), also known as the Ronald Reagan Expressway, is an Interstate highway in the midwestern United States. It is a bypass of parent Interstate 69 that includes U.S. Highways 30, 33 and 24 around the urban parts of Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 2004, a successful movement took place to rename all thirty-one miles of the freeway in honor of the late former U.S. president Ronald Reagan.

Route description

I-469 carries four convert|12|ft|m|sing=on travel lanes (two in each direction) with full left and right shoulders, separated by a concrete Jersey Barrier for its entire length. While the highway generally traverses through rural farmland south and east of Fort Wayne, it was designed with more of an urban profile to reduce the road's overall footprint, thereby mitigating environmental impacts.who|date=March 2008

History

Coliseum Boulevard and I-69

Several cross-country highways and railroads meet in Fort Wayne, making the city a regional transportation hub. The city has experienced significant growth and urban sprawl since the 1950s, and with this growth comes the influx of commuter traffic intermixing with long-distance travelers. The first attempt at resolving Fort Wayne's congestion problems occurred with the construction of the Indiana 930 bypass (Coliseum Boulevard) around the northern edge of the city in 1952, to divert east-west traffic around the central city. Originally a four-lane highway with at-grade intersections, the western part of the bypass was widened to six lanes. Coliseum Boulevard briefly provided congestion relief to Fort Wayne, but massive commercial and retail development along the bypass brought a resurgence of congestion in the 1960s. Interstate 69 opened in 1961, which provided a bypass to divert north-south traffic to the west of Fort Wayne. While traffic in downtown Fort Wayne improved, congestion along Coliseum Boulevard continued to worsen with the opening of Glenbrook Square Mall in the 1960s, and talk of a bypass to the east of Fort Wayne picked up steam in the late 1970s.

Development and Construction of I-469

In 1978 plans were unveiled for relocating US-24 onto a new freeway alignment that would start at the existing US-24 east of New Haven, then proceed south and west to I-69 near Baer Field (now Fort Wayne International Airport). The intent of the US-24 Bypass was to provide a direct freeway connection from I-69 to the east side of Fort Wayne. In 1981, INDOT and the Federal Highway Administration expanded the scope of the US-24 Bypass, extending the planned freeway north beyond US-24 to I-69 on the north side of Fort Wayne.

Work began at the south end of the US-24 Bypass in 1988; the first convert|19|mi|km to U.S. 30 opened in 1990. In June 1989 the US-24 Bypass received the I-469 designation. [ [http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080720/LOCAL/807200426/ Bypassing THE BYPASSAfter 20 years, Interstate 469 remains a lightly traveled loop] , Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, July 20, 2008.] However it was signed as State Road 469 until it was completed to I-69 at SR-1 and Auburn Road in 1995.

Construction was halted in 1991 when crews unearthed a lock that was once used in the Wabash and Erie Canal while constructing the interchange with U.S. 24 east of New Haven. [ [http://www.terrypepper.com/w&e/emails.htm Wabash and Erie Canal Discussion Board] ] This discovery led to a major effort to preserve the canal, resulting in the stoppage of construction on I-469 while officials wrangled over how to proceed with building the highway without disturbing the canal site. Officials opted to move the old canal lock to the Indiana State Museum, allowing construction to resume in 1992.

In 1993, an additional six miles (10 km) of I-469 opened between U.S. 30 and State Road 37. The highway was completed when the remaining six miles (10 km) from Indiana State Road 37 to I-69 north of Fort Wayne opened in 1995.

INDOT had originally wanted to continue I-469 west of I-69 to create a complete beltway around Fort Wayne, but has placed these plans on hold indefinitely due to higher funding priorities, including the reconstruction and widening of I-69 through Fort Wayne as well as reconfiguring and widening for U.S. 24 from I-469 to the Ohio stateline.

Exit list

The entire route is in Allen County.

References

External links

* [http://www.kurumi.com/roads/3di/ix69.html#469in Kurmi.com entry]
* [http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-469_in.html Interstate-guide.com entry]