Interstate 469

Interstate 469
Ronald Reagan Expressway
Route information
Maintained by Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT)
Length: 30.83 mi[1] (49.62 km)
Existed: 1989 (finished in 1995) – present
Major junctions
South end: I-69 / US 24 / US 33 at Lafayette Center Road in rural Allen County
  US 27 / US 33 near Fort Wayne
US 30 in New Haven
US 24 in New Haven
North end: I-69 / US 30 in Fort Wayne
Highway system

Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Main • Auxiliary • Business

Indiana roads
Interstates • U.S. Routes • State Roads • Former

← I-465 SR 520 →

Interstate 469 (abbreviated I-469) is an Interstate Highway in the northeastern portion of the mid-western U.S. state of Indiana. It is an auxiliary route of parent Interstate 69 (I-69) that also carries portions of US 24, US 30 and US 33 around the urban parts of Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 2004, local officials named all thirty-one miles of I-469 in honor of the late former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, but mistakenly used the misleading word Expressway in the title (all main and auxiliary routes of the U.S. Interstate system must by definition be fully access controlled freeways and not partially access controlled expressways).

Contents

Route description

I-469 begins at I-69 (interchange 96 on that parent route) and Lafayette Center Road in southwestern Allen County. Proceeding east, the highway passes just south of Fort Wayne International Airport before curving more to the northeast. At exit 11 (milepoint 11.57 miles (18.62 km)) US 33 exits and joins US 27, with both of those routes heading south toward Decatur and eventually Ohio.

Next, I-469 curves north to bypass the suburb of New Haven on that town's east side. At exit 19, located just southeast of New Haven at milepoint 19.44 miles (31.29 km), US 30 joins I-469. Then at the next exit (milepoint 20.89 miles (33.62 km)) US 24 departs, heading northeast toward Toledo.

A few miles later, after crossing the Maumee River, I-469 curves to the west-northwest. After a final turn to the west, it meets back up with I-69. There two lanes exit south to the parent route, concurrent with westbound US 30, back toward Fort Wayne. There are also exit ramps at this interchange to northbound I-69 toward Lansing, Michigan and to Auburn Road in Fort Wayne (with no return access to I-469).

I-469 carries four 12-foot (3.7 m) 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.

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 US 30 (now SR 930) bypass (later named Coliseum Boulevard) around the northern edge of the city in 1952, to divert east–west traffic around the central city. Originally a four-lane arterial highway with at-grade intersections, the western part of the bypass was eventually 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. The first section of Interstate 69 was opened in October 1962,[2] which provided a bypass to divert some 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 and connect to the planned US 24 Fort-to-Port highway between New Haven and Toledo. In 1981, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 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 to relieve traffic on State Roads 1, 14, and 37.

Work began at the south end of the US 24 Bypass in 1986; the first 19 miles (31 km) to US 30 opened in 1989. In June 1989 the US 24 Bypass received the I-469 designation.[3] However it was signed as SR 469, as required by the FHWA, until it was completed to the north junction with I-69 near 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 US 24 east of New Haven.[4] 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 US 30 and SR 37. The $121 million highway project was completed when the remaining six miles (10 km) from SR 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 US 24 from I-469 to the Ohio state line.

Alternate Route During I-69 Rebuild

I-469 would become the main alternate route for thru-traffic between points north and south of Fort Wayne during the 2000s as INDOT reconstructed and widened I-69 within the city limits. To mitigate construction-related delays on I-69, INDOT attempted to divert long-distance travelers around the I-69 construction zone by posting signs north and south of Fort Wayne urging such motorists to use I-469.

Exit list

The entire route is in Allen County.

Location Mile Exit Destinations Notes
Lafayette Township 0.00 0A-B I-69 / US 24 west / US 33 north – Fort Wayne, Indianapolis Signed as exits 0A (I-69 south) and 0B (I-69 north/US 24/US 33); southern end of US 24 concurrency; western end of US 33 concurrency; continues west as Lafayette Center Road
1.00 1 Lafayette Center Road  
1.88 2 Indianapolis Road former SR 3
Pleasant Township 6.64 6 SR 1 south / Bluffton Road – Fort Wayne, Bluffton, Fort Wayne International Airport Northern terminus of the southern section of SR 1;
serves Fort Wayne International Airport
9.27 9 Winchester Road  
Marion Township 11.57 11 US 27 / US 33 south – Fort Wayne Eastern end of US 33 concurrency
13.24 13 Marion Center Road  
Adams Township 15.79 15 Tillman Road  
New Haven 17.70 17 Minnich Road Interchange also provides crossing for Paulding Road[5]
19.44 19A-B US 30 east (Lincoln Highway) / SR 930 west – New Haven, Fort Wayne Signed as exits 19A (US 30) and 19B (SR 930);
southern end of US 30 concurrency
20.89 21 US 24 east – New Haven Northern end of US 24 concurrency
Fort Wayne 24.58 25 SR 37 north (Maysville Road) – Fort Wayne Southern terminus of the northern section of SR 37
28.57 29A-B Maplecrest Road Signed westbound as exit 29;
signed eastbound as exits 29A (south) and 29B (north)
30.57-
30.83		 31A-B I-69 / US 30 west – Indianapolis, Lansing Signed as exits 31A (I-69 north) and 31B (I-69 south/US 30);
northern end of US 30 concurrency
30.85 31C Auburn Road Westbound exit
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
     Concurrency terminus •      Closed/Former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

References

  1. ^ "Route Log and Finder List - Interstate System: Table 2". FHWA. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table2.cfm. Retrieved 2007-10-04. 
  2. ^ Ripple, D. A. History of the Interstate System in Indiana: Volume 4 - Chapters VII and VIII: Cost, Funding and General Benefits: Appendix, Table 41, Mileage Open To Traffic, Page 876. Publication FHWA/IN/JHRP-75/29. Joint Highway Research Project, Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1975. doi: 10.5703/1288284313910
  3. ^ Bypassing THE BYPASS After 20 years, Interstate 469 remains a lightly traveled loop, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, July 20, 2008.
  4. ^ Wabash and Erie Canal Discussion Board
  5. ^ Indiana Department of Transportation (December 3, 2001) (PDF). Interchange 17 on I-469 (Map). http://www.in.gov/indot/div/interchange/maps/469/ic017_469.pdf. 

External links