The proposed extension evolved from the combination of Corridors 18 and 20 of the National Highway System as designated in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), but the federally recognized corridor also includes connecting and existing infrastructure, including I-94 between Chicago, Illinois, and Port Huron, Michigan, and several spurs from I-69.

In August 2007, I-69 was selected by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) as one of six Corridors of the Future, making it eligible for additional federal funding and streamlined planning and review.

[7] The original portion of I-69 in Indiana (SIU 1 of the overall national plan) starts at an interchange with I-465, the beltway around Indianapolis on the northeast side of that city.

A route from I-465 in Indianapolis northeast via Fort Wayne to I-80/I-90 near Angola was added to the proposed "Interregional Highway System" by the early 1940s.

[17] Michigan's 1,241-mile (1,997 km) portion of the Interstate Highway System was completed in 1992, when the last piece of I-69 opened southwest of Lansing between I-96 and Charlotte.

"[20] The National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 made further amendments to the description of Corridor 18, specifying that it would serve Mississippi and Arkansas, extending it south to the Mexican border in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and adding a short connection at Brownsville, Texas.

[21] The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), enacted in 1998, greatly expanded the definition of Corridor 18 to include the existing I-69, as well as I-94 between Port Huron, Michigan, and Chicago.

[24] In Texas, it was originally envisioned that private firms will build, operate, then transfer portions of the highway to the state after a specified period of time.

In particular, the southern portion of the route in Indiana would run through wetlands, existing farmland, and forested areas, and cut through geologically sensitive karst topography, which environmentalists argue threatens to pollute underground water systems and harm the rare species that live there.

[citation needed] On June 6, 2008, President George W. Bush signed HR 1195, designating the Purchase Parkway as Future I-69.

Tennessee has suspended work on I-69 indefinitely due to a lack of funding to build the highway outside of the Memphis metropolitan area.

Texas, Kentucky, and Indiana have been slowly advancing construction of I-69 within each state through traditional funding sources when available and innovative financing methods, such as public–private partnerships.

[32] In March 2023, Kentucky and Indiana signed an initial memorandum of agreement to allow preliminary development and financial planning to move forward.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) halted the Interstate work about four years earlier because they lacked federal funding for the project.

The revived portion of I-69 will run from the Kentucky state line to Dyersburg where it will connect with I-155, a spur that crosses the Mississippi River and extends to I-55 in southeastern Missouri.

Responding to widespread opposition from environmental groups and property rights activists, TxDOT announced in June 2008 that it will complete I-69 by upgrading the existing US 59, US 77, and US 281 roadways to Interstate standards through rural areas, with bypasses around urban centers along the route.

The private firms awarded contracts for I-69 would also build and operate toll roads throughout the state; some of those revenues would then be applied to I-69 construction.

At the May 18, 2012, meeting of AASHTO, 35 miles (56 km) of US 59 from I-610 in Houston to Fostoria Road in Liberty County were also approved as ready for I-69 signage.

US 77 through Cameron and Willacy counties will be signed as I-69E, including 52 miles (84 km) of existing freeway starting at the Rio Grande in Brownsville and running north past Raymondville.

[44] The nearly 350-mile (560 km) portion of the I-69 extension from south of Clarksdale, Mississippi, to the Louisiana–Texas state line is planned to be built as a new-terrain route that parallels existing U.S.

Completion of this stretch of I-69 where it bypasses Union City opens to traffic temporarily signed as State Route 690 on February 21, 2024.

After that, Tennessee–Missouri–Arkansas I-55 link to I-155 which crosses back across the Mississippi River to the newly completed I-69 will serve as the main freeway routes between Memphis and northwestern Tennessee, at least on an interim basis.

While these parkways received the I-69 designation by federal legislation signed in 2008, upgrades have been necessary to bring the freeways to Interstate standards—but required less work compared to other states where entirely new highway must be built.

Signage was placed in late 2011, with construction on necessary upgrades of the portion of the Western Kentucky Parkway expected to be bid in September.

[53] On October 25, 2011, I-69 was officially designated by Beshear along a 55-mile (89 km) stretch of I-24 and the Western Kentucky Parkway between Calvert City and Nortonville.

In August 2023, officials in Kentucky and Indiana submitted a grant proposal to the U.S. Department of Transportation requesting $630 million to build.

[2] ORX Section 2 is the actual construction of the bridge and it will be supported by toll revenue supplemented by traditional federal and state dollars.

[3] At the October 18, 2013, AASHTO meeting, an Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) request to redesignate I-164 as part of I-69 was approved, pending concurrence from the FHWA.

[66] Construction on upgrading a 21-mile (34 km) section of SR 37 from Bloomington to just south of Martinsville to Interstate standards was completed in late 2018.

[67][6] Construction began in 2019 on the final segment from Martinsville to Indianapolis, a project known as I-69 Finish Line, with completion anticipated by the end of 2024.