Interstate 469

Interstate 469
Ronald Reagan Expressway
Map of Allen County
Route information
Maintained by INDOT
Length:	30.83 mi (49.62 km)
History:	Designated in 1989; Finished in 1995
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
Location
Counties:	Allen
Highway system
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business Indiana State Road Interstates • US • State • Former ← I-465 SR 520 →

Interstate 469 (I-469) is an Interstate Highway in the northeastern portion of the mid-western US state of Indiana. It is an auxiliary route of parent I-69 that also carries portions of US Highway 24 (US 24), US 30 and US 33 around the urban parts of Fort Wayne. In 2004, local officials named all 31 miles (50 km) of I-469 in honor of the late former US president Ronald Reagan.

Route description

I-469 begins at I-69 (exit 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, US 33 departs 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, US 30 joins I-469. Then at the next exit, 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 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-wide (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.^{[citation needed]}

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 bypass (now SR 930, 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, 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.

Exit sign for U.S. 24 on southbound I-469 in New Haven

Development and construction

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 Road 1 (SR 1), SR 14, and SR 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. However it was signed as SR 469, as required by 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.^{[citation needed]} This discovery led to a major effort to preserve the canal, resulting in a halt to construction on I-469 while officials debated how to proceed with building 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 (9.7 km) of I-469 opened between US 30 and SR 37. The $121 million highway project was completed when the remaining six miles (9.7 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. The department has other higher priority projects, including the reconstruction and widening of I-69 through Fort Wayne as well as reconfiguration and widening for US 24 from I-469 to the Ohio state line.^{[citation needed]}

Alternate route during I-69 reconstruction

I-469 became the main alternate route for through traffic between points north and south of Fort Wayne during the 2000s when 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	0	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
	19.44	19	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	29	Maplecrest Road	Signed eastbound as exits 29A (south) and 29B (north)
	30.57– 30.83	31	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

External links

• Kurumi.com entry
• Interstate-guide.com entry