March 3, 2020 – Guests checking out the view from atop Discovery Park of America’s 110-foot Cooper Tower—one of the tallest observation towers in the southeastern United States—can see acres of farmland and pockets of houses, churches and businesses that dot the landscapes of most rural communities. And on a very clear day, they can see all the way to Reelfoot Lake, 15 miles to the west.
But the one thing visible in this unique panorama that generates the most questions from the museum’s visitors comes from what appears to be a grass-covered landing strip that runs as far as the eye can see from the north to the south right alongside the entire 50 acres of Discovery Park. Some days visitors may spot potential customers from a local dealership using it to test drive four wheelers, or they may see a few local bicyclists who have used it as a track for long-distance—and very flat—mountain biking. Though for the most part, it currently sits undisturbed by anything other than the occasional rabbit or deer.
That runway is actually a section of the unfinished Interstate 69, and the history of how it came to be is almost as fascinating as how a 100-million-dollar museum and heritage park ended up in Union City, Tenn.
The original intention of I-69 was to connect Canada to Mexico through Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. Nicknamed the NAFTA Superhighway, it was meant to enhance expected commerce with Canada and Mexico based on the 1992 North American Free Trade Agreement. This agreement gradually eliminated most tariffs and other trade barriers on products and services that passed between the United States, Canada and Mexico.
In his book published in 2010, “Interstate 69: The Unfinished History of the Last Great American Highway,” author Matt Dellinger provided a fascinating look of this controversial road project and the unique role played by those passionate about I-69 from Southern Kentucky and Western Tennessee.
Dellinger wrote that the idea first came in the spring of 1990 at the breakfast table of David Graham, a fifth-generation, Daviess County, Ind., businessman with deep roots in that region’s business community. He had invited two of his associates, David Cox, with the Daviess County Growth Council, and Jo Arthur, with the Southern Indiana Development Corporation, to meet with him and David Reed. Reed was conducting an economic development study on the potential for development in southern rural Indiana. As the group discussed why so many young people were leaving their rural community, the idea came up of an interstate that would connect Evansville with Indianapolis, bringing much-needed industry to that area and providing jobs for young people to return to after college or trade school.
Knowing there would be political power in numbers, Graham then took the idea of an interstate to others with similar ambitions for their own communities. After getting others committed, they launched the Midcontinent Highway Coalition to lobby for I-69 in Washington, D.C.
The coalition’s lobbying contributed to the passing of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 that included two high-priority corridors that would later become parts of the proposed extension of I-69. Corridor 18, that would eventually run alongside Discovery Park, would take interstate travelers from Indianapolis to Memphis via Evansville.
Memphis was already benefiting from its location and proximity to runway, road, rail and river, which made it a major transportation hub. Then Mayor W. W. Herenton was such a supporter of I-69, he hosted the coalition’s first meeting in Nov. 1992 at the Peabody Hotel. Around 50 business and community leaders who supported I-69 from all eight of the states that would benefit attended that day.
Dellinger’s book includes stories of the battles between special interest groups, grass-roots activists, environmentalists and politicians—including those who wanted I-69 to come through their communities and those who didn’t.
Former Discovery Park president Jim Rippy, Representative John Tanner and others in Obion County worked tirelessly to see I-69 come through the area knowing it would bring tourists and industry to the entire region. Tanner, who served in congress from 1989 to 2011 representing Tennessee’s 8th congressional district, was also a member of the I-69 Caucus.
Although in 2007, I-69 was selected by the United States Department of Transportation as one of six “Corridors of the Future,” making it eligible for additional federal funding and streamlined planning and review, the funding was later withheld, causing some states to suspend construction indefinitely. Some came up with ways to use existing roads as part of I-69 while others funded construction through the state’s budgets and revenue generated from tolls.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation made the decision to stop working on I-69 in 2012 because of that lack of federal funding. However, in 2015, they determined there would be value in finishing just enough of I-69 to link it to I-55, the major north to south route that runs through Memphis and down to the Gulf Coast.
Depending on the state, you’ll find sections of I-69 that have been completed while others have been funded and are currently under construction. However, some sections in some states may never be completed.
In 2018, Kentucky brought Discovery Park one section closer to Canada when 31 additional miles were added to I-69 with the completion of two major interchange projects. I-69 replaced the Julian Carroll-Purchase Parkway from the I-24 Exit 25 Interchange at Calvert City, extending southward through Mayfield to the 20 mile marker.
According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the section of I-69 that runs alongside Discovery Park from a little northwest of the former Wingfoot Golf Course to Reelfoot Avenue was the first of three projects that encompass the I-69 loop around Union City. The section to the southwest down to US 51 was the second section. Both segments have been completed up to final grading which means they are ready for paving. Currently in the construction phase is the section a little northwest of the former Wingfoot Golf Course to US 45 and US 51 about halfway to Fulton, Ky. TDOT anticipates that all three segments will be completed and paved by fall of 2023. This will open the entire Union City loop. The remainder of the project, including the exchange in Fulton and the section south of Union City all the way to Dyersburg, are currently in various phases of development.
Tanner, who was there when I-69 first became a topic of conversation in Northwest Tennessee, is still excited about the increased commerce the area will see when it is finally opened. “With the completion of the Obion County portion of I-69, a regional airport, proximity to Reelfoot Lake and the Mississippi River and now, Discovery Park of America, this will be a premier destination for tourists from all corners of our country,” he said.
As part of his research for the book, Dellinger met with Robert Kirkland, founder of Discovery Park, as crews were working on what would become the now-iconic 100,000-square-foot museum. Kirkland showed off the initial drawings and some of the architectural plans including the ones for a clear-bottomed observation tower. At the time, it was projected that a 2012 grand opening of Discovery Park would coincide with the opening of the Obion County portion of I-69, allowing not just business commerce, but tourists, to flow into the region.
Although neither project met the 2012 deadline, Discovery Park opened its doors in November 2013 and, with 1.7 million visitors since that first day, is considered an overwhelming success that is bringing millions of dollars into the region.
It will be an exciting day for many when guests observing I-69 from Cooper Tower at Discovery Park witness cars and trucks using Interstate I-69 as those around David Graham’s breakfast table first envisioned thirty years ago.
10. A Collector of Scales
3. Sleeping Beauty
