EVANSVILLE, IN-Opening years ahead of schedule, and according to public filings, approximately $80 million under budget, the first segment of Interstate 69 was operational at of 6 p.m. ET, Nov. 19. The 67-mile corridor links Evansville with Crane Naval Base in the southwest corner of the state, an area that relied on secondary roads for transport.

"One of the key benefits of the new corridor is that it provides greater connectivity to important areas of the state that have been historically underserved," noted Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Michael B. Cline in a prepared statement. "I-69 will significantly reduce travel times and provide residents across southwest Indiana with improved access to jobs, education and healthcare."

The planned future of Interstate 69 is a route connecting Evansville to Indianapolis through Bloomington. There are grander plans for the road as well – it's part of a limited access highway eventually planned to go from the Mexican border in Texas to the Canadian border at Port Huron, MI. The next section of the road, which will link Crane and Bloomington, is scheduled to open by late 2014. The entire project has a price tag of approximately $1.5 billion and those who champion the road point to economic development through commercial real estate development and jobs creation.