I-69 was originally planned to run from just east of Indianapolis (meeting with Interstate 70) to the toll road near the Indiana-Ohio Border. Indiana and Michigan agreed to a shifting of the northernmost portion of I-69 to its present position (removing a planned I-67 from between Kalamazoo and Elkhart for the mileage); then the southern portion of I-69 was shifted to make a run into downtown Indianapolis, ending at I-70 southwest of Downtown.

I-69 never made it downtown, instead ending at I-465 in Northeast Indianapolis. I-165 was floated as a connector between I-69 and I-65/70 (to save money on moving/making signs), but that died out as well.

Indianapolis is trying to push an expressway link between itself to Evansville. This future route would be labeled I-69; the federal government has plans to expand I-69 all the way down to the Texas-Mexico border. That will never happen if the I-35 coalition has anything to say about that, but I can see the route making it to Memphis if the portion beween Indianapolis and Evansville ever gets completed.