Interstate 69 in Indiana
The original plan (in a DEIS prepared by INDOT in 2004, but later dropped) was for I-69 to leave the now-former I-164 alignment somewhere just east of Green River Road (exit 3) and head south (instead of turning west with I-164) for approximately before crossing the Ohio at a point near the mouth of the Green River. This portion of the route had not then been funded, as construction of the new Ohio River crossing and its approaches in both states was expected to cost approximately $800 million. Indiana and Kentucky officials had said construction on the new Ohio River Bridge would not begin until at least 2020, after two new crossings near Louisville were completed. With Indiana then preparing to break ground on SIU 3, Kentucky officials indicated that collecting tolls might be the only feasible option for completing the I-69 bridge, as traditional federal and state funding for such projects were drying up. , neither Kentucky nor Indiana officials had yet come up with the money to plan and construct this I-69 bridge.
Riverview Corridor
The federal government as part of the Interstate Highway System began to plan for a missing link of Interstate 35E. The type of connection and location of the connection were both met with controversy. The missing piece through the West Seventh neighborhood, from State Highway 5 ("West 7th Street") northeast to I-94 in downtown Saint Paul, was held up by controversy. Construction began in 1964, and was planned for completion in the 1970s as a typical six-lane freeway, but the National Environmental Policy Act was passed on January 1, 1970. In late 1969, Residents in Protest 35E (R.I.P. 35E) formed to oppose the completion of I-35E. The group convinced the city to drop its support, and in August it filed a lawsuit which successfully halted construction pending an environmental impact statement (EIS). The Saint Paul City Council decided in late 1974 to support I-35E but later changed its support a R.I.P. 35E proposed alternative. The plan included a four-lane boulevard upgrade of "Pleasant Avenue" (the street chosen for the I-35E alignment), with another route such as "Shepard Road" or the nearby "Lafayette Freeway" forming part of I-35E. The group opposed any direct connection to I-94 near the State Capitol, where I-35E and I-94 were to merge. The EIS was completed in early 1975, identifying the primary benefit of completing I-35E to be connecting downtown Saint Paul to the Interstate Highway System, and the EIS determined that the original "Pleasant Avenue" corridor was the best choice.