In 10 years DeSoto County will be all filled with glorious tract houses and subdivisions. Then it'll be Tunica County's turn to grow fast, so all they have to do is wait for the growth to come to them. They better hope it doesn't bypass them and go to Tate instead.
Interstate 69, when it is fully built, will definitely bring some sprawl into Tunica County. It is partially built into Tunica County, but not very far in. And the next section isn't going to be built until at least 2019, according to Wikipedia.
But I think even the bulk of DeSoto's growth is currently in the I-55 corridor and areas closer to the Tennessee border, not closer to the river along U.S. 61, which would be the more logical route to bring sprawl into more of Tunica County. So more of the sprawl just might go to Tate County, along I-55, instead of to Tunica County. When I-269 opens in the near future, it should also open up more of DeSoto and maybe even Marshall County to sprawl, which might delay any growth in Tunica County. I doubt DeSoto will be anywhere close to all filled within 10 years.
So the Interstate you mention isn't the one from Memphis to Birmingham, which has been stalled for years, but another one? Hopefully this DeSoto/Tunica Interstate can be built without all the NIMBY idiots having a fit like they did with the Northern Arc in Georgia, it's a shame that wasn't built.
I thought Tunica's problem is that it's in the flood plain of the Mississippi River, but being too far from the city is a bigger problem.
The interstate that will go through Tunica County is part of a longer Interstate 69 that will link Canada to Mexico when fully built. It is in various states of construction in different places, and will pass through Memphis. A small spur was already built from I-55 in DeSoto to the northeast corner of Tunica County, making it a little easier to get to the casinos. But it currently only barely goes into the county and the rest isn't going to be built in the very near future.
They are also building a Memphis outer beltway, I-269. The portion in Mississippi should open soon. But it will mainly be in DeSoto and a little bit of Marshall Counties, opening up potential sprawl there at the possible expense of Tunica County.
