The construction of I-69 through the southern part of Indiana is still plugging along. Eric Bradner has an article in the Evansville Courier Press about the award of a $57.5 million contract to build a piece of it in Monroe County. Apparently that is for a 4 mile stretch of the total project which is 142 miles long.
I’m all for infrastructure and transportation and am a little excited to see how this one affects driving in Indiana. But, it is a reminder that we subsidize automobile traffic too; and we should keep that in mind when folks periodically complain about rail transportation not paying for itself.
It’s an interesting dynamic down here. I’ve suggested to our local Chamber of Commerce that we encourage the leg that comes through Monroe County to LOOK like Bloomington, much as Columbus did with the bridges over I 65. Among other things, I’ve suggested that we have electric car recharging stations along the exits into Bloomington.
Bridge(1) *under* I-65. I wish we would do something the bridges *over* I-65, they are unsafe for pedestrians & bikes.
Still, I get your point. :)
Ah, our state will finally have the kind of future-focused infrastructure to help us face the 1970s.
Recognizing that I might reveal myself as a cantankerous old coot:
1. I-69 is yet another boondoggle public works project, like the Colts stadium and the Egyptian pyramids. Mitch Daniels has blown through 75 years of toll road money in a very short time.
2. Electric car recharging stations ? Yes, let me pull in and connect my car for 9 hours. How about a fuel source with a real future – hydrogen.
3. Most of the cost of highways is covered by gas taxes. Per IBJ, fare receipts will only cover 19% of the operating cost for expanded rail/bus system between Marion and Hamilton counties. Local income tax will raise more than 3 times the fare revenue.
I have no idea how you could call the creation of an interstate for all to travel between two of Indiana’s top 4(3?) metropolitan areas to be a “boondoggle” and compare it to the funding of a billion dollar stadium for a millionaire (billionaire?) owner for private purposes.
I call it a boondoggle due to all the nature destroyed for a new route when they could have rebuilt Hwy 41 in its current corridor, built a southeast by-pass around Terre Haute and had a perfectly fine route that isn’t much longer than the one they are building.
Or how about upgrading Hwy 37 to Bloomington, Hwys 45, 54, and 57 to Evansville? BTW, this is nearly the 69 route anyhow…why did we need a brand new corridor?
Based upon your commentary, you don’t really consider I-69 a boondoggle with no value. You just wish they had chosen a different route for this item of great value.
I believe there were many issues with the ideas you mention (which were proposed), but no use rehashing them.
They are using 37 from Indy to Bloomington. http://www.in.gov/indot/div/projects/i69/pubs/route_map.pdf