EVANSVILLE — The Interstate 69 bridge route preferred by most elected officials in Evansville and Henderson has been tweaked to address some community concerns, the I-69 Ohio River Crossing Group announced on Monday.
Businesses along the much-traveled U.S. 41 commercial strip in Henderson have often said that Central Alternative 1 — one of three routes still being considered — would cause them a substantial loss in traffic.
Central Alternative 1 route swerves around Henderson to the east, while the other two remaining route alternatives follow the existing U.S. 41 path.
The bridge project team visited nearly 100 businesses along U.S. 41 in Henderson, and many said they feared lost customers.
The route modification is slight, but bridge project officials believe it will make a positive difference for those businesses.
"Previously, if you were coming up existing U.S. 41 or I-69 from the south, you followed the alignment to an interchange and you had to basically get off the interstate and come back (to U.S. 41) on a roadway that tied back in. It was essentially a mile in distance," said Dan Prevost, the I-69 bridge project's lead environmental.
"What this changed alignment does is provide a direct connection, straight to U.S. 41, coming northbound. You no longer have to do this circuitous route to get to these businesses," Prevost said.
Central Alternative 1 is the least costly of the three routes being considered for I-69 across the Ohio River, at nearly $1.5 billion. It would involve only four residence relocations.
Henderson County Judge-Executive Brad Schneider, a supporter of Central Alternative 1, endorsed the route modification.
"We very much appreciate the team listening to input and making a change based on that input," Schneider said "The initial route did not seem very conducive to traffic reaching the strip, either northbound or southbound. This makes it much easier for traffic to exit onto the U.S. 41 corridor, and utilize those businesses, if in fact Central Alternative 1 is chosen."
The project team on Monday said the other two routes — West Alternative 1 and West Alternative 2 — have undergone minor changes. A retaining wall has been added on both West routes to avoid impact to a small cemetery within the Merrill Place development.
On the West Alternative 2 route, the intersection of Elm Street and Watson Lane in Henderson has been tweaked to improve safety and access.
West Alternative 1 is projected to cost $1.8 billion, and the West Alternative 2 estimate is $1.68 billion. West Alternative 1 would result in 242 residence relocations and 27 business relocations. West Alternative 2 would requiring relocating 96 homes and 64 businesses.
I-69 BridgeLink, a coalition of government officials and business leaders in Evansville and Henderson, has endorsed Central Alternative 1, with hope that at least one of the existing U.S. 41 twin bridges will remain in use, allowing travelers two points to cross the river.
A preferred alternative is to be identified in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement published in the fall. After that statement is released, there will be public hearings in Evansville and Henderson.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision are expected by fall 2019. The date of construction depends on funding availability.
About those tolls ...
Bridge project officials say I-69 will be tolled, no matter what alternative is selected, and tolling U.S. 41 might be necessary if West Alternative 1 or Central Alternative 1 is selected.
A bi-state body will be created to establish toll policy.
The project team said it is evaluating tolling scenarios, including how tolls might impact traffic, and estimating what revenue they would bring. Any tolling mechanism would be electronic, with no stopping or slowing of traffic.
In Louisville, where a new Ohio River crossing to Indiana recently opened, toll rates range from $2 to $12 per crossing. Passenger vehicles with a prepaid account are $2, and a passenger vehicle without a prepaid account is $4. The higher rates are for commercial traffic.
The days of building large bridge projects without tolls in the United States are over, according to I-69 project officials.
"The funding environment has changed somewhat over the last 20 years," Prevost said. "It used to be that the federal government funded the majority of projects like this at a very substantial percentage, 50 percent or more. And that primarily came from the federal gas tax. But that gas tax hasn't been raised in more than 25 years. As a result, what you have is the effect of inflation on those gas tax revenues.
"At the same time, the costs of construction are outpacing the more broad inflation rates. ... You've got these two factors working against you."