BY BOB KASARDA and PATRICK GUINANE,
Times of Northwest Indiana Staff Writers
VALPARAISO | Using proceeds from the proposed Illiana Expressway to fund a local link to the South Shore train service is not likely now that the highway project has been scaled back or tabled.
Not only does the highway project no longer involve Porter County, but its reduced size means less proceeds, said Tim Sanders, executive director of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority.
The funding proposal involving Illiana never went beyond the discussion stage, but the model is not uncommon in these types of public-private partnerships, Sanders said. Investors often like the opportunity to make more money by taking part in a second project.
Northwest Indiana Democrats said they never had much faith in Gov. Mitch Daniels' plan to financially link South Shore expansion with the Illiana.
"Quite frankly, I thought that idea was a pipe dream," said state Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville.
Dobis figures it would probably take at least a decade to build the Illiana, which he said was too long of a wait for South Shore financing. He and state Rep. Bob Kuzman, D-Crown Point, hope to secure South Shore funding before the General Assembly adjourns next month. For now, they're keeping a tight lid on the details.
"Stay tuned," Kuzman said. "There's going to be something."
The reaction comes in the wake of Daniels' decision this past weekend to pull the plug on plans to extend the proposed Illiana toll road east of Interstate 65 through Porter and LaPorte counties on it way to Interstate 94 in Michigan City.
Daniels said his decision was based on widespread opposition to the proposal. He has called on lawmakers to consider pursuing a 10-mile stretch of the project between Interstate 65 and the Illinois state line.
Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas said the city was not relying on the Illiana funding.
"It was so speculative," he said.
Sanders said discussions are under way to find funding for the South Shore extensions.
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