BLOOMINGTON - Construction on Section 5 of Interstate 69 north of Bloomington has come to a halt after at least one subcontractor walked off the job site because of missed payments, prompting a state agency to threaten a breach of contract if nothing changes.
Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton, with idle construction equipment behind him, asked state officials Wednesday to step in and do something to clean up the “mess” the construction site has become. After two bad accidents in the construction zone — one early Wednesday morning and another Friday — Hamilton said the project needs to be completed as quickly as possible.
“My first job as mayor is public safety,” Hamilton said. “The seemingly everdelayed nature of this construction and the danger it poses (to) travelers are unacceptable.”
Subcontractor Crider & Crider, stopped work on Friday after not being paid. In a letter sent to I-69 Development Partners LLC by the Indiana Finance Authority on Tuesday, the I-69 group is said to owe Crider & Crider at least $2.3 million. Dan Huge, public finance director for the Indiana Finance Authority, said there could be in excess of $9 million owed to various subcontractors on Section 5. This most recent walk-off is the third in the last 12 months due to unpaid bills, Hamilton said.
Hamilton said he is frustrated with the lack of progress on the project. The 21-mile stretch from Bloomington to Martinsville was scheduled to be completed next month. The completion date was pushed back to June 2017 and Hamilton said he has doubts about that estimate, especially if work continues to be delayed. That means travelers going from Indianapolis to Southwest Indiana can expect more delays and more time spent driving in construction zones.
Instead of the state paying for Section 5 directly as it did with Sections 1-4, state officials instead chose a public-private partnership with I-69 Development Partners. Hamilton said it is time for the state to admit the plan has failed.
“I am not against experimenting in government and trying new ways to get things done, but this is a debacle,” Hamilton said. “My community and our neighbors are all suffering because state government hasn’t kept up its end of the bargain.”
Hamilton and State Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, urged Gov. Mike Pence and INDOT officials to step in and take over the project from I-69 Development Partners.
Pierce said IFA writing letters warning the developer of breaching contract wasn’t fixing the problem.
“We’ve done that too many times now and it hasn’t solved anything,” Pierce said. “I’m asking the governor to have INDOT look at taking this project back. The state can pay its bills, we can get this done.”
Pierce sent a letter to Pence on Friday but said he hasn’t heard anything back yet. Pence’s office did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Pierce said added delay on the project hurts not only the Bloomington region but everyone who uses the I-69 corridor. He said prolonged construction will continue to hurt the economy as people struggle to get to work and move goods from Indianapolis to Evansville.