Opponents urge Toll Road plan detour

BY BILL DOLAN, Times of Northwest Indiana
bdolan@nwitimes.com

Local officials say they are giving Gov. Mitch Daniels a chance to decelerate his Toll Road privatization plan before it crashes into a legislative dead end.

John A. Swanson, executive director of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, just sent the governor a letter asking that House Bill 1008 be stripped of language authorizing the lease of the 157-mile highway to a private service contractor.

Swanson suggests the Toll Road proposal "be studied over the summer."

State Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville, a veteran area legislator, said the governor would be smart to take the hint. "It may be his only chance to eventually pass it.

"There are no Democratic votes for it now and Republicans legislators representing the counties through which the Toll Road passes could put their own election in jeopardy if they vote for it because not one community in those counties are in favor of it.

"His only chance is if he delays it until a special session where he answers questions about it. If it's put up now it would meet a dismal fate," Dobis said.

Daniels last week unveiled a $3.85 billion bid from an Australian-Spanish consortium, Cintra Concessiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte, S.A. and Macquarie Infrastructure Group, to operate and collect tolls on the Toll Road for the next 75 years.

The consortium hopes to have the state agree to its terms by March.

Too fast, says Highland Clerk-Treasurer Michael Griffin, an NIRPC board member.

"The timetable we seem to be on hasn't allowed us to ask some questions. It's been difficult to give the proposal the kind of cost-benefit evaluation that would help us make an informed decision."

Lake County Council President Will Smith Jr., another NIRPC board member, said, "We are not crystal clear about the fiscal impact and whether that would help us with the economic development we are looking for (in) Northwest Indiana.

"There was concern about the company that has the inside track for the lease. Some felt it should be American companies, not foreign countries," he said.

NIRPC also peppered the governor with questions about the impact on local roads if increased tolls cause heavy truck traffic to divert into local communities and the distribution formula that would keep only 34 percent of the one-time payment in northern Indiana and send the rest downstate.

There also was concern the Toll Road proposal would limit to 10 years the flow of state dollars for upgrading the Gary/Chicago International Airport, Lake Michigan shoreline and other economic development projects in Northwest Indiana.

Not all NIRPC members are skeptical.

Crown Point Mayor Dan Klein said, "I'm in favor of his Major Moves initiative. I have faith in our governor. How many years has the previous (Democratic) administration not even been able to raise tolls?

"There are some unanswered questions and I understand people's concerns, but if we can get this done it's to everybody's advantage in the state. The opportunity of having $3.85 billion is one we should not let pass by."