By Steve Walsh, Post-Tribune staff writer
INDIANAPOLIS -- Gov. Mitch Daniels pledged to work with lawmakers and communities on new projects if the plan to lease the Indiana Toll Road generates more money than expected -- and major cuts if it fails.
If the toll road deal does not go though, Daniels said Friday, the state will have to look at cutting projects from its approval list. Projects on the chopping block included improving U.S. 31 through St. Joseph County and "projects in Northwest Indiana," he said.
The deadline to file bids ended Friday. The administration would not release any details on which companies "if anyone" submitted a bid to lease the toll road under a 75-year deal, packaged by the governor. The governor is expected to make an announcement early Monday.
The money from a lease of a toll road is the centerpiece of Daniels' Major Moves 10-year funding plan. The plan requires a minimum of $2.8 billion.
Daniels said he is not optimistic the amount will be dramatically more than needed for the projects already earmarked for Major Moves. If it is, he will began looking at adding more projects to the list.
"We would be conferring with leaders in the General Assembly first and with business and civic leaders, mayors and others. I will say my strong view is any proceeds from such a deal should be invested in the long-term future of the state. They should not be spent on matters of the present," Daniels said.
The governor has already encountered resistance among lawmakers, especially from toll road communities.
Late in the week, he tried to counter some of the negatives by meeting with a list of mayors who supported the bill, including mayors such as Jon Costas of Valparaiso and Dan Klein of Crown Point. Republicans joined him in his statehouse office. The move may have backfired somewhat, when the Indiana State Democratic Party released a list of mayors from Daniels' list, including Portage Mayor Doug Olson, who remain at least on the fence, if not opposed.
After taking office in January, the administration created a matrix for approving road projects. The process, he said, is not set in stone, and some of the projects may fall from the list, replaced by projects that narrowly avoided the cut.
If the administration announces a winner Monday, the governor will have to convince the General Assembly to give him the authority to lease the road to a private company. House Ways and Means is set to vote Tuesday on the bill.
The governor said he is open to narrowing some of the language in the House Bill, including a provision that allows him to privatize airports and ports along with private toll roads.
"We didn't really have ports in mind when we submitted this bill," he said.