By Amy May

Reporter-Times

After three years of study, Indiana Department of Transportation has released the five preferred routes for Interstate 69. Four of the routes take the expected direction through Morgan County - following Ind. 37, Ind. 67 or a combination of the two. One route, however, would cut through the western half of the county, running north from Paragon to connect with Ind. 42 and I-70.

Bryan Nicol, commissioner of INDOT, said the route would come up Ind. 67, turn north near or through Paragon Speedway property, and continue north along Wakeland and Herbemont roads before connecting with Ind. 42 and I-70 east of the Cloverdale interchange.

The Indiana portion of the highway will link with other states and eventually stretch from Canada to Mexico. Nationally, the thoroughfare has been nicknamed the "NAFTA Highway."

Bernardin, Lochmueller & Associates, hired to compile a draft environmental impact study (DEIS), and INDOT recently released the results on 14 possible routes, and the five preferred routes were chosen. All five routes go through Morgan County.

Nicol said the preferred routes were chosen based on how well they met the nine goals the project was to accomplish, such as improving personal and business accessibility in southwestern Indiana, promoting long term economic growth and relieving congestion and safety concerns. Some routes were "fatally flawed" from an environmental standpoint because of proximity to Bean Blossom Bottoms, the hibernation grounds for the federally endangered Indiana Bat, Tincher, a globally significant section of the Hoosier National Forest or geological features such as karst or sinkholes.

INDOT also considered construction and maintenance costs, travel time, how many businesses and homes would be relocated, how many acres of farmland or forest would be destroyed, number of streams crossed and access to Crane Navel Base, the Ind. 37 corridor and western Morgan County.

Bill Cunningham, president of the Martinsville Chamber of Commerce and a local cheerleader for economic development, said the chamber is pleased that Martinsville is directly on four of the five preferred routes. He would like the new interstate to improve highway safety, bring economic opportunities to the region and reduce the isolation of communities in southwestern Indiana.

"Morgan County has experienced a great deal of fatalities on both State Road 37 and 67," he said. "In one six month period, there were four fatalities in four different accidents ... Not one of these accidents would have happened on a limited access highway."

He added that a new highway could bring in more business and industrial property owners, who pay higher taxes.

"Martinsville has had very little economic development in the past and that limits the amount of improvements we can make to our infrastructure because the residential population simply cannot supply enough of a tax base." Cunningham cited Martinsville's overloaded wastewater treatment plant and the city's single water source as two problems that could be cured with a larger tax base.

One preferred route, called "4B" comes up Ind. 67 from Vincennes and makes a beeline for I-70 near Paragon through "new terrain," skipping Martinsville. Cunningham said this route would not further economic development for the city.

"All we would get is a gas station and a McDonald's," he said. He added that the chamber also wants the highway built in a manner that preserves the environment.

Protect forestry

Martinsville Mayor Shannon Buskirk is also concerned about the Morgan-Monroe Forestry and the preservation of local farmland. He prefers a route that does not cut the forestry in half, but he also wants the highway to come near Martinsville.

His favorite option, said Buskirk, is either 2C or 4C. Both of these routes come up Ind. 67, then cut across the floodplain to Ind. 37. The highway would form a levee that would prevent this area from flooding, making it safer for farming or development.

He also likes 3B and 3C, which enter and leave Morgan County via Ind. 37.

"If they stay on 37, they wouldn't be destroying virgin territory," he said. "I don't want it killing farmland or going through the forestry."

Buskirk would like the new interstate to encourage manufacturing and industry to the area to bring jobs and increase the tax base. He said he remembers Martinsville losing several prospective businesses to Greencastle because of that town's proximately to I-70.

Other businesses, such as those going in Grand Valley, could also benefit if an interchange is nearby. Like everyone else, however, the mayor is waiting to see exactly where the highway and its interchanges will go before deciding how much I-69 will benefit the retail areas.

"I hope they're (INDOT) careful with their choices," he said.

He added that he's heard the opinions of those who oppose the highway.

"At first, it will be upsetting to some people, but down the road I don't think it will be that bad."

Buskirk likes any of the four preferred routes that come near Martinsville, but prefers the two that will alter the floodplain areas.

"But, I'll take what I can get; kind of like the dog in front of the butcher shop licking his chops," he joked.

Dr. Ron Furniss, superintendent of the Martinsville School District, said the highway and the economic development it could bring would mean more opportunities for his students.

"We have a brain drain. The best and brightest kids go off to college and they don't come back. There's no employment for them locally," he said. "I think it would be a great boon to Morgan County; Martinsville in particular."

Although the high school sits right next to Ind. 37, which is on four of the preferred routes, Furniss does not believe an interstate would be any noisier or distracting than the existing road. He added that the school is a governmental body, just like INDOT, so if they wanted to take some of the high school's land for the new highway, the school would have to give it up without a protest.

Critics aren't buying

In 1998, Tom Brokow called I-69 "a fleecing that would take you and your tax dollars for a billion dollar ride" and Peter Jennings said it was a "wasteful boondoggle."

ABC News reported that the Indiana segment will cost $1.2 billion, but will only save 10 minutes of travel time. NBC News Nightly said, in April of 1998, that $34 million had already been spent, "although not one teacup of concrete has been poured."

Andy Knott, Air and Energy policy director of the Hoosier Environmental Council, is not against I-69, he just thinks INDOT should convert existing roads - namely I-70 and U.S. 41. That route, however, is not one of the preferred options at this time.

HEC said I-70/U.S. 41 will only cost $805 million to build, as opposed to $1.6 billion for a new terrain highway, and only add 10 to 12 minutes of travel time.







Knott said it is still legally an option and HEC will continue to push for I-70/U.S. 41.

"All they have done is listed what they call preferred and non-preferred," he said. "We will continue to work toward the no new terrain route."

"INDOT readily admits it's the cheapest and least destructive route, but they are trying things to knock it out of contention," said Knott.

For example, said Knott, the nine goals INDOT set for the highway are prejudiced in favor of a new terrain route. The only goal I-70/U.S. 41 meets is that it is an Indy-Evansville connection.

According to the impact study, I-70/U.S. 41 had relatively low impacts on the natural environment, but also was the only alternative with low performance on all the project goals, including service to Bloomington, western Morgan County and Ind. 37 corridor and shortening the route from Indy to Evansville. This route also had the highest number of business relocations, said the DEIS.

Knott, however, believes the goals don't take other important issues into account.

"They are vague, crafted to support a new terrain route. There is nothing in them about fiscal responsibility," said Knott. He added that new terrain routes will knock out thousands of acres of forest and farmland. Although four of the routes show use of existing roads, Ind. 67 and 37, in Morgan County, Knott said that's not necessarily true.

"37 from the south side of Martinsville varies widely ... A lot of the routes that follow 67 were actually to the west," he said. He added that Ind. 67 is a two lane road south of Martinsville and new right of way would be taken to expand it to interstate size.

"These are working alignments. It's a best guess of where it would go," said Knott.

INDOT Commissioner Nicol said they studied 2,000-foot corridors along the potential routes, with 240 to 470 feet working alignments of each route. Although INDOT names preferred routes, nothing has been eliminated except perhaps the "no build" option.

"We must carry that forward by law, but we have established that there's a clear need," he said. He added that no route has been eliminated; INDOT has simply stated a preference for some of them.

"We thought it was our responsibility to tell people about the data and what it said," said Nicol.

Public comment

Nicol said the five preferred routes are now in the public comment stage.

"I think there'll be a lot of debate. We want people to weigh in. This is an important transportation project for the state."

Public meetings are set for Monday at Terre Haute South High School, Tuesday at Bloomington North High School and Wednesday at Evansville Harrison High School. The doors open at 5 p.m. for public viewing of the displays and informal discussion with experts. A presentation of the DEIS begins at 6 p.m. and comments will be accepted from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

People can also comment at the study's Web site, www.i69indyevn.org. or calling 877-INDY-EVN or writing Michael Grovak, project manager Bernardin, Lochmueller & Associates, 6200 Vogel Rd., Evansville IN 47715.

The Preferred Routes

  • 2C (US 41 to Vincennes, Ind. 67 to Martinsville, cross to Ind. 37) 145 -147 miles long $1.47 - $1.74 billion

  • 3B (Ind. 57 to Newberry, cross northwest of Bloomington, up Ind. 37 to Indianapolis) 140 - 143 miles long $1.65 - $1.82 billion

  • 3C (Ind. 57 to Newberry, cross southwest of Bloomington, up Ind. 37 to Indianapolis) 140 - 143 miles long $1.64 - $1.81 billion

  • 4B (Ind. 57 to Ind. 67, turn north near Paragon to I-70) 141 - 141 miles long $1.04 - $1.12 billion

  • 4C (Ind. 57 to Ind. 67, cross near Martinsville to Ind. 37) 141 -144 miles long $1.34 - $1.50 billion