Major Moves accord likely

INDIANAPOLIS | Negotiators shopped a compromise Monday that would guarantee Lake and Porter counties at least $80 million in economic development funding while allowing the governor to privatize the Indiana Toll Road.

More wrangling on Major Moves could occur, but two key Republicans said they think they have the votes to pass the highway plan ahead of today's midnight deadline.

House Bill 1008 would allow Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels to accept the $3.85 billion that Cintra-Macquarie, a Spanish-Australian consortium, has offered for the right to run the 157-mile road and collect tolls over the next 75 years.

Republicans control both the House and Senate but disagreements over where to spend the $3.85 billion and how to shield commuters from the nearly doubling of tolls set for this spring have proved to be major headaches for Major Moves.

The agreement circulated Monday seeks to address those issues.

* Economic development: The Northwest Indiana Economic Development Authority would get $40 million upfront, with half that earmarked for expansion of Gary/Chicago International Airport. Once it completes a long-term strategic plan, the RDA could petition the state for another $80 million over eight years.

Porter County would get another $25 million upfront for economic development, along with $15 million for Lake County. The five other Toll Road counties each would get $40 million.

* Tolls: A trip from Illinois to Ohio will increase to $8 from $4.65. But passenger vehicles would pay the current tolls until Cintra-Macquarie installs electronic tolling. After that, motorists from the seven Toll Road counties would get a 40 percent discount until 2016. This is expected to cost the state nearly $280 million.

* Interstate 69: Plans to build a tollway extension of I-69 from Indianapolis to Evansville threatened to sink Major Moves in the Senate. The deal floated Monday would not allow the governor to charge tolls on the northern half of the route, nor could the road slice through Prairie Township in southern Marion County.

In all, the 10-year plan would fund some $2.8 billion in long-sought road projects while setting aside $500 million in a Next Generation trust fund.

Privately, some Democrats complained that the compromise manages to overspend a windfall of nearly $4 billion. Leasing the Toll Road has become a highly partisan issue, with Democrats seizing on a wave of public opposition, particularly in northern Indiana.

Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, said she will support Major Moves if the legislation provides long-term funding for the RDA, guarantees comparable jobs for the Toll Road's nearly 600 employees and earmarks funds for job-training programs geared toward minorities.

"When those three criteria are met, then I'm a yes vote," she said Monday. "I think I'm pretty close to that."

The compromise appears to meet her three demands, including providing $2 million for minority job-training programs.

Rogers said she felt it was her responsibility to secure RDA funding for expansion of the Gary airport. She said she had spoken with Gary Mayor Scott King about the issue many times.

Daniels released a statement supporting the tentative Major Moves deal.

"With thousands of jobs at stake, there are few compromises that I wouldn't agree to," Daniels said "Ones reached in the past few days are all acceptable, especially given the enormous upside to Indiana's future."