Bettina Puckett, Shelbyville News Staff Writer
Shelby County leaders were surprised to hear about Gov. Mitch Daniels' plan to build a tollway on the outskirts of Indianapolis, but they are now busy gathering information about the proposed road that has garnered mixed reviews from their constituents.
The bypass, dubbed the Indiana Commerce Connector, would cut about 75 miles through five counties - including Shelby - that are located east and south of Indianapolis. Daniels announced his proposal on Nov. 9, just two days after the midterm election.
"This road will change the character of Shelby County for generations," predicted Doug Warnecke, president of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.
An Indiana Department of Transportation map shows the road cutting across Interstate 74 at a point northwest of Shelbyville. "It will be like a gigantic 'X' right through Shelby County," Warnecke said. "People need to study this thing and look at the impact. It will be much more pervasive than they may think."
The road would wind from Interstate 69 near Pendleton and pass through Hancock County near Greenfield, Shelby County near Shelbyville, Johnson County near Franklin and Morgan County near Martinsville before ending at Interstate 70 just west of Mooresville.
Warnecke and his fellow commissioners already have been receiving comments from their constituents about the proposed tollway. Most want to know more precisely where the road will be built. "It looks like they've taken a large Magic Marker to draw the route," said Dave Mohr, who will succeed Warnecke as the North District commissioner on Jan. 1.
The commissioners are scheduled to attend a commissioners' conference in Indianapolis Tuesday and Wednesday. Shelby County Commissioner Tony Newton said they are trying to schedule a meeting with commissioners from the four other counties that will be affected. They also hope to have a representative from the governor's office come talk to the group on the second day of the conference.
Shelby County commissioners were not invited to Daniels' announcement meeting, although Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson made an attempt to contact them. The commissioners were befuddled by that since "98 percent of the road will be in the county," Mohr said.
"I was disappointed that the counties were not in the loop," Warnecke said.
Eminent domain - the government's right to seize private land - almost certainly would have to be used to acquire land for the tollway, which would be built and operated by a private company. If the estimated $1 billion to $1.5 billion road is built, private investors would collect toll fees. Those rates would be set with state oversight.
Warnecke described the tollway as "extremely expensive," but said he understands the need for the road. "The primary reason for it is to bleed all of that tremendous traffic off of (Interstate) 465," he said.
Often, building new loops around metropolitan areas creates more problems, Warnecke said. "Urban planners say it continues to run urban sprawl farther out," he said.
Mohr has heard through the grapevine about at least three possible routes the tollway could take. One version is that it would come down between county roads 200 West and 300 West in Hancock County, which are the same as county roads 300 West and 400 West in Shelby County.
Another version is that it would parallel State Road 9 and cross Interstate 74 somewhere in the Fairland area. "That would be interesting to see," said Mohr, who said that the Shelbyville Municipal Airport and Indiana Downs are near that location. "I don't think they will go through the airport unless they make a big tunnel," Mohr quipped.
Still another version said the tollway could come down east of Greenfield between Morristown and Gwynneville. "I also heard it could go south around the St. Paul exit and then turn left," Mohr said.
"We don't have a clue of where it's going to go," Newton said. "I've heard three or four different routes. Nobody knows where it's really going to go."
The tollway proposal is different from the Rockies Express Pipeline project that may impact some property owners in Shelby County because it involves state government rather than a private company.
Newton said the state has control over the proposed road. "If they decide they are going to put it through here, they are going to put it through here, and there's not a whole lot we can say about it," Newton said.
Warnecke, Newton and others say it is critical for Shelbyville and Shelby County elected officials to study the issue and eventually speak with one voice. "If our political leadership is split, we have no chance," Warnecke said. "The governor has this thing fast-tracked. Before you know it, we'll be seeing bulldozers."
Shelby County Councilman Kermit Paris said there will be a lot of people who will be upset over the new road, but he thinks more people will be in favor of it than against it. "It will help the infrastructure of our county and will help attract factories, which will then bring jobs to our county," Paris said.
Some officials mentioned possible benefits the tollway could have for existing companies, such as Bunge in Morristown, and also for future plants, such as Honda near Greensburg.
"I've got to see more of the proposal and study it a little harder, but I don't think it's a terribly bad idea," Paris said.
Tom Debaun, who is currently Shelby County's sheriff and will take over Paris' seat on the Shelby County Council on Jan. 1, said the new tollway could help alleviate traffic problems. "The toll road makes sense, because it will encourage the larger truck traffic to use that road instead of the state roads," Debaun said. "I think (truckers) will pay money to have a less-obstructed path."
Mohr said he would not like to see more farmland sacrificed, but admitted it would be cheaper to build the road on rural land. Some folks he has talked to say they are all for the new road coming in and hope they get "top dollar" for their land. But others have told Mohr they will get out their shotguns if anyone sets foot on their property.
Most county officials agree the new road will bring new development and jobs. "I think it will have as much of an impact as Interstate 74 had when it came through," said Commissioner Roger Laird. I-74 was built nearly 50 years ago.
"We're used to Interstate 74," Warnecke said. "It's part of our background."
But officials also agreed that while some people will prosper from the tollway, others surely will suffer. Laird said he believes the road will be a key to progress. "For the few who will suffer, it will benefit the multitudes in more ways than just economic development," Laird said. "To me, it's a plan for orderly growth away from Indianapolis."
"When you open up the door, the wind brings in both dust and fresh air," Warnecke said.
Although the new road could help relieve traffic congestion in Marion County, Warnecke believes the tollway will make local traffic worse. "It will block off county roads," he said. "People will not be able to move east and west in the county like they can now. ... Will the price that Shelby County will have to pay for this road be too high?"
The tollway could especially affect local farmers who farm thousands of acres all over the county. "It will cut farms in half," Warnecke said. "To me, this will have a very negative impact on rural Shelby County."
A clearer picture of potential impacts will emerge when the tollway project advances and local officials learn where interchanges and overpasses are planned. "People need to see that there are unintended consequences to this highway that people aren't thinking about right now," Warnecke said.
The Indiana Commerce Connector will need legislative approval. A bidding process would select a private company that would pay the state a concession fee in exchange for the right to build, maintain and operate the tollway.
If approved by the General Assembly, construction on the tollway would begin in 2008 and would be completed in 10 years.