Katie Powalski, Shelbyville News staff writer
INDIANAPOLIS - A proposed "outer-belt" tollway that would link six counties in central Indiana will bring significant economic opportunities and transportation convenience to residents of Shelby County, according to Gov. Mitch Daniels, who unveiled the plan Thursday.
The 75-mile project, called the Indiana Commerce Connector, 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. The tollway would also intersect Interstate 74 and Interstate 65, in what Daniels called "the next bold step in Indiana commerce."
The exact route of the tollway in Shelby County has not been determined, but according to a preliminary map it would run parallel to State Road 9 directly south from Greenfield. The tollway would veer west just north of Shelbyville, after intersecting I-74 near Fairland, according to the map.
Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson was one of five representatives at the governor's announcement from the largest cities the road will affect.
"With State Road 9 running north and south, and I-74 running east and west, this road will help our traffic flow, I believe," Furgeson told the media during a news conference at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Indianapolis.
"The more access a community has, the better we are. Every company looking for a good location looks for ease of access, so another major thoroughfare would be a great asset for us," Furgeson said of the proposed tollway.
Donald Henderson, president of the city council of Pendleton, said that he believed Indiana's economy would benefit from the tollway.
"It's going to really accelerate Indiana's opportunity to grow and prosper," he said.
Daniels said that funding for the tollway would come through a public-private partnership.
"The road will be funded with my favorite revenue source - other people's money," Daniels said. The estimated $1 billion to $1.5 billion cost of the new road could be covered through privatization "without a penny of borrowing or a tax increase," Daniels said.
Daniels plans to ask the Indiana General Assembly to transfer the tolling authority granted for the I-69 extension from Indianapolis to Evansville to the new connector project. If granted, the stretch of I-69 would not have fees attached.
After the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) completes a study on the price and timeline of the road, bids would be solicited from private companies to design, build, maintain and operate the highway as a toll road, according to a statement from Daniels' office.
"The road will be mostly utilized by travelers from out of state," Daniels said. "It is an economic home run for Indiana."
But Shelby County Commissioner Doug Warnecke said he is not convinced that Shelby County residents would embrace the change.
"You can have economic growth and not have a huge highway running through your county," he said. Warnecke said that until specifics of the road's route are determined, it would be difficult to predict an overall impact on the county.
"This will not be warmly received by many people," he said, adding that it was "disappointing" that county representatives were not invited to Thursday's announcement in Indianapolis.
Furgeson said that the commissioners had been invited to a meeting a few months ago and that he attempted to contact them Thursday morning regarding the upcoming announcement.
Commissioner Tony Newton said that he did speak with Furgeson on Thursday regarding the change, though it was his impression that the commissioners were not invited to the official announcement in Indianapolis.
"Ninety percent will go through county land," Newton said. "I hope that we have a say in how this goes."
Newton said that he was unsure if county residents would be open to the change and that when specifications were drawn, people would have "more to say about it."
The proposed connector would not begin construction until 2008 and would be completed within 10 years. The most likely way the road would be built would be to start it at the southwest point, near Mooresville, and move northeast until reaching Pendleton, Daniels said. Building the road in phases is also an option, he said.