The Courier & Press
Supporters of the construction of Interstate 69 between Evansville and Indianapolis can never rest - not even when money is in the bank, not even when paving has begun.
The project appeared safe, given that the Indiana Legislature approved Gov. Mitch Daniels' Major Moves highway funding initiative in 2006, and given that ground was broken last summer. It seemed then, that after decades of studies, campaigns, and court maneuvers, that I-69 would become a reality, giving motorists in Southwestern Indiana a direct, modern highway to their state capital.
Alas, we relaxed too soon, although we should not be surprised that there are still those in Indiana trying to stop I-69, and we are not talking about environmentalists in the Bloomington area who have long fought the highway. Rather, we are talking about Democrats in the Indiana House of Representatives. On Thursday, in a 7-5 party-line vote, the House Roads and Transporation Committee approved an economic stimulus bill that would take money already targeted for I-69 and other road work and reallocate it to a list of pork-barrel jobs.
Karl Browning, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation, warned that if the bill ever becomes law, work on I-69 and other Major Moves highway projects would come to a halt.
Let us inject here that it was back in September 2006 that Indiana House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, assured the editorial board of this newspaper that I-69 was "in good hands" with Democrats in the House.
He remains the House speaker, but I-69 doesn't look so safe.
Bryan Corbin of the Courier & Press Statehouse bureau, reported Friday that the bill passed by Democrats on the Roads and Transportation Committee would take $1.5 billion in Major Moves funds already designated for planned projects, and diverted it to a lower-priority list of projects.
In addition, the bill would transfer about $245 million in highway funds away from INDOT and give it to local governments for road and street projects.
Browning said that action would result in Indiana losing out on $690 million in annual federal highway funding that the state could have leveraged.
If this all comes to be, construction on I-69 which started at the Evansville end this past summer might come to a halt when work on the current segment is finished.
Roads and Transportation Chairman Terri Austin, D-Anderson, drafted the bill which includes about 25 road projects around the state that would be funded by the $1.5 million she would take from Major Moves.
And, get this: The bill provides funding for pavement resurfacing in INDOT's Fort Wayne, Crawfordsville and Greenfield districts, but not the Vincennes district, which includes Evansville.
Sound familiar? It strikes us of a replay of the thinking that provided modern highways to every sector of Indiana but the Southwest.
Austin's bill is being touted by supporters as an economic stimulus measure, but as Browning said, taking money from one pocket (or project) and putting it into another pocket does not induce stimulus. It merely moves the money around, in this case from Southwestern Indiana to Central and Northern Indiana.
In our view, Interstate 69 is a tremendous economic stimulus project as is; not only does it create construction jobs, but it creates a major highway to carry commerce throughout this quarter of the state and points beyond.
This is outrageous. Indeed, in the face of this nonsense, we would look to Democrats from Southwestern Indiana and to Bauer, if he is a man of his word, to convince their fellow Democrats bent on pushing this bill through to call it off.