As the Indiana Department of Transportation plans to extend Interstate 69 to southern Indiana, it is weighing the effect the proposed routes will have on local business against the benefit of faster transportation.\nINDOT plans to decide on a route by the end of the year.\nExtending I-69 from Indianapolis to Evansville is a part of the National I-69, which helps accomplish the North American Free Trade Agreement, implemented in 1994. NAFTA promotes freer trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico by eliminating economic barriers.\nThere are 12 possible alternatives for a route between the two cities, and new roads have the potential to save truck drivers between 2,000 and 4,500 hours a day of driving, said Roger Manning, manager in INDOT's office of communications.\nBut some local businesses fear that an I-69 extension will destroy their livelihood.\nUnder some of the proposals Oliver Winery would be forced to relocate.\n"The problem is they do not give us enough money to buy a new place, build a winery and move," said Bill Oliver, owner of the Oliver Winery. His winery has about 50 employees and has operated for more than 30 years.\nOliver also said he has corresponded with politicians and involved himself with the Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads and some other organizations. He said the fewer exits on the Interstate could destroy his winery business.\nOther opponents of an extension say it does not makes sense financially for southern Indiana because the new road would only bring jobs to Indianapolis and Evansville while hurting rural Hoosiers.\n"The new highway or even using 41 and 70, according to Department of Transportation's study, it will bring between four and seven jobs per county per year," said Sandra Tokarski, a member of Steering Committee of CARR, that opposes the extension of I-69. "Most of those jobs will be concentrated in Evansville and Indianapolis, not in rural county. (The government) is squandering tax dollars for the road we don't need and we don't want. It will do tremendous damage to our farms and forest."\nStill, some businesses believe they would benefit from the extension. \nCrane Naval Surface Warfare Center, near Bedford, provides assistance to the military and other types of ships. Crane does business with several contractors throughout the state.\nSue Webster, public affairs officer at Crane, said it employs about 3,200 navy civilians, 550 army civilians and 1,000 contractors who mow lawns and conducts computer support and technical engineering services.\n"It makes sense, doesn't it," Webster said about the probable Interstate that could accelerate the transportation of equipment, including laser guided bomb kits, night vision and chemical-biological detection devices.\nBut Webster said she could not yet determine exactly how much the warfare center and consequently the public will benefit from the extended Interstate.\nINDOT's Draft Environmental Impact Statement suggests the negative impact on local businesses will be smaller than what CARR predicts.\nThe report expects alternative 1 will relocate between 70 and 131 businesses and other plans predict between 17 and 75 businesses will need to be relocated.\nDespite possibly hurting some local business, the major goal of the project is to improve the connection between Indianapolis and Evansville and increase accessibility and improve the motor freight in southwest Indiana, said Mike Grovak, project manger of I-69 Study from Bernardin Lochmuller. Grovak works for the Indiana Department of Transportation.\nHe said the businesses will benefit more from the new Interstate than from 70/41 alternative. He said the new road through Bloomington will stimulate the economy not only in Bloomington, but throughout the state.\nMost discussions have focused on the choice between alternatives 1 and 3.\nAlternative 1 uses existing roads of I-70 from Indianapolis to Terre Haute and the US 40 from Terre Haute to Evansville. \nOn the other hand, alternative 3 starts from Indianapolis and goes around Bloomington along State Road 37 to Evansville.\nGrovak said alternative 3, preferred by the government, can save between $162 and 165 million more than alternative 1 every year in 26 counties of southwest Indiana, including Monroe County. \nHe said the new route will see completion in about 10 years, but it heavily depends on the available funding for the project. \nUnder alternative 1, drivers can save about 12 minutes when traveling on the typical road conditions from Indianapolis to Evansville and 29 minutes under alternative 3B, the option with the most projected time saving, according to the DEIS.\nBut the government focuses more on the future transportation on the road.\n"Depending on the traffic we may need, we provide the number of lanes that will be needed for traffic 20 to 25 years in the future," Grovak said.\nIn 1991 Congress passed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, which established transportation corridors throughout the country, including Corridor 18 (I-69). \nA reauthorization of the bill in 1998 divided I-69 into three segments in Indiana -- one from the current end of I-69 on the north side of Indianapolis to the south side, the next from the south side of Indianapolis to Evansville and finally from Evansville across the Ohio River into Kentucky. \nAs INDOT plans to build the second segment of I-69, other states are also planning for I-69 routes.
For a summary of the alternative roads log on to:\nhttp://deis.i69indyevn.org/DEIS/Summary/summary.html.
