Rep. Soliday Says INDOT Violating Law With Illiana Expressway Study

GOP Rep. Ed Soliday says that INDOT is violating the Illiana Expressway study legislation by limiting its focus to the private financing option pushed by Governor Mitch Daniels, reports the Northwest Indiana Times. Soliday said in a news release that the intent of the Illiana Expressway legislation was to explore all feasible financing options.

Soliday says he is willing to take the agency to court. He argues INDOT is violating state law by pursuing a feasibility study of the proposed highway that would examine only one financing option -- the private tollway model championed by Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels.

Taking Down Words published Rep. Ed Soliday's news release detailing his concerns that INDOT wasn't following the intent of the Illiana Expressway legislation:

"Today, State Representative Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso) sent a letter to the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Commissioner Karl B. Browning copying Governor Daniels requesting that INDOT reconsider their decision to focus exclusively on a public-private partnership arrangement as the funding source for the Illiana Expressway, but rather explore all feasible funding options available.

"'My intention of the amendment to Senate Enrolled Act 105 was to have the firm who is chosen by INDOT to conduct the feasibility study of the Illiana Expressway explore all reasonable funding options,' said Soliday. 'I am disappointed that the true spirit and intent of this amendment was apparently overlooked because my careful effort to explicitly enumerate this objective was how I was able to gain strong bipartisan support for this language. It is my hope that the officials at INDOT will reconsider their decision.'

"'The Governor and I both took an oath to uphold the laws of the state of Indiana and an unbiased feasibility study is clearly critical to ensure public confidence in both our offices.'

"Representative Soliday is requesting alternatives to current INDOT direction in the RFP process. These alternatives need to be compliant with 2007 SB105 which was signed into law by the Governor earlier this year."

Blue Indiana weighs in with additional commentary about the Illiana Expressway flap regarding interstate highway privatization:

As Rep. Soliday knows, this isn't exactly a popular idea with, you know, the ordinary Hoosiers who drive on these roads every day.

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