More Congestion In Store Without Alternate Routes?

Will Northwest Indiana solve its transportation problems without additional road construction? The Northwest Indiana Times opines that region motorists should think carefully about the consequences of not planning for additional roadways.

This year, the Indiana General Assembly was considering a plan to study whether to build the Illiana Expressway between I-94 in LaPorte County and I-57 in Illinois. The road was proposed as a way to unclog the Borman.

The loud public outcry against the study -- not the road itself, but simply a feasibility study -- caused the Legislature to approve only a study of a truncated route linking I-65 and I-57.

People driving the region's roads should consider the consequences.

The region's location makes it a logical choice for the transportation, distribution and logistics industry. Intermodal facilities here could help relieve the bottleneck for rail freight traffic in and out of Chicago. That means even more traffic will be using the region's highways -- adding to the congestion if nothing else changes.

It takes many years to move a new highway from a concept to a completed route. The time to plan new routes is now, before the region becomes so heavily developed that new routes are hard to plot.

My prediction. Additional roadways will have to be built in this area to alleviate traffic jams and to facilitate new job creation. The Illiana Expressway will be built because to not build means a future of traffic jams stretching from the Chicago Southland to Berrien County, Michigan.

Copyright 2007, ChristopherHedges.com, All Rights Reserved.

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Businesses Want Illiana Expressway Contracts

The Northwest Indiana Times reports that businesses are lining up to get state contracts to study the feasibility of the proposed Illiana Expressway Toll Road.

Copyright 2007, ChristopherHedges.com, All Rights Reserved.

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Illiana Expressway Study Approved By House 91-5

The Indiana House in an overwhelming majority -- 91 in favor to 5 opposed -- has approved a study of the Illiana Expressway in a mass transit study bill, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

Reports the Indianapolis Star:

The House also voted 91-5 to pass SB 105, which would direct the Indiana Department of Transportation to study numerous mass transit projects statewide, including a commuter rail line from Indianapolis to Muncie. The bill also directs further study of the western portion of the Illiana Expressway in Northwest Indiana by a legislative committee.

The Indiana House's approval of the Illiana Expressway study comes on the same day as Scott Ford, a member of the LaPorte County Economic Development Commission, wrote that Indiana's leaders should study the Illiana Expressway proposals in an opinion piece in the Herald Argus.

Our economic future is tied to Chicago and the ability to move our products and people quickly and effectively. The world will continue to shrink and our region’s ability to generate income for its citizens will continue to be directly linked to cost-effective transportation and highways. The economic reality is that there isn’t enough funding to repair our current infrastructure. No one wants to pay more taxes to build new highways and public/private partnerships may be the answer to these funding issues.

We have to have vision and look toward the future. Many of La Porte’s leaders over the last four decades have focused on short-term results that would be visible during their terms of office. Look at where short-term thinking got us today -- a city and county that lags behind state and national averages in income and education. Our best and brightest young people move away because of limited opportunity.

We can’t afford to say no to the Illiana Expressway until every detail and fact is studied extensively. The next 40 years will be impacted by our vision or lack of it.

Copyright 2007, ChristopherHedges.com, All Rights Reserved.

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Northwest Indiana Transit Brain Storming

The debate about the Illiana Expressway has gotten me thinking about alternatives to current modes of transportation. Most Americans today use cars and trucks to travel to and from work, leisure activities, and other locations. What alternatives to automobiles are available?

The Small Urban & Rural Transit Center has some ideas about operating mass transit in western states. Of particular interest is an article that studies how to serve elderly populations who live in rural areas.

As population across rural regions of the United States consolidates around trade centers, the proportion of elderly remaining in small towns and rural areas continues to grow. Their growing proportion and increasing average age is bound to have an influence on their mobility, and a new SURTC study should help researchers and policy makers assess the situation.

Any transit study done locally will have to assess the demographics of our rural areas to ensure that the elderly aren't left behind in policy decision making since they are often the ones who remain behind in smaller towns as younger people leave to seek employment and opportunities in the suburbs and urban areas.

Another idea that could work in smaller towns could be a "bike share" concept that allows people to pay a fee to borrow bikes located in areas around the town. Toronto has this type of bike share program, but it could be modified to address the needs of people wanting to get exercise and avoid driving their cars short distances.

Of course, there's always a problem with "bikes missing in action." Maybe private bike ownership could be encouraged, instead of a communal-style ownership model, so prevent the inevitable waste and fraud that will occur when people aren't fully responsible for their bicycle.

I wonder if an Indianapolis-style "people mover" or another monorail system like the Las Vegas system could work someplace in Northwest Indiana? Maybe lines could be run along Broadway starting at the South Shore Line south to the Methodist and VA Hospitals. Branch lines could run from the central Broadway line to Porter Hospital and downtown Valparaiso, the Lake County Government Center, and the lakefront casinos.

Maybe car sharing could be an option? Dave Brook blogs about the service that allows members to borrow cars as they are needed. Of course, ride sharing could be an option as well.



Copyright (C) 2007, ChristopherHedges.com, All Rights Reserved.

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Time To Make Land Use Plans

No matter if the Illiana Expressway or Westlake Rail Corridor extending South Shore rail service to Lowell and Valparaiso are built or not built, now is the time for Northwest Indiana to look at comprehensive land use plans to maximize the living conditions and economic development for the whole region, says the Northwest Indiana Quality of Life Council.

Writes Meg Haller, Northwest Indiana Quality of Life exec. director, in today's Post-Tribune:

So, speak your peace as you will regarding SB1. But do not miss the forest for the trees.

The time is now to learn how to capture the benefits of major infrastructure developments, such as the Illiana, while mitigating the risks to our three-county area's sustainable future.

The time is now to study, design and implement a comprehensive land-use plan.

Learning how to make the most of the infrastructure we have and plan to build might be the first step toward making Northwest Indiana a model for other communities across the nation. Maybe the debate about the Illiana Expressway will result on comprehensive planning within the various governmental agencies in the region so that we can think about protecting the past, as well as planning for the future.

Copyright 2007, ChristopherHedges.com, All Rights Reserved.

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Illiana Expressway Foe Fears Violence If Toll Road Is Approved

Illiana Expressway opponent Rosemary Gard of Crown Point fears conflict could occur if the proposed toll road from I-65 to I-57 is approved.

From her letter to the Post-Tribune's editor:

We are supposed to be in a democracy; when the people say "no," it should mean something. ...

Those against the Illiana Expressway are in a war, one that I fear will end in conflict. Some will not leave their land. What are the powers going to do? Beat them? Drag them away? Shoot them? ...

I may well be one of the old ladies who won't budge. Perhaps I will chain myself to the porch of my son's home.

I hope that people keep cool heads no matter what happens with the proposed Illiana Expressway legislation.

It is inevitable that change will occur because new people continue to move into Northwest Indiana from Illinois, as well as a continual southward migration away from the urban core.

If the Illiana Expressway bill isn't approved, the highway supporters will have to live with the legislature's decision. The same thing will be true if the Illiana Expressway is approved.

Copyright 2007, ChristopherHedges.com, All Rights Reserved.

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Did Democrats Fail I-69 Foes?

Bloomington Alternative's editor Steven Higgs laments the fact that recent opposition to the Illiana Expressway and the Indiana Commerce Connector was able to stop or at least change the Governor's plans, but the proposed I-69 route from Indianapolis to Evansville continues to roll on as it has for 16-years with Democratic legislative support.

A remarkable event occurred in Indiana politics on March 24, when an Indiana governor actually listened to the people and responded to their concerns. ...

Add to that the fact that (Mitch) Daniels’ sudden respect for the democratic process involved a pair of proposed highways, the most fertile grounds for political pork, and it was indeed a historic day.

It was also a development that offers some sobering lessons for citizens whose opinions on new-terrain Interstate 69 were treated like contaminated soil by local and state Democrats for 16 years.

It's interesting to note that much of the opposition to creating new interstate highways has been from the GOP, according to Steven Higgs.

Locally, the Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road began in traditionally Republican Porter County.

If the Illiana Expressway plan from Michigan City to the Illinois stateline was proposed by a Democrat governor, I wonder if the results would have been different?

Copyright 2007, ChristopherHedges.com, All Rights Reserved.

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Will Wheel Tax Be Political Third Rail?

Opponents to the Illiana Expressway have called for greater investment in mass transit, notably extensions of South Shore Line service to Lowell and Valparaiso.

But, will a proposed wheel tax of $50 per car to be collected by the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority be too hot for Lake and Porter County legislators to support as an alternate to building another highway connection to Illinois?

The idea to levy the "train tax" was proposed by Rep. Chet Dobis, (D-Merrillville) who says in a Northwest Indiana Times article that he was trying to "plant the seed." The wheel tax proposal has yet to be adopted.

Other Northwest Indiana legislators spoke out against raising vehicle taxes, according to The Times.

"That is one of the most hated taxes -- our plates on our vehicles, " said state Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond. "The people in my community, my neighborhoods, they would be just outraged if we gave them another tax." ...

But the wheel tax is perhaps one of the "most onerous" funding options, said state Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary.

"I don't think it would be well received by my constituents," Brown said.

Porter County representative Duane Cheney, D-Portage said "If there is no other way to do it, I would certainly consider raising taxes" to build the South Shore Line extensions.

Increasing rail service to Northwest Indiana communities is a commendable ideal and could be a solution for some of the transportation needs that would be addressed by the Illiana Expressway, but the unanswered question is what to do with all of the predicted increases in truck traffic on the Borman Expressway?

Copyright 2007, ChristopherHedges.com, All Rights Reserved.

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Was Giving Lake Co. Tourism Board Property Seizure Power Accidental?

Porter County legislators are upset about a "drafting error" in a dead bill that would have allowed Lake County, Indiana tourism officials to exercise eminent domain around the state, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

This issue had been a topic of discussion at the Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Tollroad message board in late March:

Wrote CAPIT leader Dave Alhberg on the anti Illiana Expressway board March 30:

One of our members brought this to my attention.

House Bill 1166 gives the Lake County Convention and Tourism Bureau the right to eminent domain throughout the state of Indiana! They already have this power in Lake County!

The bill is up for second reading and amendment in the Senate. I sent an e-mail (as a private citizen, not representing CAPIT) to Senators 1 through 8 strongly objecting to this ridiculous granting of eminent domain power. What does the Lake County Tourism Bureau want to condemn in other counties?

If you are like me, and believe that eminent domain powers need to be severely restricted, if not totally abolished, please send an e-mail to the local senators, and include "eminent domain" in your subject line to get their attention.

Thanks for your help!

Dave

A subsequent message showed the new eminent domain power that would be seemingly granted to the Lake County tourism officials:

SECTION 3, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 4. (a) The bureau may:

(1) accept and use gifts, grants, and contributions from any public or private source, under terms and conditions that the bureau considers necessary and desirable;

(2) sue and be sued;

(3) enter into contracts and agreements;

(4) make rules necessary for the conduct of its business and the accomplishment of its purposes;

(5) receive and approve, alter, or reject requests and proposals for funding by corporations qualified under subdivision (6);

(6) after its approval of a proposal, transfer money from the promotion fund or from the alternate revenue fund to any Indiana nonprofit corporation to promote and encourage conventions, trade shows, visitors, or special events in the county;

(7) require financial or other reports from any corporation that receives funds under this chapter;

(8) enter into leases under IC 36-1-10 for the construction, acquisition, and equipping of a visitor center; and

(9) exercise the power of eminent domain to acquire property to promote and encourage conventions, trade shows, special events, recreation, and visitors. within the county.

(b) All expenses of the bureau shall be paid from the promotion

Writes the Northwest Indiana Times on the controversial legislation:

Officials in Porter County are up in arms over failed legislation they fear would have given Lake County tourism officials the power to seize private property beyond its borders.

State Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville, said the proposal was a drafting error, but Porter County Council President Dan Whitten does not buy the explanation.

"How can they make such an error?" Whitten asked. ...

The bill in question, which is considered dead, called for eliminating the four county appointments to the bureau's governing board and allowing promotion money to be spent outside Lake County. Dobis said he has no plans to resurrect the proposal in another bill.

Giving Lake County officials the power to take property in other parts of the state would have been a bad deal for all involved, except maybe the Lake County officials who would have gained from the ability to grab various properties.

Just think of how much money GUEA's officials could have grabbed if they would have had the power of statewide eminent domain?

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway Illiana+Legislation Illiana+Toll+Road Interstate Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads

eminent+domain

tourism

Reports Of The Illiana Expressway's Demise May Be Premature

More on the Northwest Indiana Forum's lobbying effort to keep the Illiana Expressway project alive as an economic incubator for Northwest Indiana comes from today's Post-Tribune:

Now Northwest Indiana business and tourism leaders are quietly trying to persuade legislators to move forward with the project.

In a series of closed-door meetings with key members of the General Assembly last week, representatives of the Northwest Indiana Forum argued funding for a feasibility study of the entire Illiana --from Interstate 57 in Illinois through Interstate 65 to Interstate 94 -- should be approved this session.

Forum Director Vincent Galbiati said the group's objective in Indianapolis was simple: Remind lawmakers there is a great deal of support in Lake and Porter counties for the road project.

"From a business perspective, our membership represents $40 billion in commerce," Galbiati said. "We wanted them to understand business leadership is backing them if they decide to pursue this."

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Business Leaders Continue Push For Illiana Expressway

The Indianapolis Business Journal reports that the Northwest Indiana Forum continues the battle to build the proposed Illiana Expressway by meeting with Indiana legislators.

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Interesting CAPIT Thoughts About Chicago

Interesting thoughts about Chicago from the Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road's leader Dave Alhberg on their message board message board:

I was born and raised in Valparaiso, and the land I live on has been in my family for 80 years.

Chicago can fall into Lake Michigan for all I care.............

Dave

Without Chicago, Northwest Indiana fails economically. The reality is that Illinois' high taxes make Indiana very attractive to many Illinois residents. If plans to increase taxes against corporations based in Illinois are approved, it will only be a short time before businesses seek safe harbors in Indiana or Wisconsin.

We should embrace the economic engine that provides the money that feeds many Northwest Indiana families.

The Illiana Expressway from I-65 to I-57 (with my desire for an extension to connect to I-80 and I-355) would be the perfect to increase the wealth for all in Lake County, Indiana.

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Will High Farm Land Prices Affect Illiana Expressway Plans?

The proposed Illiana Expressway would cut across farm land in South Lake County. The Post-Tribune's Cristin Nance details how land prices are rising for the 482 farms in Lake County that cover 127,742 acres because of increased demand for corn to produce ethanol.

A single crop is making farm land all over the country more valuable this spring: corn.

The ethanol production boom has boosted prices to close to $4 a bushel. As a result, farmers are expected to plant 90.5 million acres of corn -- a 15 percent increase over 2006.

There are now 114 ethanol refineries nationwide and another 80 under construction. Ethanol plants are popping up all over Indiana and (John) Bryant (Jr) said it's driving up land prices as well.

The estimated value of farm real estate for the county in 2002 was almost $3,000 per acre. Bryant has heard of land prices in the neighborhood of $5,000 to $6,000 range.

"It all depends on where you are," Bryant said.

What will the high land prices mean for the future of the Illiana Expressway?

Will farmers (or their children) be tempted to sell their land if the price is right? Or, will high land prices make it more likely that farmers will hold on to their valuable land?

Will the Illiana Expressway have to be built as an elevated roadway as a compromise to save land while providing a needed transportation route as truck traffic on the Borman Expressway increases in the future as well as provide Lake County with economic development opportunities?

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Schererville Historian Predicts Illiana Expressway Will Be Built

The Northwest Indiana Times ran a story detailing the history of the Borman Expressway yesterday that contained a prediction from a Shererville historian that the Illiana Expressway will eventually be built.

(Art) Schweitzer said the current controversy over the Illiana may slow up plans for the roadway, but won't halt its actual construction. That's because prominent developers and business people are backing the road.

"The road will roll through," Schweitzer said. "It's just a matter of time."

My prediction: The Illiana Expressway will be built as well, but it is unlikely that it will be approved if Indiana has a Republican governor and a Democrat-controlled legislature.

Ellsworth Watch reported recently that an operative with funding from the state and national Democratic Party organizations has been organizing people against the I-69 project, even though it has been popular with Evansville politicians for decades.

The economic development opportunities are too great to pass up and local Democrats have expressed support for the Illiana Expressway in the past. Plus, the estimates that highway construction provides high paying union jobs as well as creating thousands of new jobs -- one union local predicts 47,000 jobs are created for each $1 billion in highway funding -- is too much for any political leader to turn down.

It might just be a matter of the Democrats wanting to strip out the aspects of the transportation project they don't like and also denying a victory to the GOP.

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My Illiana Dream Expressway

Here's my dream Illiana Expressway that can get me to many of the places I want to go in Illinois while avoiding traffic congestion on the Tri-State highway.

Run the Illiana Expressway from I-65 someplace in Lake County, Indiana to I-57. Continue the highway northeast to connect with the I-355 extension that will meet up with I-80 near New Lenox, Illinois.

From the Illinois Tollway:

The Illinois Tollway is constructing a 12.5-mile, three-lane extension of the North-South Tollway (I-355) from where it currently ends at the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) through Will County to I-80. This project is part of the Tollway's $5.3 billion Congestion-Relief Program to reduce travel times.

If this was the case, the Illiana Expressway would be an extension of I-355, providing easy access to Lake County, Indiana from Cook, Will, and DuPage counties in Illinois.

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Does CAPIT Really Care About North Lake County?

An interesting exchange occurred earlier on the Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road in which someone asked if CAPIT was really concerned about North Lake County, or if they were just being patronizing?

From the CAPIT No Illiana Toll Road Yahoo group:

I have no problem with anyone who is either for or against the road and their reasons are their personal business.

However, I think you folks look silly letting these professional "activists" clowns hitch their wagon to your cause or visa versa, however it went.

Mr. Ahlberg was quoted in the Times today as saying that he is now (and I'm paraphrasing) deeply concerned about the plight of Gary.

Please.

Enough already with the patronization of those who have nothing to do with the reasons that you don't want this road. This is totally about not wanting a road through YOUR neighborhood and NOTHING to do with Gary or the northern cities, period.

After some remarks from the CAPIT membership, the groups' leader Dave Alhberg responded with his comments:

I have exchanged several e-mails with the gentleman that first posted under this subject. He was reacting to how I appeared in the newspaper articles and after I explained what I had said that wasn't quoted in the paper, he saw things much differently. I hope to meet him personally at the meeting in Lake County on Wednesday. ...

The gist of what I said at the press conference was that while concern for our home and land was what fired us up in the first place, further research showed that there were far reaching impacts from a public works project like the Illiana Toll Road, and that it was a mistake to look solely at the project and not take a wider view of planning for the NWI area. What I said about the boarded up buildings and closed businesses in Hammond and Gary was absolutely my true feelings. We cannot continue to turn green fields to brown fields, and just because we want to protect the green fields, doesn't mean we can't care about the brown fields.

It's really difficult to boil these thoughts down to the "quotes" the media wants to print, and in this case, apparently I wasn't successful. That won't stop me from continuing to try.

Dave

It's great to see the opposition to the Illiana Toll Road Expressway is keeping things civil when dealing with supporters of the Interstate highway project. Maybe the back and forth between the supporters and opponents will result in the best possible outcomes for Lake County -- even if both sides don't get exactly what they hoped they'd receive when and if the project is approved or tabled.

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Would Illiana Be Greatest Good For The Greatest Number?

The Herald Bulletin raises points concerning the Indiana Commerce Connector that are applicable to the proposed Illiana Toll Road Expressway. Fears of uncontrolled economic growth can be controlled through zoning and other efforts cities, towns and county governments already undertake.

The key question is what promises the greatest good for the most people?

Writes the Herald Bulletin editorial board:

There is a conflict between the wish for economic growth and the desire to maintain small, intimate communities. A lot of times, however, it’s difficult to maintain the community without the growth that will increase the tax base.

It becomes, like most everything else, a matter of compromise. John Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism said “the greatest good for the greatest number.” We need to keep in mind that commerce and growth would serve area residents well.

We still think the growth the Commerce Connector would provide would be beneficial to the communities it would link. (Pendleton Town Council President Don) Henderson said he thinks it will eventually happen. We agree and suggest we plan on it.

Unions -- who represent 90% of highway construction workers -- say between 42,000 to 47,000 jobs are created for every $1 billion spent on road projects.

Lake County could use some of the economic stimulation that would be created by the Illiana Expressway Toll Road. The prospect of creating 47,000 extra jobs and putting many hard working union members to work building the Illiana Expressway Toll Road is not insignificant and weighs the scale heavily toward approval of the project.

We need to ask ourselves what would provide the greatest good for the most numbers of people in Lake County, Indiana before we turn our backs on a project that promises to bring significant economic development to Northwest Indiana.

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Highway Construction Trades 90% Unionized

Highway funding and construction creates many union jobs, according to the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139 Business Manager Terry McGowan:

These are just some of the reasons that a recent Cambridge study submitted to the Federal Highway Administration cited that for every $1 billion dollars spent on highways nationwide, 47,000 new jobs are created.

Half of those jobs are directly related to the actual construction of roadway, the rest are incidental to the new investment in the local economy, not to mention the expansion of the existing infrastructure in that area. I hold firm in my conviction to this philosophy.

In my years serving this industry I have seen the highway infrastructure program serve as a barometer to the state’s economy as well as the good and welfare of our membership, an organization that has been building Wisconsin highways for more than 100 years. It is also an industry that is more than 90 percent organized.

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AFL-CIO: 42,000 Jobs For Each $1B Of Highway Spending

The AFL-CIO wrote in 2003 that 42,000 jobs are created for every $1 billion of highway spending when it was warning American workers about cuts the Bush Administration had made in funding highway construction projects.

A billion dollars invested in highway construction creates more than 42,000 jobs. The drastic cut in funding the Administration proposes will ripple through the economy beyond construction to manufacturing, services and other industries and affect jobs and the economy for years to come. ...

Under-investment in the national transportation infrastructure leads to inefficiencies in transport and delays in travel for business and for the traveling and commuting public.

Adequate investments in highway construction are also a key building block for ensuring homeland security. Indeed, national security was one of the key reasons motivating President Eisenhower's commitment to building a solid, well-maintained interstate highway system.

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'Ignoring The Needs Of The Future'

Morton Marcus argues that anti Illiana Expressway activists are ignoring the needs of the future for shortsighted personal concerns.

On another note, I am disappointed that Gov. Daniels has withdrawn his support for the Commerce Connector around the eastern and southern sides of the Indianapolis metro area. I am equally distressed that he orphaned the Illiana Expressway east of I-65.

These were good ideas he put forward. Now is the time to pursue them.

Today the public outcry against these initiatives is too strong for a smart politician to ignore. Soon it will be too late to advance these projects because the land will be built over and the number and intensity of the protests will be much greater. The governor proposed what will be needed. His ideas deserved serious consideration not knee-jerk opposition. The narrow-minded occupants of these lands today showed again the human tendency to ignore the needs of the future. Rather than risk their ire, the governor stepped back.

If Mitch Daniels was a good bureaucrat, he would have appointed a "blue ribbon" council to outline the transportation needs of the state.

Then he could have endorsed their proposals with less identification of his own political career with the projects themselves. It is always sad when voters won't consider the rational programs of their leaders.

And these are the same voters who follow blindly a president who is bereft of rational programs.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Indiana+Commerce+Connector Gov.+Mitch+Daniels Highway

CAPIT Plans Lake Co. Rally April 4

The Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road plan a Lake County rally at the Fairgrounds on April 4, according to their Yahoo message board (free registration required).

Writes CAPIT leader Dave Ahlberg:

We have set up an informational meeting at the Lake County Fairgrouds, 4H Building on Wednesday, April 4, at 6:30.

This will be an opportunity for Lake County to show its strength in opposition to the I65 / I-57 Illiana Toll Road.

We need a LARGE turnout to show that we are not rolling over on the western section. We are opposed to the project, we are opposed to any study done by the state. We need to address this LOUD and CLEAR so that the legislators know there is "massive opposition" to the west end also.

This meeting may be the one and only chance Lake County residents have to show the Lake County opposition to the Illiana Toll Road. The Governor has stated that even the west end could be a Privatized Toll Road.

It's not over people! The whole thing could resurface in the closing days of the session. We need to keep up the heat! I hope to see you there.

It will be interesting to compare the number of license plates with "64" and "45, 94 & 96" prefixes are in the Lake County Fairgrounds parking lot that evening.

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A New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms

The Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road joined forces with the Interfaith Federation, Save The Dunes Council and the Duneland Sierra Club to urge a lobbying effort against the revised Illiana Expressway proposal that would build a new highway from I-65 to I-57 in Illinois, reports both the Post-Tribune and the Northwest Indiana Times.

Writes the Post-Tribune:

The group wanted a study to look at ways of revitalizing the urban communities in northern Lake County and to lessen congestion with mass transit, rather than building a new highway.

"There is a definite need for more funding for public transportation," said the Rev. Asher Harris, president of the Interfaith Council.

He called the coming together of the mixed group of activists a "powerful voice" to change the debate over the highway.

The NWI Times reports the alliance of North and South Lake County interests is historic.

"Today we are making history in Northwest Indiana," said the Rev. Asher Harris, president of the Interfaith Federation, a faith-based organization that focuses on creating equity and destroying concentrated poverty by effecting change in public policy and institutions.

"This is the first time citizen groups from Lake County and Porter County -- north and south -- have come together to speak with one powerful voice," Harris said.

The anti Illiana Expressway Toll Road coalition wants to stop Indiana Senate Bill 1 this year.

Yesterday, CAPIT backed away from one key ingredient that might be necessary to get buses and trains rolling -- a new tax supported by the mass transit supporters.

Maybe the compromise to make everyone happy will be to make plans for the eventual expansion of the Borman Expressway when it fills up with cross-country and Canada-to-Mexico traffic by obtaining additional right-of-way space north of the current highway since wetlands are located to the south. Express and local lanes could be added -- with maybe dedicated lanes for cross-country trucks. Additional lane capacity in the form of reversible lanes could also be an option for times when there are many outbound commuters or when truck traffic is heavy.

Continually improving the Borman Expressway would provide economic development opportunities for North Lake County as well as keeping the traffic flowing through Lake County.

In addition, maybe an on-demand jitney service could connect Gary, East Chicago, and Hammond with Valparaiso, Lowell, as well as other rural areas that have traditionally been under served by mass transit in the area, but that can't support full-fledged bus service yet.

Such a service would allow rural residents to access Lake County casinos, Indiana University Northwest, and Purdue University Calumet without the need to drive their cars. Routes could travel to both Porter Hospital campuses, Valparaiso University, and all of the cities and town in Porter County. A Lake County link to Porter County hospitals is important to serve patients and their families when they are hospitalized at Porter.

Links with the Gary Public Transportation Corporation should also be incorporated to provide residents with links to Illinois' Pace system, as well as the South Shore Line to build on the strength of existing mass transit systems.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway Illiana+Legislation Illiana+Toll+Road Interstate Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads
Interfaith+Federation Save+The+Dunes Dunelands+Sierra+Club
CAPIT

'Don't Pass Up Opportunity'

St. John resident Bob O'Leary urges support for a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to improve roads in Lake County in a letter to the Northwest Indiana Times:

A key ingredient for a region to prosper is a good infrastructure, good rail and especially good roads. We do not have good roads. The Borman is a nightmare. I know people who won't even drive on the road, and it's only going to get worse. An opportunity, that until recently, is suddenly within reach to achieve improved roads, something to build a new economy on... logistics, and now suddenly I fear we are about to blow this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Indiana+Commerce+Connector Gov.+Mitch+Daniels Highway

Does Illiana Fight Signal A Right & Left Alliance?

Editor's Note: This page located at ChristopherHedges.com is a favorite of content scrapers and thus this note that the original is located at my page.

Does the fight against the Illiana Expressway Toll Road signal an alliance between the right and left wings of American politics?

Environmental and urban core issue advocates seemingly have teamed up with people wary of a large new government project that has ties to international interests in a battle against what they see as a common foe.

The environmental and urban issues concerns are obvious. Roads could cut through wetlands and increase auto and truck traffic, causing more pollution. Urban issues advocacy groups fear new development could cause greater decay in more established cities as people and businesses move away from the urban core.

Here's where it gets interesting for some on the right who oppose interstate highway construction.

Some on the right fear a loss of U.S. sovereignty to multinational forces who seek increased Mexican and Canadian trade along so called NAFTA highways.

From John Newby, publisher of the LaPorte Herald Argus:

Is this entire project just a cover for another agenda, the NAFTA super highway?

While the maps for both the proposed Illiana and the NAFTA project in this area appear very similar, we should at least know and understand those issues as well.

If they aren’t related, that is fine. If they are related in anyway, Americans ought to have chills running down their spines. I’ve seen many remarks and comments concerning the NAFTA superhighway project.

However, most the comments I’ve seen are made out of ignorance of the facts and the agenda behind this massive redistribution of wealth.

For those wanting a brief education on the NAFTA superhighway, visit conservative Republican Congressman Ron Paul’s website located at www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2006/tst103006.htm.

It’s quite the eye-opener!

Here's what Rep. Paul (R-TX) writes:

The proposed highway is part of a broader plan advanced by a quasi-government organization called the “Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America,” or SPP.

The SPP was first launched in 2005 by the heads of state of Canada, Mexico, and the United States at a summit in Waco.

The SPP was not created by a treaty between the nations involved, nor was Congress involved in any way. Instead, the SPP is an unholy alliance of foreign consortiums and officials from several governments. One principal player is a Spanish construction company, which plans to build the highway and operate it as a toll road. But don’t be fooled: the superhighway proposal is not the result of free market demand, but rather an extension of government-managed trade schemes like NAFTA that benefit politically-connected interests.

The real issue is national sovereignty. Once again, decisions that affect millions of Americans are not being made by those Americans themselves, or even by their elected representatives in Congress. Instead, a handful of elites use their government connections to bypass national legislatures and ignore our Constitution-- which expressly grants Congress the sole authority to regulate international trade.

The ultimate goal is not simply a superhighway, but an integrated North American Union -- complete with a currency, a cross-national bureaucracy, and virtually borderless travel within the Union. Like the European Union, a North American Union would represent another step toward the abolition of national sovereignty altogether.

I bet everyone in this coalition of diverse viewpoints allied against new highways is always careful to not bring up the sovereignty implications of the United Nation's Kyoto Protocol.

Copyright (C) 2007, Christopher C. Hedges, ChristopherHedges.com, All Rights Reserved.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway Illiana+Legislation Illiana+Toll+Road Interstate Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads

Tech Tags: NASCO Supercorridor NAFTA+highway I-80 I-94 The+International+Mid+Continent+Trade+Corridor

CAPIT Teams Up With Pro-Transit Groups, But Doesn't Support 1% Tax

Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road has teamed up with transit supporters, but remains neutral on a 1% food and beverage tax to pay for the public transit services, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

A group opposing the proposed Illiana Expressway is has agreed to team up with the Interfaith Federation and Save the Dunes Council to support what they are calling smart growth across the Region.

Citizens Against Privatized Illiana Toll Road also is distancing itself from a claim that it supports a 1 percent food and beverage tax to support regional busing.

Dave Ahlberg, president of Citizens Against Privatized Illiana Toll Road, said the inaccurate claim was the result of a misunderstanding that arose when his group agreed to team up with the Interfaith Federation and Save the Dunes Council.

CAPIT is neutral on the proposed tax, he said. But the group does share the coalition's opposition to the Illiana Expressway project and the call for alternative forms of transportation.

"We're just a group of like-minded people in some areas," Ahlberg said.

CAPIT's support for the tax was included in a press release announcing a press conference today on the new coalition.

CAPIT's neutral tax position makes sense because it has often been argued that rural areas end up subsidizing urban mass transit without any corresponding benefits for those taxpayers.

It would be interesting if a rural mass transit system could be developed that would be self-supporting, that wouldn't encourage sprawl (a NIRPC document shows some complain a Lowell South Shore Line might cause sprawl), and would be able to meet the needs of people in areas less densely populated than urban and suburban areas. But, it is likely that any such system would require heavy taxpayer subsidies to be able to operate.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads CAPIT Road+Construction Corridors+Of+The+Future

Pursue Revised Illiana Plan Says Post-Tribune

Lake County needs the revised Illiana Expressway for Lake County's economic growth, says the editorial board of the Post-Tribune.

Although the governor has altered his plan, we encourage the many planning and economic development groups in Northwest Indiana to remain supportive of the revised proposal for the Illiana Expressway.

Given the demographics of the area between Lowell and the Kankakee River, the Illiana can be built with minimum disruption. If Lake County is to reach its potential economically, the Illiana must be part of the equation.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Indiana+Commerce+Connector Gov.+Mitch+Daniels Highway

Rose Blogs Her Anti-Illiana Position On Myspace

Myspace Rose from Valparaiso explains why she's against the Illiana Expressway Toll Road:

there are so many things wrong with the whole entire concept of building a new toll east of 65! it would be pointless to the general public.

all that would happen is the reopening of the proposal on the dump in boone grove!

i don't want a damn toll that would be pointless for me to us because i already have the means to get to chicago by the roads that already exist... they are called; I65, RT30, I80/94, RT130, RT49 and the current toll that ppl rarely use, 90. ...

next are the ppl who say that they would rather drive around chicago instead of through to avoid the traffic and this proposed toll road would help their problem. well... hum... how can i put this? you're an idiot.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Indiana+Commerce+Connector Gov.+Mitch+Daniels Highway

CAPIT Reports No April 4th Illiana Expressway Hearing

From the Citizens Against The Privatized Illiana Toll Road's Yahoo group:

When we receive important information from Indianapolis I like to confirm it with a second source, so sorry about the delay, but:

I just confirmed that Senate Bill 1 will NOT be heard by the House Transportation Committee and consequently, there will be no hearing April 4. Rather anti-climactic but good news regardless.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Indiana+Commerce+Connector Gov.+Mitch+Daniels Highway

Tully Critiques Governor's Illiana East Leg Defeat

Indy Star columnist Matt Tully critiques Gov. Mitch Daniels' Illiana (and Indiana Commerce Connector) defeats.

Even in defeat, don't think Daniels is crying. His office began calling allies to announce his decision Friday but released it to the media Saturday -- a move that guaranteed a big splash in the Sunday papers. A veteran of politics, Daniels knows how to bury news you want buried: Release it late on a Friday. He also knows Sunday papers are the best read.

Headlines across the state, essentially saying, "I heard you," don't hurt.

Plus, Daniels saved himself the headache and heartburn of more hearings, organized by Democrats and full of loud opposition to the toll roads.

If Daniels made the best of a losing situation, he deserves credit for doing it so gracefully. He didn't criticize opponents. He didn't question their motives. He took the high toll road.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Indiana+Commerce+Connector Gov.+Mitch+Daniels Highway

Casson's View: Rural Folks Stay Off Suburban Roads

Valparaiso's David Casson -- noted anti Iraq War advocate -- weighs in on the Illiana Expressway Toll Road debate with a letter to the Post-Tribune's editor in which he tells those opposed to highways to stay off of the suburban highways.

I can understand why those who live in the area of the proposed Illiana Expressway opposed it to safeguard their country lifestyle.

We who live north of them also enjoy our suburban lifestyle and wish to preserve it. It is the perfect balance between the rushed big-city life and the docile country life.

Therefore, we request that those who live in Old MacDonald Land please stay out of our area. ...

Please do not use our expressways or Toll Road, since they are so abhorrent to you. ...

Since you dislike our way of life in suburbia, please don't come up here and disrupt it.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Indiana+Commerce+Connector Gov.+Mitch+Daniels Highway

Does Mitch Daniels' New Illiana Plan Help His Reelection Chances?

Mark Kiesling at the Northwest Indiana Times thinks that Gov. Mitch Daniels' withdrawal of the east leg of the Illiana Expressway Toll Road might win him some Northwest Indiana votes in his reelection bid:

Would that have cost him the 2008 election? The Illiana would likely not. He doesn't pull huge votes out of Northwest Indiana anyway. ...

But in what could shape up to be a close race, by killing the eastern portion of the Illiana Daniels has made a couple thousand happy folks who will remember him as the guy who stood up for the little man.

"This is a great day for democracy," said Dave Ahlberg, head of Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road.

Daniels has won hearts and minds in the short run.

And that's all that counts when re-election is your Major Move.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Indiana+Commerce+Connector Gov.+Mitch+Daniels Highway

'We No Longer Want To Be The Silent Majority'

Pro Illiana Expressway Toll Road supporters plan an Indianapolis Statehouse lobbying effort to rival the anti Illiana effort planned by the Citizens Against The Privatized Illiana Toll Road, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

Eighteen business groups ranging from the City of LaPorte to the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce signed on to the pro-Illiana lobbying effort this week, which will specifically target Northwest Indiana's delegation in the Indiana General Assembly.

"A project of this magnitude deserves its due diligence," said Vince Galbiati, president and CEO of the Northwest Indiana Forum. "Legislators hearing directly from the business community is essential."

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Indiana+Commerce+Connector Gov.+Mitch+Daniels Highway

I-94 Plans Seek Mexico To Canada Superhighway

I-94 and I-80
will connect Indiana
to a major Mexico
to Canada route.

Could the proposed
Illiana Expressway
from I-57 to I-65
capture some
of the international traffic?

Graphic source: London Telegraph via Infowars

The Illiana Expressway Toll Road -- if built -- might end up getting some traffic as part of a huge highway project supporters hope will stimulate more trade with Mexico and Canada. The international portions would connect Northwest Indiana with the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico and with the province of Ontario, Canada, as well as points beyond in both countries. It would also explain a reason why the Illiana proposal was modified by Gov. Mitch Daniels to connect I-57 in Illinois to I-94 in Michigan City, before the eastern leg was removed from the project proposal.

Proponents of the new Canada to Mexico highway system praise its economic development potential and state that it only uses existing roadway. The group spearheading the effort also stresses that it isn't a part of the government .

From NASCO:

There is no proposed NAFTA Superhighway. The map is not a plan or blueprint of any kind. The infrastructure depicted on the map is not drawn to scale. The highways shown on the map exist today, and have been enlarged to highlight the NASCO Corridor focus area. They are EXISTING highways 35, I-29 and I-94 (the NASCO Corridor) in the United States, and existing highways connecting to them in Canada and Mexico.

The rail lines have been placed on the map to show NASCO’s multimodal approach.

Our website is to promote NASCO – it is a marketing tool. If the highways were drawn to scale they would be very, very small. The map is intended to show we focus on more than highways. We focus on rail, trucking, inland ports, air cargo – multiple modes of transportation.

The map is a marketing tool – not a plan for new infrastructure or a secretly approved plan by a government agency or administration.

Some opponents fear that the United States will end up becoming a part of an European Union style government comprised of the US, Mexico and Canada -- a North American Union.

The concerns about hastening a North American Union lie with the fact that the new Texas superhighways could be expanded nationwide, and allow Chinese goods landed at a Mexican port to be hauled through the United States. To facilitate that, current limits and restrictions in cross-border travel would need to be minimized.

Some southern Indiana I-69 opponents raise NAFTA as an argument against highway construction.

Writes Steven Higgs, editor of the Bloomington Alternative:

Plans for the Indiana stretch of the NAFTA highway are the most advanced anywhere along the corridor. For that reason, the Southwest Indiana citizen struggle against I-69 is evolving past the not-in-by-backyard (NIMBY) model suggested in your piece into a battleground over global trade.

I-69 is not about NIMBY, Mr. Inskeep, it's about NAFTA. I urge you to stay tuned and check in with us often.

Others fear large highways will cut across their property cutting them off from neighbors while diminishing their farm acreage.

The International
Mid-Continent
Trade Corridor

Reports the London Telegraph via Infowars:

In Texas, the superhighway would be so wide that critics say it would be too expensive to construct overpasses except in the cities, severing tight-knit rural communities.

The superhighway is being promoted by a pressure group, the North America's Supercorridor Coalition, which includes business leaders, trade groups and government officials from Canada, Mexico and the US.

However, officials of the federal government in Washington deny that there is any transnational plan. A member of the Department of Transport told a congressional committee this month that all the government wanted to was improve existing roads.

Many conservatives disagree. They link the highway to agreements being negotiated behind closed doors between the Mexican, American and Canadian governments that they believe will transform the North American Free Trade Association into an EU-style superstate. They point to an agreement signed by Mr Bush, Vicente Fox, then president of Mexico, and Paul Martin, then Canada's prime minister, in Waco, Texas, in March 2005.

According to NASCO, the organization working on the International Mid-Continent Trade Corridor, the superhighway will utilize I-94 as part of the new trade route:

The NASCO “trade and transportation zone” encompasses Interstate Highways 35, 29 and 94, the significant east/west connectors to those highways, as well as rail, inland ports and deep-water ports impacting trade flow in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Even though I'm sure there will be people opposed to improving existing highways out of fears concerning NAFTA, I'm excited that I-80/I-94 could be something that helps stimulate Lake County's economy.

New intermodal projects in Northwest Indiana and Northeast Illinois are planned or are being built. Having good roads to and from major U.S. trading partners could only help all of the new factories and businesses springing up along I-65 in Lake County and the big Ameriplex project in Portage. And, we shouldn't forget the possibilities of increased trade with the Port of Indiana.

Maybe everyone in Northwest Indiana should write their pols urging them to vote against any extension of I-69 to connecting Indianapolis with Evansville because it would be better for Lake County to get a piece of the intermodal and international trade action and the jobs and economic benefits it promises. It's also in Northwest Indiana's best economic interests to keep the international trade action and money away from downstate Indiana as much as possible since the area is often overlooked and ignored by those downstate.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway Illiana+Legislation Illiana+Toll+Road Interstate Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads

Tech Tags: NASCO Supercorridor NAFTA+highway I-80 I-94 The+International+Mid+Continent+Trade+Corridor

INDOT Illiana Web Site Down

The Indiana Department of Transportation's Illiana Expressway Toll Road website is down.

Here's the message displayed at the state's Illiana page as of 2:30 p.m. CDT:

The Web page you are seeking currently doesn't exist in this location due to a new and improved redesign to the Indiana Department of Transportation Web site.

Please check to see if the link you are looking for is listed below. If you are seeking additional information about the Department of Transportation that is not listed below, please select from the links to the left or the links that are part of the banner.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway Illiana+Legislation Illiana+Toll+Road Interstate Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads

Highland Democrat To Porter Co.: No Illiana Money For You

Among all of the usual Illiana Expressway Toll Road news -- the Democrats plan to study the proposal to route the Illiana Expressway from I-65 to Illinois and Gov. Mitch Daniels listened to the people -- was this interesting tidbit published in the Post Tribune:

Highland Democrat Rep. Dan Stevenson is quoted in the paper's Wednesday corrections section stating that while he supports extending the South Shore Line into Porter County, he doesn't support using any money that would be earned from the proposed Illiana project to fund the Porter County rail line extension.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway Illiana+Legislation Illiana+Toll+Road Interstate Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads

CAPIT Not Quiting Anti Illiana Fight

Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road will move their fight against the 10 mile stretch of highway proposed by Gov. Mitch Daniels for Lake County, Indiana now that the interstate won't extend east of I-65, writes Terri Ahlberg on the No Illiana Toll Road message board. (Free Yahoo registration required).

Our core members are going to continue to fight all of issues that we feel stongly about. Okay...so no one wanted to lose there home...thats what started this fight.

But in the 40 days or so that we have been organized the we have been doing research 7 days a week. We will not be divided, or be quiet.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Toll+Road Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Northwest+Indiana Highway Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads
CAPIT

Legislative Study For Illiana This Summer Or Fall?

The Indiana Democrats responded to Gov. Mitch Daniels' announcement that the Illiana Expressway Toll Road wouldn't extend east past I-65.

“You can only push people so far before they begin to see right through you,” (Democratic chairman Dan) Parker said. “Hoosiers have spoken, and Mitch Daniels knew House Democrats would listen to them. He had no choice but to take his unpopular proposals off the table.”

Things could still be on track for a Lake County Illiana Expressway, but it might be pushed back into Indiana House committee hearings.

Indiana House Speaker Pat Bauer promised "legislative study" for "toll road proposals" in the summer or the fall, according to the Democrat's news release.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Toll+Road Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Northwest+Indiana Highway Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads

Are New Indiana Road Projects Insane?

The I-69 News Blog rejoices in the news that the Indiana Commerce Connector and news of scaled-back plans for the Illiana Expressway Toll Road:

We have to remember that this victory is due to the strength of our communities and our resistance - these horrific road plans were only withdrawn because of the willingness of people across Indiana to stand up and say no, and also, to begin organizing with others to resist.

As we take on and defeat insane road project after insane road project, it is also increasingly clear that we can take on and defeat I-69, especially since its been weakened by this news.

I wonder if both sides will ever be able to meet in the middle to address the transportation needs of Lake County, Indiana in such a way that makes everyone happy?

Something will have to be done as people continue to move into Lake County, Indiana.

Our neighboring name-sake county to the north -- Lake County, Illinois -- faced the issue of congested streets and roads not too long ago as people move out of the urban core into the suburbs:

Every Lake County (Illinois) motorist has experienced the frustration of getting caught in congestion.

Traffic gridlock is listed as the No. 1 concern facing Lake County (Illinois) residents in many surveys. And, with the county's population expected to continue to grow rapidly, those problems will only get worse.

If something isn't done, people in Lake County, Indiana will be complaining about the lack of foresight in traffic planning.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Indiana+Commerce+Connector Gov.+Mitch+Daniels Highway

Did Forces Of Limited, Rigid And Narrow Thinking Win Toll Road Battles?

Indiana Barrister writes that the "forces of limited, rigid and narrow thinking" may have won the battles against new highway construction in Indiana, including limiting the Illiana Expressway Toll Road to I-65 and westward.

Score a victory for the forces of limited, rigid and narrow thinking. ... The natives were restless and opposed both plans. These are usually the same people who end opposing DST and running water. ...

Abdul Hakim-Shabazz, author of the Indiana Barrister post, takes it a step further and suggests Indiana should be split into two sections. Ouch!

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Public+Private+Toll+Roads Transportation

If State Operated Illiana, Would That Remove All Opposition?

Brad at the Everything Else Blog raises an interesting point about opposition to the Illiana Expressway Toll Road:

However he (Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels) still wants to build the 10 mile section from the Illinois and Indiana state line to I-65 as a privatized toll road. I still object to that. To be sure I think it should be a toll road, because money is tight for new roads but it should be built and managed by the state.

The public-private partnership controversy surrounding the Illiana Expressway Toll Road had been raised earlier by Dan at the Move On A Shut Up Blog:

(P)erhaps even more interesting, is that only a portion of the con position is about environmental and/or local concerns, rather it seems that there is a focus on being against privatized roads.

If the Illiana Expressway Toll Road was operated by the State, would that knock off the remaining opposition to the proposed new highway project?

Tech Tags: CAPIT Corridors+Of+The+Future Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Public+Private+Toll+Roads Road+Construction Transportation

Rep. Kuzman Favors Illiana, Reports NWI Times

Indiana State Rep. Bob Kuzman tells the Northwest Indiana Times he is in favor of the Illiana Expressway Toll Road in a story about Gov. Mitch Daniels dropping plans to extend the proposed Illiana east of Interstate 65.

State Rep. Bob Kuzman, D-Crown Point, said he believes the public should have been involved in the planning process from the beginning.

"I still believe the priority should be the South Shore to alleviate the traffic and it would be better for the environment," he said. "I support the Illiana, but I support letting the people help choose the route. I think the people spoke and the governor heard their input. From the beginning we should have utilized that approach and used a feasibility study to determine if (taking the proposed route east of I-65) was needed or not needed."

Tech Tags: Bob+Kuzman Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads CAPIT Road+Construction Corridors+Of+The+Future

Scrap Plans For Illiana Expressway East Of I-65?

The Times of Northwest Indiana's Mike Clark says its time to scrap plans to build the Illiana Expressway Toll Road east of I-65 since that's where all of the opposition lives while supporters live west of Interstate 65.

Build it as first conceived, from I-57 to I-65.

It is becoming clearer by the day that the towns along the original route, including Beecher in Illinois and Cedar Lake and Crown Point in Indiana, are bullish on the project and the economic development it would spur.

And the Illiana seems finally to be a priority in at least one state capital, with Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels lending his support to the long-in-the-planning road.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has a few other things on his plate right now, including multiple scandals in his administration. But in Springfield and Washington, momentum is building for the Illiana as well among legislators in both parties.

With the window of opportunity being propped open, it's time for Daniels to admit that his late revise to the Illiana route -- extending it from I-65 to I-94 in LaPorte County -- has no future.

Just as the push for the Illiana in Illinois' Will County and Indiana's Lake County gains traction, the idea of expanding the road east through Porter County seems more and more a nonstarter.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway Illiana+Legislation Illiana+Toll+Road Interstate Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads

Illiana Opponents Start Letter Writing Campaign

The Herald Argus reports Illiana Expressway Toll Road opponents have started writing their legislators urging them to oppose the proposed highway. But, it remains to be seen if the letter writing campaign will sway legislators.

CAPIT -- Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road -- held a meeting yesterday in Westville and passed out form letters to the 400 people gathered to mail to their legislators. The CAPIT website, no-illiana.com, also provides tools to mass email all Indiana legislators.

Reports the Herald Argus:

Residents are unsure if the letters will have the desired income.

“Some (lawmakers) will see it as a mass letter and won’t give it the due diligence it deserves. But I would hope some would be moved by them,” Brian said.

It remains to be seen if State Rep. Tom Dermody, R-La Porte, will be moved by the letters.

Dermody, the only state legislator to attend Thursday’s meeting, supports the idea of conducting a study to determine a route for the roadway, but said he’s against the governor having ultimate authority in deciding the route.

But he’s also against voting down the legislation based on displeasure from residents that may or may not be affected.

“We don’t even know what the route is. How can you say no when you don’t know what you are saying no to?” he asked.

If projections of increasing congestion on I-94 are accurate, Dermody said a solution to highway congestion in northwest Indiana will have to be found.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway Illiana+Legislation Illiana+Toll+Road Interstate Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads

Northwest Indiana Forum Supports Illiana Expressway

The Northwest Indiana Times reports that the Northwest Indiana Forum is supporting the Illiana Expressway Toll Road.

The Northwest Indiana Forum, representing 120 companies and organizations in the region, has announced it supports a study of the proposed Illiana Expressway.

The Forum cited the essential nature of improved transportation in creating jobs, attracting industry, enhancing productivity and keeping up with global competitiveness in endorsing the study.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Public+Private+Toll+Roads Transportation

Blue Indiana Wary Of Privatization

Thomas at Blue Indiana is wary of privatizing government operations, but is undecided on the question of building the Illiana Expressway Toll Road.

I am obviously wary of the Governor's efforts to privatize our public infrastructure, but I honestly don't have much of an opinion as of yet on whether the Illiana should be built at all.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Public+Private+Toll+Roads Transportation

Breaker 1-9, It's A CAPIT Convoy!

Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Tollroad plan to mount their steel steeds and hit the interstate in a convoy to Indianapolis to protest the building of another highway -- the proposed Illiana Expressway Toll Road, reports The Northwest Indiana Times.

For a group formed just 40 days ago, Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road certainly seems to have gathered momentum. The organization's next step is to coordinate a convoy of area residents to Indianapolis to attend the next House Transportation Committee hearing on Senate Bill 1. The hearing is tentatively scheduled for April 4.

Tech Tags: Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads Highways

South Bend Tribune Supports Illiana Expressway

The South Bend Tribune throws its support in favor of the Illiana Expressway Toll Road.

A proposal that would authorize the state to proceed with plans for the construction of the Illiana Expressway deserves the support of the Indiana House. ...

The expressway has long been viewed as needed. The Indiana Department of Transportation estimates 300,000 vehicles travel between Indiana and Chicago each day using the Borman, U.S. 6, U.S. 30, the Indiana Toll Road and local streets. Some officials believe a new expressway would reduce truck traffic on U.S. 30 by 59 percent and on the Borman by 22 percent. Such reductions would significantly improve public safety.

Plans for the Illiana Expressway deserve to move forward.

Tech Tags: Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana+Legislation Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads Highways

Illiana Expressway Blog Round Up

Daltons Briefs over at Porter County Politics has an Illiana Toll Blogs round-up today highlighting what's being written about the proposed Illiana Expressway.

Tech Tags: Illiana Illiana+Expressway+Toll+Road Porter+County+Politics

Vernon Smith Against S.B. 1?

CAPIT's Yahoo message board is reporting that Rep. Vernon Smith, (D-Gary) wrote a member saying he is presently against the Indiana Senate Bill 1.

Cheryl Schultz writes that she received an email from Rep. Smith:

Here's the e-mail I received:

Presently, I am opposed to SB 1. I will keep your views in mind should the bill come before the House for a vote.

Respectfully yours,
Dr. Vernon G. Smith

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Citizens Against The Privatized Illiana Toll Road To Meet Tonight

Citizens Against The Illiana Privatized Toll Road is holding a meeting tonight at Westville High School at 7 p.m.

Tech Tags: Illiana+Expressway Illiana Illiana+Legislation Illiana+Toll+Road Indiana+Senate+Bill+1 Interstate Transportation Public+Private+Toll+Roads