Public Interest Group Issues Negative Indiana Toll Road Report

The Blue Indiana blog -- never a friend of the Mitch Daniel's administration that set up and oversaw the lease of the Indiana Toll Road to private interests -- found a US Public Interest Research Group report that says that the Indiana Toll Road lease was a bad deal for future Indiana taxpayers.

As I said, there is much more in the report, so go check it out. The general implication is, unfortunately, that the Indiana Toll Road lease and Major Moves program, while potentially politically useful for Governor Daniels now, will almost certainly result in numerous long-term problems for the state and the future generations who will be forced to live with the decisions of this administration.

It remains to be see whether the Indiana Toll Road lease works out for the best in the end, but Governor Mitch Daniel's administration points to huge interest that is being earned on the up-front lease payment that was obtained from the Indiana Toll Road operators.

Copyright 2007, ChristopherHedges.com, All Rights Reserved.

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

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.

Copyright 2007, ChristopherHedges.com, All Rights Reserved.

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Illiana Expressway Study Bill Passes

The Illiana Expressway is closer to becoming reality now that a study bill has passed the Indiana House and Senate.

Reports the Northwest Indiana Times:

Lawmakers have agreed to study an Illiana Expressway from Interstate 57 in Illinois to Interstate 65 in Lake County. The plan cleared the Senate 48-0 and the House 95-3 on Sunday

The bill gives $2 million to INDOT to study the need to build the proposed Illiana Expressway from I-65 to I-57.

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.

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

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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Anti Illiana Expressway Opponents To Attend Hobart Global Warming Rally?

A message on the Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road asks members to show up wearing "No Illiana" T-shirts to a noon-time rally against global warming in Hobart, Indiana on April 14 at the Hobart First Unitarian Church.

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

Let's Build Burnham's Third Ring Road: House Approves Illiana Study Legislation

The Indiana House passed legislation yesterday that would authorize a study of the Illiana Expressway from I-65 in Lake County, Indiana to I-57 in Illinois, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

The measure was passed by voice vote after it was offered as an amendment. The legislation removes the possibility of the Illiana Expressway extending into Porter County or being operated by private entities, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, won support Thursday for a plan to study an Illiana Expressway that won't run through Porter or LaPorte counties or be built with the help of private financing.

The proposal, contained in an amendment the House adopted by a voice vote, still would allow the state to study building the road as a tollway, but only from Interstate 65 in Lake County to Interstate 57 in Illinois. Supporters say the move would put some concrete answers behind a debate now fueled by emotion.

"We need the facts," Soliday said. "Let's get the facts, and let's stop shouting at one another."

The Illiana has been a dream of urban planners for decades. But loud opponents in southern Porter County saw it as a nightmare that would end their bucolic lifestyle.

Reports the Post-Tribune:

The measure allows only a study of the proposal. It does not give the governor authority to enter into a public-private partnership for a company to build the Illiana.

"Let me repeat: There is no P-3 authority in this amendment," Soliday said while explaining his plan, an acknowledgement that much of the opposition in Northwest Indiana to an earlier bill focused on the power it would have given Gov. Mitch Daniels to pursue such a contract to build the Illiana after a study was finished.

Soliday's amendment sets a two-year time limit on the study, and caps the state's payment for the work at $2 million. The study would look only at the western leg of the proposal, from Interstate 57 in Illinois to Interstate 65.

Soliday's amendment would create a bipartisan committee composed of four senators and four representatives to which The Indiana Department of Transportation would report the findings of the feasibility study.

The measure stipulates at least four of the eight members of the committee come from Lake County.

"We can't decide whether to do anything until we have accurate information about whether this would work," Soliday said. "Let's get that information."

Now, let's get out there and study the Illiana Expressway, then build Daniel Burnham's third ring road around Chicago by connecting the Illiana to I-355 at I-80! The visionary planner of Chicago's beautiful lake front saw the need for a third ring road almost a century ago!

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

Will Toll Road Plans End Political Careers?

Hoping to defeat plans to authorize the construction of the Illiana Expressway from I-65 to I-57, the Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road plan to make private toll roads a major election issue, writes their leader, Dave Alhberg on CAPIT's message board.

Two years will get us past the current term of the Governor. I'm sure privatization and road building will be a major issue in the election NEXT YEAR.

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

Truck Freight Arteries

Truck freight traffic flows
to and from
Northwest Indiana
via I-80 / I-94.

The Borman Expressway (I-80/I-94) is a major truck freight artery that is filled with flowing traffic that eventually ends up in Texas, according to a map published by Trans-Texas Corridor using federal highway statistics.

Notice I-69 is another major artery flowing with truck freight traffic.

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

200 Illiana Protesters Meet in Lake County

About 200 Illiana Expressway protesters gathered to voice their opposition to the proposed toll road at a meeting organized by the Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

Speakers at the forum -- hosted by Lake County Commissioner Gerry Scheub and Michael Jordan and Julie Clark, all of whom oppose the proposed road -- said the Illiana would benefit Illinois at the expense of Indiana farmers and taxpayers. They decried governmental eminent domain powers. They voiced concern that the road would worsen urban sprawl.

West Creek Township Trustee/Assessor Rick Niemeyer called the proposed expressway a "road that's going to get people to move through our area as fast as they can without stopping."

Scheub floated his alternative: an extension of Chicago's Lake Shore Drive through Indiana. His proposal would improve Indiana's shoreline, bring highly paid jobs to Indiana and reduce taxes, he said.

I have to admit that I like the idea of extending and creating a Northwest Indiana Lake Shore Drive. Maybe that could be something that would be included in Rep. Pete Visclosky's Marquette Greenway proposal for Lake County's lake front?

I wonder if the compromise solution will be to have the state start purchasing additional I-80 / I-94 right of way north of the existing Borman Expressway to be able to create additional lanes to handle the extra traffic predicted in the next ten years or so. Maybe express lanes for California-to-New-York trucks and local lanes could be created as a compromise solution.

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

Non-Elected Board To Collect Train Tax?

Will Northwest Indiana residents start paying a train tax imposed by a non-elected board of political appointees to fund a mass transit project connecting Valparaiso and Lowell to the South Shore Train line?

Indiana State Rep. Chet Dobis (D-Merrillville) proposes a new wheel tax of up to $50 to pay for a South Shore Line extension to Lowell and Valparaiso. The new tax would be charged to vehicle owners in Lake and Porter Counties.

The Post-Tribune reports that the train tax plan would let the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority impose the tax to pay for the project that could cost $900 million.

Questions have been raised about the plan to let a non-governmental agency levy taxes, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

State law already permits local vehicle taxes of up to $25, but Lake and Porter are not among the more than three-dozen counties that impose the levy. Dobis' plan would bypass county officials, instead giving the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority power to impose a single rate of up to $50 a year on motorists in Lake and Porter counties.

"I have serious concerns about allowing a non-elected board to impose any kind of tax," said state Rep. Dan Stevenson, D-Highland.

Other lawmakers, including some from outside the region, also questioned the wisdom of turning taxing authority over to the RDA board, which is appointed by county officials, mayors and the governor. Dobis acknowledged the "bone of contention" but suggested the scenario is no different than non-elected school boards that lord over multimillion-dollar construction projects.

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

More Evidence The Illiana Fight Unites Both Left And Right

The Daily Kos last month covered the Illiana Expressway issue after blog post author "ManfromMiddleton" picks up a copy of a conservative student newspaper at Purdue University: It's more proof that the Illiana Expressway Toll Road has the potential to unite the political Left and political Right in one coalition.

From the Daily Kos (special recognition to Dalton over at Porter County Politics for noticing it):

Thomas wrote about the Illiana highway project and the regional planning commission's opposition to it earlier today. From Thomas, I expect this, though we've never actually met, I have what I think is a decent understanding of the guy. Walking through one of the buildings on campus earlier this week, I picked up a new paper that I had never seen before, the Purdue Review. What attracted me was a headline on the frontpage, "The Real Toll of Illiana: The End of Rural Indiana", that turned out to be highly critical of Daniels adminstration. All the more suprising then my realization that this was the new campus conservative newspaper. Opening the page to see the Gipper 6 inches from my kisser gave it away.

I'm sure that we disagree about many other things, but I agree with much of what Jeff Schultz has to say.

The Daily Kos quotes Jeff Schultz's article:

Mitch Daniels told the 2006 Republican convention that, "if you are not for this plan, you are against our future." Indiana has always been a rural, Midwestern state. There might be more than corn in Indiana but let's not forget our roots. A big part of future is still in small communities like mine. Don't listen to Daniel's rhetoric. He's a politician and it's his job to lie. Being a newspaper writer, it is my duty to tell you the truth and the truth is that if you are for the building of the Illiana Expressway then you are against our future (those who live in Northwestern Indiana.) Daniels doesn't care. He probably wouldn't mind sacrificing a few, despicable hicks like us off the map. Maybe we are hicks, but we have the right as American to live a life of freedom and happiness.

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

LaPorte Businesses Want Illiana Study

While the Illiana Expressway plans may be scaled back or permanently tabled, LaPorte business leaders are requesting Indiana legislators conduct a feasibility study of the highway project.


Writes Daniel Przbyla in the LaPorte Herald Argus:

Forty-eight businesses in La Porte, including 24 manufacturers, signed a petition circulated by the Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce last month in support of a feasibility study into the 50-mile tollway that would cut through Lake, Porter and La Porte counties before linking up with the Indiana Toll Road. The petition was forwarded to state legislators, Northwest Indiana Forum and Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission.

“How can you make an informed decision without a study? Let’s do a study and see what happens,” chamber President Mike Seitz said.

“Fifteen to 20 years from now it will be gridlock on the Borman Expressway (I-94). (La Porte manufacturers) don’t want their trucks idling for hours on the Borman.”

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

What Illiana Expressway?

Residents of northeastern Illinois haven't heard much about the Illiana Expressway proposal, reports the Daily Southtown, even though local Illinois leaders are in favor of the new highway.

The proposed highway remains a favorite of municipal leaders and businesses who favor the economic development it will bring.

Ed Paesel, executive director of the South Suburban Mayors & Managers Association, envisions an expressway south of Monee, running north of the proposed south suburban airport near Peotone and cutting across Illinois 394 along Goodenow Road before reaching I-57.

Paesel said the ongoing widening of the Kingery and Borman expressways will not be enough to handle future traffic volume.

"Every capacity study shows us that in a short number of years, those lanes will be filled up," Paesel said. "There is no room for any more lanes."

And if the path of the Illiana Expressway is not decided soon, the land will be gobbled up by suburban sprawl, he said.

But the motoring public still needs to catch on to the concept.

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

South Bend Tribune Calls For Illiana Expressway Study

The South Bend Tribune calls for a study of the feasibility of the Illiana Expressway Toll Road.

Right now, it appears to be 'bye. Or, at best, wait and see. And that might be just as well. But we believe a study of the proposed Illiana Expressway proposal is in order. It could be an important component of a much-needed comprehensive long-term Indiana transportation plan.

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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."

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

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.

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

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?

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

'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.

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

'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

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

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

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

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

Valpo Chamber Of Commerce Supports Illiana Expressway Study

The Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce passes a resolution urging a study of the effects of building the proposed Illiana Expressway Toll Road.

According to a resolution passed by the Chamber of Commerce, the "Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce supports the complete and accurate study of the effects of the Illiana Expressway on Northwest Indiana and its impact on the quality of life, environment, economic development, transportation, and growth of Valparaiso and Northwest Indiana."

Source: NWI.com

Writes the Valpo Chamber in a news release:

The Board of Directors of the Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce took a position in support of a feasibility study concerning the need for a new arterial highway to ease the congestion on the Borman Expressway.

This position supports the complete and accurate study of the effects of the proposed Illiana Expressway and its impact on the quality of life, environment, economic development, transportation, and growth of Valparaiso and Northwest Indiana.

“A new highway through LaPorte, Porter, and Lake Counties will have significant impact on this region,” explained Rex Richards, president of the Valpo Chamber. “It is critical to gather the necessary facts to make an informed decision.”

The proposed Illiana Expressway, connecting I-57 in Illinois and I-94 in Indiana, would be publically owned but built with private funds, not tax dollars, and operated under contract as a tollroad. The highway was conceived to help relieve increasing traffic congestion in Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area.

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

Foreign Investment In Illiana Toll Road Expressway Defended

George Mrak defends plans to allow foreign investment in the proposed Illiana Expressway Toll Road pointing to foreign ownership of various Northwest Indiana businesses, including Mittal Steel, BP Amoco, Westfield Shopping Town Southlake Mall, and the Indiana-American Water Company.

From Mrak's letter in the Chesterton Tribune:

All these businesses provide jobs and services for many Americans, even to you, your friends, and neighbors. Foreign investment in this country has a beneficial effect on our economy, and suggesting that it would be detrimental to the building and operation of a toll road is fear-mongering at its worst – look up xenophobia in the dictionary.

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

Will Union Support Win Over Democrat Votes For Illiana?

Porter County Politics blog asks if union support will save the Illiana Toll Road proposal from defeat.

Just when it looks like Governor Daniels has had it with Northwest Indiana, throws up his hands and pronounces "why work so hard for them, they didn't elect me anyway." the unions join hands to pull their democratic pals into line.

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

A 1990 Study Suggests Illiana Won't Cure Borman Congestion

The Post-Tribune reports that a 1990 study commissioned by Sen. Richard Lugar found that building the Illiana Toll Road would not solve Borman Expressway congestion problems because most of the I80-I94 traffic was local.

A study conducted in the early 1990s concluded that an Illiana-like expressway wouldn't single-handedly solve congestion problems on the Borman Expressway.

The Interstate 94 Congestion Relief Study considered several options including construction of an east-west suburban expressway, removing the tolls from the Skyway and Indiana Toll Road, and expanding the Borman to either eight or 10 lanes. In 1991, the Borman contained six lanes.

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

CAPIT Member Issues Warning About Illiana Toll Road

Recent articles in the Northwest Indiana Times in support of the Illiana Toll Road Expressway have raised concerns in CAPIT -- Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road -- members' minds.

See Pro-Illiana Group Forms and Illinois Officials Back Illiana Expressway.

Writes Terri Ahlberg in the No Illiana Toll Road message board (free membership to Yahoo required):

When you read this article it actually points out something we have been saying all along....we do not need Senate Bill 1 to do a study...we need it to move forward to build the road..at least they are starting to state the obvious! The big money behind this push is disturbing.

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

Pro-Illiana Group Forms

Five Northwest Indiana organizations have joined to create a pro-Illiana Toll Road advocacy group, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

Five groups have put out a joint statement that "advocates facts on the Illiana."

Some of those stand in stark contrast to numbers promulgated by opponents, according to Jim Zaleski, a spokesman for the organizations.

"We want to create public discussion on this topic because that's what needs to take place," Zaleski said.

The organizations say according to transportation planners' numbers, the Illiana will take up 2,500 acres, not the 16,000 acres recently cited by opponents. It also cites the fact that "the farming way of life" does quite nicely all along Interstate 65 between Northwest Indiana and Indianapolis.

"We just want to make sure realistic numbers are used," Zaleski said. "It's not our purpose to be in conflict."

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

Illinois Officials Back Illiana Expressway

The Northwest Indiana Times reports that Illinois officials favor the Illiana Expressway project, including Illinois' Senate Majority leader.

Illinois leaders are calling for a study of the Illiana Expressway to be completed as soon as possible and for an intense federal lobbying effort to have it declared a Corridor of the Future.

"Everywhere I go, this is the No. 1 issue," said Illinois Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete. "We need the Illiana. We need a way to get off the Borman (Expressway)."

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

Welcome to No Illiana Toll Road?

Welcome to No Illiana Toll Road?

There has been so much debate and controversy surrounding the plan to build the Illiana Toll Road or Expressway that it warrants public debate and discussion.

I don't have an opinion on whether the Illiana Toll Road should be built. I need some convincing either way. Share your opinions on this issue that promises to change Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties for the better or for the worst during the next 100+ years.

Supporters say the Illiana Toll Road project will create jobs for generations to come, initially as union workers build the highway, then as housing and businesses build up along the route. Proponents say cross-country trucks will use the route to avoid the heavily congested Borman Expressway, as well as Indiana residents working in Illinois.

Opponents to the Illiana Toll Road raise concerns that the new private-public tollway threatens their rural way of life, could harm the environment, cause further harm to North Lake County as businesses and people are drawn further south to the new developments.

There are probably many more issues for and against.

Share them with the world!

Tech Tags: Illiana+Toll+Road Illiana+Expressway Public+Private+Toll+Roads