I-69 good for IU, Indiana

We support the construction of I-69 over new terrain passing through the west side of Bloomington. We believe that such an investment will pay dividends for a long time to come.\nBeyond its obvious convenience for IU professors, students, alumni and staff, I-69 offers a major opportunity for southwestern Indiana to reinvigorate its economy. The non-profit interest group Voices for I-69 estimates that the interstate will create 4,415 new jobs and $12 billion in new sales. The new infrastructure will be a powerful incentive for businesses to expand or create new operations in the region. These developments, of course, portend much-needed tax revenue for state and local governments.\nAs many IUB students can attest, the current roads from Evansville to Bloomington are small, curvy and dangerous. A state-of-the-art interstate connecting Evansville to Indianapolis through Bloomington will provide a much safer route, preventing dozens of accidents a year, according to the I-69 Congressional Caucus.\nOpponents of this plan endorse a route that would upgrade U.S. 41 and continue to Indianapolis along I-70. They argue that the "new terrain" proposal will harm the environment and cost too much. The facts, when placed in context, suggest that I-69's opponents' concerns are unwarranted. \nThe Chicago-based Environmental Law and Policy Center claims that I-69's path through Bloomington will destroy 3,000 acres of farmland and 1,000 acres of forest. Assuming that these figures are accurate, these losses would not reflect an egregious degradation of Indiana's natural resources. The state has 15.11 million acres of farmland; 3,000 acres represents just two ten-thousandths of one percent (.0002 percent) of Indiana's total farmland. Similarly, 1,000 acres of forest comprises the same percentage (.0002 percent) of Indiana's 4.3 million acres of forest. The not-yet-finalized route can and should be designed to minimize environmental losses and reduce the degree to which rural communities are disturbed.\nWhile it is true that routing I-69 through Bloomington will cost an estimated $1.3 billion, $500 million more than the 41/70 route, we believe it will be worth the extra expense. The new terrain route, which is shorter than the 41/70 route, will provide the intangible benefit of linking Indiana's flagship educational institution -- IU-Bloomington -- to the rest of the state. Additionally, the area of Indiana through which a new terrain I-69 will run has the potential for much greater vitalization than the 41/70 route, since it is considerably underdeveloped vis-a-vis Vincennes and Terre Haute.\nIf federal planners get their wish, I-69 will run from Canada south to Mexico, facilitating both interstate and international trade -- a link in the Pan American highway. Indiana's opportunity to own a three-hundred mile stretch of this unique international corridor is too valuable to pass up. \nWe lend our support to the construction of a new terrain I-69.\nStaff vote: 15-7-3\nyes-no-abstain