Community protests announcement of route through Bloomington

A day after Gov. Frank O'Bannon's announcement of an I-69 route through Bloomington, the signs of displeasure were everywhere. \nMany of the cars parked along Morton Street outside City Hall had bumper stickers spreading the word: "Fix the roads we have -- No new-terrain I-69." Residents who oppose the plan were holding posters with the words: "YOU can help stop new-terrain I-69," and "69 stops here!"\nAnd Friday afternoon they made their presence known.\nMembers of the Bloomington Common Council held a news conference at City Hall vowing to continue the fight against a new-terrain I-69.\nCouncilmember Andy Ruff said O'Bannon's insane decision would not survive. He said the efforts to fight will be doubled and opposition will continue to grow dramatically as awareness increases about the highway.\n"I asked the governor to please reconsider his decision and choose the common-sense, responsible U.S. 41/Interstate 70 upgrade alternative," Ruff said. "It's not too late to do that. It's not too late to reconsider."\nCouncil president Chris Gaal reassured the many I-69 opposers at the meeting that this is not the end. He reminded the group that the Indiana Department of Transportation has only prepared a draft Environmental Impact Statement, and that there will be many challenges for the state to overcome when the final EIS is completed.\n"I think there will be legal challenges, and the state will have much more work to do," he said. "I'm certain they will continue to receive a large amount of scrutiny, ceratinly from the public, but also from council members in the future."\nRuff said he thought the justifications for the project by O'Bannon, INDOT Commissioner J. Bryan Nicol and Bloomington Mayor John Fernandez were "frankly laughable." \nHe said I-69 would not help Bloomington's economic future, as Fernandez had stated. He said manufacturing jobs leaving the U.S. has nothing to do with interstates running through our communities, it's just a problem of international and economic forces. \nRuff also said the benefits O'Bannon listed for IU were not valid possibilities.\n"The 'education highway' -- I mean give me a break," he said. "Hoosiers are having trouble attending IU, but it's not because they can't drive here. It's because they can't afford sky-rocketing tuition costs."\nRuff said the U.S. 41/Interstate 70 route provides the best solution for everyone involved. He said it will save money -- $1 billion compared to O'Bannon's $1.7 billion project -- provide far more transportation improvements to Indiana, will protect the environment of southwest Indiana and preserve critical elements of the existing economies of Terre Haute and other cities along the other route.\n"You'll avoid the lawsuits, the conflicts and the delays that a new-terrain route would bring," he said. "Think about this, the U.S. 41/I-70 route could practically be started tomorrow."\nRuff also read a statement from Mayorial candidate Mark Kruzan, who spoke out against the current mayor's opinions about Bloomington. \nKruzan said pavement is not synonymous with progress.\n"We should be deciding now, not 10 years from now, what we want Bloomington to look like in the future," Kruzan said. "An interstate dividing us is not part of my vision"