State announces $2 million planning program

INDIANAPOLIS -- State officials plan to distribute $1.5 million in planning grants to counties and communities along the proposed route of the Interstate 69 extension between Indianapolis and Evansville.\nThe two-phase initiative announced Wednesday is expected to begin next month with an estimated $500,000 regional planning assessment for the entire I-69 corridor area. The money will be used in part to establish partnerships between state agencies and communities along the proposed route.\nThe second phase, set to begin late next year, includes grants of up to $50,000 for each of the 30 or so cities, towns and counties along the 140-mile selected corridor. The grants will be used to prepare or update land-use plans, zoning and subdivision ordinances and other steps to guide development.\nBryan Nicol, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation, said the grants will help communities map out development and increase the potential for economic expansion in southwestern Indiana.\n"This is another milestone in the process to make the corridor a reality," he said.\nRoughly 80 percent of the $2 million in funding for the program will come from federal highway funds, with the rest from the state.\nThe proposed route for the $1.7 billion highway must still win approval by the Federal Highway Administration. Nicol said a decision is expected by early next year.\nThe entire project continues to face opposition from critics who say they fear environmental damage and question the project's economic value.