INDOT starts Tier 2 of I-69 development plan

The Interstate 69 project is currently moving forward as Indiana Department of Transportation officials work diligently to pinpoint the final location for the highway.\n"Basically where we are (at) is starting Tier 2 of the process," said Tony Felts, director of communications for the Indiana Department of Transportation. \nTier 2 is the name given to the second phase of study and development for the controversial extension project of I-69 that would connect Indianapolis and Evansville. A 2,000-foot corridor was selected for the 142-mile highway route to determine the specific location for construction of the highway.\n"In the end of March, the Federal Highway (Administration) approved the corridor for I-69," Felts said. "When this happened, it kicked off Tier 2. Tier 2 will last 18 to 36 months, and the main goal is to work in that 2,000-foot wide corridor."\nIndividual project offices have recently been opened along the proposed I-69 route in order to concentrate their focus on specific needs and requirements of those individual regions. The project offices are located in six sections, each between 13 and 29 miles in length and have been established in order to hear localized public input as well as to oversee studies that will determine the best area for highway construction within the corridor. \n"We're finding a lot of people who are interested and want to know what's going on," Felts said, referring to the localized public input. "Some are still opposed, and some will remain opposed. Others are just looking for info, reserving judgment until finding out about the project."\nRandy Hancock, project manager for Section 2 ,which is in sections of Gibson, Pike, and Daviess counties in southwestern Indiana, has seen an encouraging response to the recent opening of the section office in Petersburg.\n"We've had a pretty positive reception from the public," Hancock said. "They're able to come in and get information on individual concern."\nTim Miller, project manager for Section 6 that runs from Martinsville to Indianapolis, has seen a similarly positive response as well, with many people coming into the Meridian Street office in Indianapolis to look at maps and gather information.\n"Office location has been a huge success (in) being available to the public," Miller said. \nAlso important in the highway development process are environmental and historical issues. Mist netting, which is done at nighttime for the Indiana bat, a type of endangered species native to the I-69 construction area, is underway.\n"One of the things to do is determine where the bat's habitat may be in relation to the 2,000-foot wide corridor," Felts said.\nBoth Hancock and Miller will be holding studies in their districts to examine the habitat of the endangered bat. Historical sites are also being studied in the individual districts. \nMiller said the surveys will determine where any potential historical sites are located and how to avoid impacts to minimize any effects the highway would have. The archeological studies will be held later on, as well as studies of wetlands and types of plants within the 2,000-foot wide corridor.\nA definite route for construction of the highway will be determined at the end of Tier 2 as soon as 18 months after the start of the program. In the meantime, each of the individual stations will work hand-in-hand with the Department of Transportation to ensure the superhighway will be constructed on the best possible route, giving motorists a safe and efficient way to commute between Evansville and Indianapolis. \n-- Contact staff writer Aaron Cooke at akcooke@indiana.edu.