In these days of government fiscal irresponsibility and a deficit with more numbers than a finite math book, wouldn't it be splendid if new projects could be paid for and maintained by themselves? \nOf course it would.\nThat's why Gov. Mitch Daniels was in Bloomington last week promoting his new plan to pay for the Interstate-69 extension: make it into a toll road. The new interstate would run from Evansville through Bloomington to Indianapolis, replacing the painfully slow Indiana State Road 37. For the nominal cost of using I-69, commuters could shave up to half an hour off their trip from Indianapolis to Bloomington. Consider a trip to Indianapolis without traffic lights, stop signs or railroad tracks to cause traffic jams and headaches. \nBesides being overwhelmingly convenient, the new interstate will be able to pay for itself without raising taxes or setting aside funds better spent elsewhere. For evidence supporting the efficacy of toll roads one need only look at I-95, which runs from Florida to Maine, supported by tolls paid up and down the East Coast. Maintenance to such an extensive interstate is raised by users of the road, ensuring continuous quality of road surfaces and safety.\nResidents of large cities know all too well the condition of heavily used yet under-funded highways: Cracks indefinitely repaired with tar, potholes big enough to swallow a Hummer, and too few lanes cause cars to back up for miles, and occasionally cause traffic to stop flowing altogether. By setting up a trust specifically designated for the purpose of building and maintaining I-69, the state will never be forced to reallocate money from other projects. Likewise, only motorists that use the road will be paying for it, saving millions for the state and the taxpayers. Consider the tolls the cost of convenience.
DISSENT\nDaniels is wrong to make the proposed I-69 extension a toll road. The extension will incorporate S.R. 37, meaning that, in the future, I-69 will be the most direct way to travel from Indianapolis to Bloomington. This deprives drivers of a plausible alternative, meaning that anyone who wishes to travel in southwestern Indiana will have to pay the fee, including tourists, commuters and college students.\nDaniels' decision places road access as something that will not be provided by the state. This makes sense for interstate travelers who do not contribute to state coffers, but I-69 connects no major destinations and will have little of such traffic in comparison to the I-90 Chicago Skyway. The toll will instead disproportionately affect those who, either through taxes or tuition, have already paid money for state services.\nThe fee itself will no doubt be negligible, at least at first. But after a long period of time, daily commuters will consider the fee a hardship. No taxpayer, if able to pay for his or her own car and gas, should have to avoid traveling within his or her own state.
