I-69 vote delayed until March

Local transportation officials have postponed a decision until March about whether to include the Interstate 69 project in their transportation improvement plan.

The decision was announced Friday by the Bloomington/Monroe County Metropolitan Planning Organization’s policy committee.

I-69 Subcommittee Chairman Richard Martin said the additional time would allow the committee to address remaining questions regarding the interstate construction project. The vote has been delayed since November 2011.

“We think that would probably be the appropriate thing to do so that we can focus on that particular issue for that meeting, and everybody could make an informed decision at that point,” Martin said.

Although he ultimately voted to postpone the decision, City Councilman Andy Ruff expressed concerns with the additional extension and the Indiana Department of Transportation’s proceedings.

“The hell-bent pace at which it’s been moving forward seems not based on any urgent reality or practicality,” Ruff said. “It seems more political, and as long as this section 4 question is not resolved, I would request that INDOT stop all activity on section 4 from now until we take an action.”

I-69 has been a controversial issue for more than two decades. The construction process is divided into five sections between Evansville and Indianapolis. The MPO has jurisdiction of a 1.7-mile stretch.

For the Indiana Department of Transportation to build the interstate in Monroe County, it must receive consent from the MPO to obtain federal funding.

If the MPO votes to exclude I-69 from its transportation plans, INDOT could deny transportation funds to the MPO for local projects, ranging from road repairs to bus operations.

Although a specific date for the meeting was not determined, the March 9 MPO special meeting was suggested.

While public comment was not offered during Friday’s meeting, MPO members agreed time for public comment in their March meeting would be necessary. However, the way in which they were to handle public comment at future meetings was debated.

“In all seriousness, if we were to prevent, prohibit or exclude additional public comment at that time, we would probably need to have several law enforcement officers present to deal with the resulting action of the public,” Ruff said.

During a six-hour MPO meeting last year, several policy committee members said they believed many public comments became out of line.

Jim Stark of INDOT said he was verbally attacked by community members.

For the meeting in March, the policy committee plans to include two podiums, one for community members in support of I-69 and one for those in opposition, which it believes will better allow the committee to hear both sides of the issue.