Hearing allows residents preview of 2nd phase of I-69

By Nate Smith, Staff Writer

March 19, 2009 10:39 pm

— PETERSBURG — Interested citizens got a preview of the second phase of I-69 during a public hearing Thursday.
The hearing, at Pike Central High School, was the public comment section for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for I-69’s Section 2, which starts at SR 64 near Oakland City and continues up to U.S. 50 near Washington, about 29 miles.
The actual interchange will, according to the study, be southeast of Washington with a new interchange for U.S. 50, starting at CR 75E. The road will dip further south, merging with I-69, and then run behind Antioch Christian Church and resumes it regular route at CR 350E. CR 250E would be eliminated.
The interstate, coming north from Pike County, goes north but will take a slight northeast towards Crane. The project, according to Joe Leindecker, a project manager that wrote the report for INDOT, will cost about $454 to $533 million for Section 2.
Discussed during the hearing was a decision by INDOT to eliminate interchanges in northern Pike County and southern Daviess County. The move, saving about $3 million, would eliminate any interchanges between Washington and Petersburg, according to the study.
Also included in the study were 53 residences that will have to be relocated. That number, Leindecker said, could change in the final design. Also in the new development, 1,195 acres of farmland will be used, along with 198 acres of forest and 28 acres of wetlands in Section 2.
But with the interstate, Leindecker said, 135 fewer accidents will happen per year by 2030. Also, there would be 21 percent less congestion, 32 percent less traffic on SR 57 north of Petersburg and 58 percent less traffic on SR 57 south of Petersburg.
“That would consist of 850 fewer trucks on SR 57 going through the county,” Leindecker said.
Before the general public gave comments, local elected officials were given the chance to comment. Pike County Councilman Norman Dillon, Petersburg Mayor Jon Craig and Washington Mayor Larry Haag said they would like to see the state build the interchanges in northern Pike and southern Daviess.
“The savings is very small on the big picture,” Haag said. “We are talking about massive socioeconomic impact. We are talking about safety concerns.
“Let’s don’t be penny wise and dollar dumb. Let’s look at the true impact.”
Most of the comments from the general public were against the building of I-69 altogether. Many members of the group Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads and others not from the area spoke out against I-69.
“Folks, they just want to get pavement down,” W.A. Boyd said. “They are not interested in your economic development. They are not interested in jobs.”
There were a few from Daviess County that did comment at the hearing. Washington and Veale Township firefighter Chris Clymer said the interchange in the southern part of the county was necessary for emergency services. He was originally against the project.
“The problem is Veale Fire Department would have to drive around for an accident,” Clymer said. “That’s going to be about a 35-minute response time. That’s a long time to get somebody out of a car.”
Tom Kendall was against the road.
“The people in Kentucky, they have signs that say ‘Future I-69’ highway. Why are they so smart (using existing roads) and we have to tear up all this farmland?”
Thursday’s was the first of two meetings for Daviess County’s portion of I-69. A draft study has also been completed for Section 3, the 26-mile portion of the road that goes from U.S. 50 to U.S. 231, near the front gate for NSWC Crane.
The public comment hearing for that study will be at 5 p.m. next Thursday at North Daviess Elementary school. Members of Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads said they will attend the hearing.
The hearing was one in a series of steps before construction. Next for the engineers is approval by the federal Highway Commission for final design. In 2010, the process of getting rights-of-way will be determined and construction will start in 2011. Section 2 should be finished by 2015.

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