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.