Commerce Connector

I wanted to parse the Governor's State of the State speech but just not had the time this past week. He talked nice about us Democrats but as my mom used to say - actions speak louder than words. He still wants to push his Interstate Commerce Connector.

Even if I have not been able to keep up with the Governor's "grand vision", others are doing a grand job. TDW has been following up with posts here and here and here. TDW also excerpted a piece which, I think, hits some good points that bothers us - we pay the gas tax to fund roads and now now you want us to pay tolls, too?

Closer to home but with less skill the the Herald-Bulletin covered the local presentation. I saw nothing forewarning us about this meeting. Wish I had. Reading the comments on the H-B page show that I was not the only one ignorant of the meeting. Anyway, the story is here: Commerce Connector meets resistance. A couple of things here still have me scratching my head:

Joseph Gustin, deputy commissioner of public-private partnerships for INDOT, gave a short introduction before answering questions before an audience of about 50 people.

“The governor is committed to economic growth in Indiana,” Gustin said. “And having viable transportation infrastructure is an important part of the plan.”

***

Gustin further compounded the problem with a seemingly conflicted message.

“This project was never intended to ease traffic north of Indianapolis,” Gustin said, which seemed to contradict proposed benefits of the project listed in provided documentation. He also said the contract for Interstate 69 does not include a noncompetition clause, while state Sen. Tim Lanane, D-District 25, said the opposite.

Gustin said INDOT looked at median income, property growth, sales tax revenue and building permits in Indiana’s 92 counties and found that those numbers were strongest in communities with access to interstate highways. Of the last 327 deals completed by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Gustin said, 80 percent were completed in counties with Interstate access.

But INDOT must continue exploring traffic volumes, locations and environmental effects.

“Once we have that, we can determine the preliminary viability,” Gustin said. “Right now, we’re asking the Legislature to transfer P3 authority from I-69 to the Indiana Commerce Connector and the Illiana Expressway.”

Give the Herald-Bulletin reporter credit for noticing that Gustin contradicted one of INDOT's and Mighty Mitch's reasons for this project - congestion at 69 and 465. Is this a sign that the Governor's attention span, ideas, justifications are as variable as those of his former boss? (Remember the President shifting from WMD in Iraq to regime change to democracy in Iraq as why we needed to invade Iraq.) On the hand, remove congestion from the discussion and then no need to discuss alternatives like light rail.

I suspect Lanane knows what he is saying when he says there is a non-competition agreement. I cannot see a business making the kind of investment craved by the Governor without one. Who wants to put in that kind of money and then have another company open another toll road in competition? No non-competition agreement makes this whole thing a very dubious deal or shows just how unbusinesslike our businessman governor really is.

I do wish I had been here to hear this Gustin explain how it is that Interstate access does not help businesses. Sure, most business locate near the Interstates. Talk about your obvious conclusions. The real issue is whether all interstate intersections are created equal. They are not. Take a look at 332 and 69, or ask why Milroy or Cloverdale or Warren or Remington are not bustling centers of commercial activity. Still thinking the Governor has watched Field of Dreams too many times.

But the real kicker here, I think, is caught in this phrase: "we can determine the preliminary viability..." I read that to mean they have no facts supporting this idea.

Add all this in with this brief report from the Indianapolis Business Journal:

Oil to hit $100 a barrel, commodities expert predicts
Fri, Jan 19 - 2007
IBJ Editorial Staff
The slide in oil prices that dragged gas prices in Indianapolis below $2 a gallon won’t last more than two years, according to Jim Rogers, who in 1999 predicted the surge in oil, metal and grain prices.

The author of “Hot Commodities” and creator of the Rogers International Commodity Index told Bloomberg that booming growth in China and other Asian countries will push oil above $100 a barrel in the long term.

Oil prices dipped briefly below $50 yesterday after hitting $78.40 in July as warm weather cuts demand.

So all we can look forward to are increased gas prices and our State's grand transportation plan is all about building more roads?