Some updates on the Interstate Commerce Connector

Frankly, I was beginning to think Mighty Mitch's new toll road was dead so I neglected a few reports on the subject. Looking around the web shows that Mitch is talking out of both sides of his mouth. This is from the Herald-Bulletin on the 12th:

“Right now our focus is on legislation that would allow the governor and the administration to explore P3 agreements for projects such as the Commerce Connector,” said Jamie Jorczak, director of communications and marketing for INDOT during a visit to The Herald Bulletin.

“Our focus is not so much on breaking ground or where it’s going to go, those things will come with our studies. Our focus right now is on the authority to explore that path.”

On Monday, the opening day of the Legislature, bill No. 001 was introduced in the Indiana Senate. The bill would allow INDOT to explore P3 agreements and must be passed by mid-February to move onto the Indiana House before the end of the legislative session on April 29.

Taking Down Words has a post here on the private/public partnership proposals which leads to an INDOT page on public-private partnerships here. I have seen 2:00 am infomercials which did not salivate so heavily with self-love as this page. ("Governor Daniels has received national recognition and awards for his leadership and use of public-private partnerships in addressing Indiana’s transportation infrastructure needs." I think he got some award from some trucking industry group for his toll road lease/sale which is his only private-public transportation deal to date.). In case anyone forgot here is the general plan:

In P3 agreements, private sector funding is used to design, build, finance, maintain and operate a public facility:

• In return for paying to create the road, and also paying a premium above this cost, the company collects tolls on the facility for a designated time period.
• The highway remains a publicly-owned asset, and it must be maintained to state and federal standards.
• State officials monitor the management of the facility and set the parameters for toll increases over the life of the agreement.

No mention of what happens when the private company goes bankrupt is there? Hmm.

But that page will take you to this INDOT page with a nice map of where the Governor thinks the route should go (I cam beginning to think the guy thinks he is Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams - build it and they will come). With more hype paid for by our tax dollars:

• Local officials across Central Indiana support the Indiana Commerce Connector and call it an innovative plan to attract new investment and jobs to their communities.

For those of us in Madison County, look at that map closely. The exit off of I-69 is west of Pendleton and east of the Lapel exit. It appears to come between Pendleton and Ingalls. I suspect it comes very close to some state owned land in Pendleton - the Reformatory. I think Highway 67 would be about two miles south of the I-69 exit. I call that pretty cramped territory for development in an area of farms and some nice housing developments. Pretty cramped, too, from the perspective of the Lapel exit where new housing lots are going up. From there south through Hancock County - west of State Road 9.

For those of us in Anderson, think about a route that is about ten miles away from us. Consider that it is even further to the west of State Road 109 which is a more direct route from I-70 than State Road 9. Just what local officials did Mighty Mitch find that like his plan?

I got to admit that I found this point amusing:

The Indiana Commerce Connector will improve access to Indianapolis International Airport, making it easier for Hoosiers and companies to use this tremendous transportation hub.

Yes, I want to go to the Indianapolis airport by way of Shelbyville and Mooresville when the gas is over $2.00 a gallon. I now have a division in my mind which seems evenly balanced: between anger that the Governor thinks we are stupid and anger over the Governor's lack of common sense.

I must report one good thing (thanks, again, to TDW), even the Republicans are balking at Mitch's road to nowhere.

An aside about the Herald-Bulletin's article, I noticed that the online comments section was empty even though I left a comment there two days ago. I commented that the Governor had not been show that the project would bring the growth he projected. Considering how well the Governor projected the costs of our Iraq fiasco, I think we should severely doubt his abilities to predict anything.