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asked our members to provide insight into our view for the future of Indiana,
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here to submit your own.
Our Arguments against Interstates for Jobs, especially high tech
jobs:
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Interesting, It seems like every state in the country is angling for a
high-tech corridor. If only it were that easy. Heck, even if
were, I thought that 37 between Indy and Bloomington would be the right
candidate, not Bloomington to Washington and Evansville. Indiana
is #4 in the nation in Rural Interstate Density, but is in fact #1 in the
nation in job losses for 2001 and #2 in the nation for job losses over
the last seven years.
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Actually, information in the Draft EIS (or at least referenced in it) undercuts
this argument. A couple of years ago the Council for Urban Economic
Development (now the International Economic Development Council) evaluated
SW Indiana's economic needs. Although we disagreed with several of
the conclusions in the report, and INDOT never did get CUED to study the
harm to Terre Haute and other communities resulting from a new highway
as it had promised, the report contains some useful information regarding
high-tech industries. For example, the CUED evaluated a number of
site selection journals (e.g., Area Development - I'm sure everyone subscribes
to it) to determine how important highway proximity is to different industries.
The high tech industry did not cite transportation and highway development
as an important factor at all. Most important factors were the presence
of a world class research university, proximity to other high tech firms
(which of course, is a bit circular), tax incentives and favorable utility
rates. The report did say that the auto industry and distribution
centers like some form of divided 4-lane highway (e.g., Toyota on 41),
but not necessarily an interstate. The report also stated that "the
absence of a highway by no means precludes economic development.
Conversely, the presence of a highway by no means guarantees economic development.
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As others have today pointed out, "brains" want to live in what amounts
to a French-style village, but with carefully placed and styled business
incubator parks. Just as an example I like to think of the village
of Clear Creek plus a carefully designed business park. In fact, I think
it would be better to leave the old villages as is, and design new ones
where the neighborhood wants them.
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Indiana is inundated with interstate highways. We are rated fourth
in the country for rural interstate density. Yet, Indiana is consistently
number one or two in job loss. If new terrain interstate highways
are so essential to "progress" and "economic development," where are all
those businesses now? After considering the jobs that will
be lost as well as the ones gained, the I-69 DEIS (Draft Environmental
Impact Study) predicts a best case for job increases of only 4-7 jobs per
county per year in rural counties compared to "no build" - that's not even
one shift at one fast food restaurant. More outlet
malls, truck stops, and McBurgers are not the answer to Indiana's financial
woes. Speed of travel may be necessary to create these six dollar an hour
fast food and chain store jobs, but there is absolutely no proof that even
one high-tech job will be created due to saving two to ten minutes in travel
time between Evansville and Indianapolis. In fact, being number one in
job loss and number four in rural interstate density, Indiana may be proof
of the opposite. The argument that, "Well, without it we won't get more
jobs," is illogical and short-sighted. The state should not be squandering
billions of dollars on an unwanted highway. RCA, Whirlpool, Sunbeam,
GE, Otis, Teletron, did not down size or close due to a lack of highways.
There is no reason to believe they will move back the day I69 is built.
Where are all the new factories and research/development concerns along
I65 and I70? Fourth in rural interstate density; first in job loss.
Answer for yourself just one question: where are the jobs now?
Our visions of the future.
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The conventional wisdom is that high-tech employees are in such demand
that they can pretty much choose where they want to live, so there is much
competition between employers to attract them. They say that is one
reason Microsoft is in Redmond Washington, and why other high-tech firms
locate near Seattle and Portland. High tech employees like clean
environments, good public transit, serene places to go hiking, kayaking,
climbing, etc.
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Monroe/Owen/Greene Counties are exactly what high tech employees are looking
for as is the hoosier national forest areas. Plenty of hills and
forests to hike in.
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A clean, not congested Indiana with with a stress free leisureful life,
free of crime and pollution right outside the door of our work and homes.
Communities served by good roads with safety and smoothness without being
stressful and imposing.
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Combining the ideas of Global Village and Think Globally, Act Locally will
be a starting point. It already exists and we want a big slice
of it. We have Indiana University, with the second or third most important
computer science school in the U.S. With that as the nucleus, we can *and
will* have the rest of the vision.
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High-tech growth is not dependent on antiquated concepts of asphalt roadways
bringing development, but on creative collaboration with and investment
in quality public schools and universities, in high-tech infrastructure
and in the encouragement of high-tech businesses. Rather than the
state squandering billions of dollars on an unwanted highway, our tax dollars
would be wiser spent coordinating our universities with
our business and industrial sectors, building on our medical and pharmaceutical
base, encouraging high tech development, while leaving our strong agricultural
base intact and our green spaces alive and vibrant for those who enjoy
a high quality of life.
Why more interstates, particularly this one, are not part of our
vision of the future.
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A new-terrain highway will also increase congestion (if you build it they
will come), driving up air pollution. Why would a high tech employee
want to come to an area covered with ugly congested sprawl, a 10,000 truck
a day superhighway, and dwindling green space?
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A new-terrain I-69 will only bring more development pressures on these
areas, including the Hoosier National Forest. More development drives
up land costs, making it difficult for public agencies to buy land in the
HNF, Patoka Wildlife Refuge, state forests, etc.
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I hesitate to endorse an explicitly "utopian" vision for Southwestern Indiana
as a political strategy, but I will say that an educated workforce and
IU are much more important than a highway in attracting high tech.
And even then it is not a sure thing. What is sure is that saving
$800 million or more to spend on other roads and potentially other transit
projects (such as a high speed rail connection to Chicago and Cincy) would
be better for Indiana than an interstate from Bloomington to Evansville.
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Decentralization of jobs to locations of lower overhead is the post 9-11
answer in the information age.
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The opponents are simply wrong and grasping at old tech straws. They can't
have the vision that they want other than the squandered highway construction
funds, and a despoiling of the Monroe "brain" villages.
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You don't need a six-lane interstate to carry the human genome.
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The jobs issue is bogus on its face. INDOT now downplays the economic
impact in its comments. Give 1.2 billion to the southwest counties for
economic development and see what they can do to create jobs. Even
a fraction of 1.2 billion could potentially create jobs of significance
-after all the Governor's new ENERGIZE INDIANA plan is a ten year 1.25
billion plan and they don't even know how many jobs it will create!
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A person in Cloverdale, IN said the "jobs" promise was made to them,
too before I-70 went through. They got a truck stop, a couple of
fast food restaurants and another gas station.
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The 'brain drain" is has more to do with the poor condition, environmentally,
of Indiana than of not enough new roads.
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Where are all the new factories and research/development concerns along
I65 and I70? Fourth in interstate density; first in job loss...where
are the jobs now? Spending billions of tax payer dollars for
a radical, speculative Field of Dreams to satisfy electoral promises to
vested interests is fiscally irresponsible and environmentally and commercially
disastrous.
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Seeing the savings of 40+ miles, NAFTA truckers will take I-57 just north
of the Arkansas/Missouri state line. Then Continue on to the
Illinois I-70 intersection and onto Indianapolis. Given the Kentucky
section of I-69 follows a series of toll roads; Purchase Turnpike, Western
Kentucky Turnpike and the Penrile Turnpike. Kentucky has rejected
building a new terrain interstate route. Therefore the whole Indiana
I-69 project is an expensive hoax. There will never be 10,000 trucks a
day bringing jobs and prosperity to SW Indiana. It also proves that INDOT's
study is a contrived lie, as though we needed any more proof.
