I-69, if built, Will Be 84 Miles Longer!
On July 8, 2003, Monroe County Indiana Surveyor Kevin
Enright released a GIS analysis of the
National I-69 which is also known as Corridor 18 and the NAFTA
International Interstate. His GIS map
documents that I-69 if built will be 84 miles longer than existing
interstate. (If the roads do not appear, please use your browsers
refresh function.)
We asked Kevin Enright to explain his credentials.
He has provided
methodology, conclusion and background documentation for his
GIS study.
See the press release
statement.
Links to press coverage of
this study.
July 2004: The trucking industry already knew this and
agrees with us... "Fix the roads we have!"
But Wait...There's Another and it's even shorter!
On September 11, 2003, public comments regarding I-69 to the
Tennessee Department of Transportation resulted in the realization:
I-40 & I-65 A Look at the Second Existing NAFTA Interstate Highway..
This one is even shorter yet!!! Click here to learn
more John Smith and Kevin Enright exchange communications.
Now we learn: I-69, if built, will cost
billions more than predicted!
See Kevin
Enright's Cost
map for national
I-69, AKA corridor 18 (national DOT's cost estimate). Mr. Enright
has objected to
our presentation of this data, which he says is too early for
posting. Take this as only an early sketch, not gospel.
(Kevin Enright also prepared for us a PDF cost map for
Indiana too. We park that link here.)
The most current cost estimate for National
I-69 is $14.6 Billion as of January 15, 2006 (from data at: http://www.nationali69.com/2f_about.jsp)
**********
Here is an excellent source even though they
round down sometimes by over $1billion as is the case in our Indiana
section of
3-C:
The Interstate 69
Steering Committee is composed of representatives from the eight state departments
of transportation in the Interstate 69 corridor -- Michigan,
Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas -- and
from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The Arkansas Highway and
Transportation Department (AHTD) serves as Committees lead agency and
provides administrative support
http://www.nationali69.org/1_overview.jsp
Why Are These Points Important?
Congress made Corridor 18 (I-69) a priority project of the
USA. It was sold, by the proponents at the time, as The
NAFTA free trade route, I-69. Segmentation, erred studies and
congressional pork barrel politics have resulted in an national
boondoggle project, that unless looked at again by a Congressional
Budget Office Study, will grind on building a third NAFTA highway in
approximately the same corridor, that will add a full 5% to our
interstate highway system at a time when we least can afford it.
Federal Highway was required to consider proposed highways
compared to "No Build". The need for this highway was based on erred
data regarding the "no build" alternative and vastly underestimated
costs:
Kevin Enright has written: With the Corridor 18
Study, I think it uses existing U.S. highway routes along the various
Corridor 18 cities to address the no build alternative. It states that
three routes were modeled using GIS to construct their various flow
calculations; existing U.S highways, proposed I-69 and I-35. The route
of existing interstates between Laredo and Port Huron does not seem to
be one of the routes to receive attention. Instead they focus on I-35
between Laredo and Duluth, which seems to serve the purpose of a red
herring to distract attention from the fact that existing interstates
are 84 miles shorter than the proposed I-69. Kevin Enright (9-4-03)
John Smith added on September 19th, 2006:
By now, it is obvious that without a major political shift, I-69, if
built, will be mostly Toll-69. Federal Highway is pushing
International Privatization Tolling of USA road infrastructure.
Texas and Indiana have made their plans to privatize, toll, tax Toll-69
and the privatization discussions have sprung up in the most unlikely
of places, such as Kentucky, where the costs for I-69 would be mostly
signs on their existing parkway system, that has already been converted
from a toll-way to free-way.
Foreign investors have set their sights on USA transportation
infrastructure. The age of inexpensive travel may be sold to the
richest investor to develop the maximum euro return. Massive
profit guarantees by taxpayers will be required and to assure
international privateers that profits will be had on this longer route.
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